Team USA men’s hockey gold medalists Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski opened up about where their American pride came from as they celebrated their Olympic accomplishment.
Larkin and Werenski appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning, hours after celebrating their gold medal victory against Canada across Miami. The two opened up on what it meant to them to represent the Stars and Stripes.
“I think a lot of us played at the U.S. National Team Development Program … When we were there, you get to put the jersey on every day for two years, before you’re drafted. We go through training. We’re not military by any means but they put us through some training and they really instill in you some pride,” Larkin said. “Once you go through that, you take the jersey off … and every time you take it off, for me at least, I don’t know the next time I’m going to put it on.
“So, every time I get the chance to represent the United States of America, I put that jersey on, I’m all in. I love doing it and it’s just something special. I could go on all day about how great our country is. Just being home and seeing our friends and family, it’s just special.”
Werenski was asked whether playing in other countries made him more proud to be an American.
“I think you’re spot on. I remember my first World Championships with him was in Slovakia. I’ve been to Denmark, I’ve been to Czech (Republic) – these are all great countries and you play in them and it’s a ton of fun. The Olympics were in Italy, which is an unbelievable country,” he said. “You get reminded of how great the United States of America is when you get back here. And we love representing our country, we love wearing those colors.
“Like Dylan said, we learn about it from a young age. We’re allowed to live out our dream because of the military – the people that serve, the first responders. It’s just an incredible country. It’s the best country in the world and we love wearing these colors and you definitely get an appreciation for it when you go overseas and play.”
The U.S. men’s hockey team is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., to be at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday provoked a fresh controversy on the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria saying he would die with the scar of…
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/aerial-view-of-downtown-ottawa-right-someone-working-on-a-laptop-illustrative.jpg?id=53824296&width=2000&height=1500&coordinates=152%2C0%2C152%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> When it comes to the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-ranked-best-cities-in-the-world-cn-traveler-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best cities in the world</a> for work-life balance, Canada seems to stack up pretty well, with three cities landing in a new global ranking — but apparently, Montreal missed the memo.
</p><p> This year's <a href="https://www.theblueground.com/research/best-cities-work-life-balance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Work-Life Balance City Index</a> by real estate site Blueground placed Ottawa — yes, the city that fun forgot — in a shocking #5 spot globally, making it the highest-ranked city in Canada for <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/work-life-balance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work-life balance</a>. Toronto followed at #14, while Vancouver rounded out the trio at #22.
</p><p> The ranking evaluated cities across various factors that contribute to a healthy work-life balance, like work intensity, job opportunities, time off and societal support. It also looked at aspects that contribute to residents' well-being, like affordability, outdoor spaces, safety and happiness. The result is an overall index score that highlights cities where people can strike a good balance between work and life.
</p><p> According to Blueground, these rankings are designed to highlight cities that excel at creating environments where people can thrive both at work and during their personal time — making these some of the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/coolest-cities-in-canada-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best cities to live in Canada</a>. Blueground says it looked at 350 labour markets from around the world before narrowing its list down to 75. Apparently, Montreal didn't make the cut.<br/>
</p><p> The three Canadian cities that made the cut scored pretty high in terms of overall work-life balance, with all three ranking in the top 25. Here's how they scored out of 100:
</p><ul>
<li><strong>Ottawa</strong>: 5th overall with a score of 93.2</li>
<li><strong>Toronto</strong>: 14th overall with a score of 91.3</li>
<li><strong>Vancouver</strong>: 22nd overall with a score of 87.6</li>
</ul><h2>A surprising win in outdoor spaces</h2><p> One of Ottawa's standout features was its Outdoor Spaces, where it actually ranked #1 out of all 75 cities in the index, scoring a perfect 100. This means residents have plenty of urban green infrastructure and access to nature, which helps them unwind after a busy workday.
</p><p> While it might come as a surprise that Ottawa beat Vancouver in this area, it's worth noting that this category also looked at how weather conditions might affect the <em>use</em> of these spaces. "This includes average temperatures, the annual number of rainy days, annual sunshine hours, and cloudlessness," it explains. Sorry, West Coasters.
</p><p> But Vancouver redeemed itself with its perfect score in Air Quality — tying with Portland for the top spot — while Ottawa came in at #4 in that category with a score of 99.3.
</p><h2>But what about vacation days?</h2><p> Despite their strong overall showings, one obstacle for all three cities was the Minimum Vacation Days category, where the Canadian cities ranked fourth-last overall with only 10 vacation days required by law in this country.
</p><p> For comparison, cities like Vienna, Dubai, Paris and Rio de Janeiro top this category with 30 days each.
</p><h2>Top 10 overall</h2><p> Here's a quick look at the top 10 cities for work-life balance overall, according to Blueground:
</p><ol>
<li>Helsinki, Finland</li>
<li>Oslo, Norway</li>
<li>Copenhagen, Denmark</li>
<li>Stockholm, Sweden</li>
<li><strong>Ottawa, Canada</strong></li>
<li>Sydney, Australia</li>
<li>Melbourne, Australia</li>
<li>Brussels, Belgium</li>
<li>Paris, France</li>
<li>Zürich, Switzerland</li>
</ol><p> Maybe next year, Montreal!
</p><p>
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