Good As Gold: LA Kings Star Jeff Carter Takes Home Olympic Gold at Sochi

It was Jeff Carter’s time to shine at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and shine he did – in a golden way. The Los Angeles Kings center took home Olympic gold on Feb. 23 after his team, Canada, shut out Sweden 3-0 to defend its men’s hockey title in the final game. Here, the NHL player and former Stanley Cup winner skates Haute Living through the day he won Olympic gold.

9 a.m. I wake up. My roommates, Jay Bouwmeester of the St. Louis Blues and Dan Hamhuis of the Vancouver Canucks, and I all head to the Canadian Athlete Lounge to grab some breakfast; I have my favorite cold cereal, Cheerios and granola. Our roommates were randomly assigned, but we had a great time together. Even though there were three people in one room, the rooms were separated so we all had our own space. Hockey Canada did a really good job of setting us up – we were very comfortable. We had everything we could ever need, from electrical adaptors to vitamins to clothes to wear.

10 a.m. We have a warm-up stretch as a team in the weight room at the Olympic Village.

10:30 a.m. We head back to the athlete lounge and then to the meal hall. I have a crepe, some delicious bacon and pasta with spaghetti sauce. The carbs are always a staple for me before a game. Everyone from all teams and all sports for all countries eat in this cafeteria. It’s great to see everyone that we watch on TV in person.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. We head back to our rooms for our pre-game nap.

12:30 p.m. We wake up around 12:30 and head back to the meal hall for another snack: grilled veggies and some chicken.

1:20 p.m. We walk over to the rink.

1:30 p.m. I arrive at the rink and start my normal game day routine. We have a team meeting to go over our plan for the game, and then I go into my stretching routine. This takes about 40 minutes; I then get dressed for warm-ups.

4:30 p.m. The game begins. My girlfriend, Megan, is in the stands, but my family is back in my hometown of London, Ontario, where they’re having a big viewing party. I wish more people in LA were able to watch it live; it started at 4:30 a.m. PST time.

6:30 p.m. The game finishes. It’s such a great feeling knowing we won the gold medal for our whole country. We have such a great group of guys. We’ve had such a great time over the two weeks that we [were in Sochi] and we accomplished what we came to do – win that gold medal.

7 p.m. The medal ceremony begins. The medal is definitely heavier than I thought it would be.

7:30 p.m. I actually have to do some drug testing after the game, which is completely random. Usually after every game three guys have to do it; I just happened to be chosen for this game.

7:30 p.m. The team takes some time to celebrate together in the locker room. After we’re in there for a while, we head to the NHLPA lounge in the arena, where all of our friends and families are waiting to celebrate with us.

9:30 p.m. We head back to the Olympic Village and continue to celebrate as a team. We have a few drinks, but then it’s time to pack to head back to the U.S.

2 a.m. We all get on the bus to head to the airport.

3:30 a.m. Our flight leaves for Newark, NJ.

6 a.m. We land in Newark.

8:30 a.m. I leave for Denver to meet up with my [LA Kings] teammates on the road. I’m finally getting rid of my jetlag!