Team Canada received a silver medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics after a tough loss to Team USA in the women’s final. After receiving her medal, Jocelyne Larocque removed it straight away, evidently unhappy to be wearing silver when she was hoping to win gold.
Team Canada and Team USA fought hard and ended up going into overtime with a score of 2-2 at the end of regulation. The game went through a scoreless 20-minute overtime period, per Olympic regulations, and was eventually decided in a shootout. Team USA was able to come out on top, winning their first gold medal in four Winter Games, courtesy of Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson’s deciding goal. After the loss, several of the women on Canada’s national team were seen crying on the ice.
Larocque took the loss especially hard. When she was presented with her medal, her emotions got the best of her and she took it off her neck. Several people in the stands could be heard yelling, “Put your medal on.” She didn’t comply, however, and walked to the locker room with her medal in her hand.
According to The Globe and Mail, “an official from hockey’s governing body” caught up with Larocque as she was walking and was told that she had to wear the medal.
“Few people witnessed it, but there was Larocque, tears welling up in her eyes, holding her unwanted silver medal, being told by a man in a suit about the ‘legal’ reasons why she can’t refuse to wear it. This was the Olympics, the official from the International Ice Hockey Federation explained. It doesn’t matter how sad you are. Or how angry, or disappointed. There are rules. Larocque nodded and stared at the floor. The IIHF official strode quickly out of the room and disappeared.”
A short while later, Larocque was faced with questions from the press. It was clear that she didn’t want to talk. When asked why she didn’t want to wear the silver medal she responded, “It’s just hard. You work so hard. We wanted gold but didn’t get it.”
She seemed to be warming up to the idea of a silver medal, however. When she was asked if it was any consolation she responded, “I mean, yeah. Once we reflect. But now, not at the moment.”
