Ice dancers Virtue and Moir say they’ll miss Mike Babcock at Olympics
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir say they won’t miss Canada’s NHL players in Pyeongchang so much as head coach Mike Babcock.
The NHL opted not to interrupt next season to accommodate the Pyeongchang Games, and Moir, who won Olympic gold and silver in ice dancing with Virtue, said Babcock’s absence leaves a big hole — and not just among the hockey team.
“There are many Canadian Olympians who will talk about the impact Mike’s had on high-level Olympic athletes across the board, not just the hockey guys,” Moir said at Skate Canada’s high performance camp Wednesday. “We felt like Mike really made the (NHL) men a part of the team, they were always in the room with us. Mike would come into the gym and talk with us, and I know he did the same with the curlers, I know he did the same with Kaillie and Heather (Olympic bobsled champions Humphries and Moyse).”
Virtue and Moir have been friends with Babcock since his days coaching the Detroit Red Wings. The ice dancers skated out of a rink in nearby Canton, Mich.