Colts player Brandt Clarke returns to Barrie after battling for gold with Team Canada
Barrie Colts defenceman Brandt Clarke is back on the ice at the Sadlon Arena after helping Team Canada battle its way to a gold medal win at the World Juniors.
"Everyone kind of dreams of that moment, and it was kind of special for me, and the atmosphere in that building made it even crazier," said Clarke. "That was a moment I was looking forward to my entire life."
The Colts player said there were several memorable moments from the tournament that he shared with his family.
"When we hoisted the trophy, and we got the medal, it was all a culmination of what we worked for," Clarke continued. "I kind of ran up and saw my parents, hugged my parents, hugged my extended family from Winnipeg, my sister was there. It was a cool moment that I got to share with them."
Colts Head Coach Marty Williamson was one of the first to congratulate and welcome Clarke back to the team.
"There's a lot of great hockey players out there, and they were nip and tuck to win that gold," Williamson noted. "Brandt was part of that game-winning goal, and that is what it takes to win gold medals."
Clarke has his sights set on his future.
"The goal is to be in LA for the next decade-plus, and you know that's what I'm going to try and do next September as soon as the season ends. That's where all my focus is going to be, but for the next couple of months, I'm just going to do what I do down here," he added.
Clarke said his goal now is to lead the Barrie Colts to the playoffs and, hopefully, the Memorial Cup.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.

Freeland's green economy spending aimed at competing with U.S. Inflation Reduction Act
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says clean energy and green technology spending may not have been the big-ticket items of the 2023 federal budget if it weren’t for the need to compete with infrastructure spending in the United States.
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned 6.3 per cent increase.
opinion | The gun control debate in America has been silenced
In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in America, that saw children as young as nine years old shot and killed, the gun control debate is going nowhere, writes CTV News political analyst Eric Ham.
Kids would rather learn from smart robots than less-smart humans: new study
A new study published by Canadian researchers suggests that kindergarten-age children would rather be taught by a competent robot than an incompetent human.
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar? New research suggests maybe not
Stonehenge's purpose has long been a mystery, with some researchers proposing that it may have been an ancient solar calendar. But now, new analysis suggests the calendar theory is unsubstantiated.
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.
Budget 2023 proposes across-the-board 3 per cent spending cut for government departments
The federal budget proposes an across-the-board three per cent spending cut for all departments and agencies, a belt-tightening move after years of massive growth in the federal public service.
Young children, the head of their school and its custodian. These are the victims of the Nashville school shooting
Another American community is reeling after a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. These are the three children and three adults whose lives were taken by the shooter.