Living a boyhood dream as I represented my country

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Oct 28, 2008

ICE HOCKEY dominates the life of every young Canadian lad in the way football is the driving passion over here - and therefore to wear the jersey of your country more than 100 times is a huge honour greatly treasured.

So are the two World Championship medals proudly hung up at home as a reminder of a distinguished career.

"Initially there was Team Canada which was based in Calgary and travelled abroad playing in top tournaments,"

explained Verner.

"I was asked to join that.

"There were no NHL players - the squad comprised of young lads around 22 or 23 who, in the main, were single.

"We played all over the world.

We were in Switzerland for Christmas, did a tour that took in Sweden, Finland, Germany and Russia and so on.

"It was a springboard for young Canadians to get noticed and get into European club hockey, which is what I eventually did.

"I've played well over 100 times for my country and I'm very proud of that.

"The Team Canada thing stopped about four years ago.

Now NHL players almost entirely dominate the squad for the Olympics and World Championships. However, I was lucky enough to still be selected.

"I was the second-choice goalie out of three for the Worlds, the only player in the whole of the squad from outside the NHL.

That was quite something."

Verner won his bronze medal in 1995 in Stockholm and his silver the following year in Vienna.

"We lost to Sweden in the semi-finals but beat the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game," recalled Andrew.

"However, the Czechs destroyed our dreams the following year.

"We were drawing the final with them as the clock counted down and were preparing for a penalty shoot-out when they scored with only 10 seconds left.

"It was crushing. The match was being shown live on TV throughout Canada and I knew my family and all my friends would be watching. I had a silver medal yet all I could feel was huge disappointment. Now, looking back, that silver means a lot, of course."

The happy wanderer has many mementos to go with those precious gongs.

"I try to take something every year from wherever I'm playing," he said. "I have 12 different goalie masks and bits and bobs. They are great reminders of my career and I can pass them on to my k ids."