A total of eight current and former Wolverines will be heading to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Of these eight athletes, three are ice hockey players (Pacioretty, Hagelin and Lebler), and the remaining five are figure skaters.
On the hockey front, all three wolverines will be playing for different countries. Max Pacioretty will play for the United States, while Brian Lebler and Carl Hagelin will play for Austria and Sweden, respectively. All three players were teammates on the 2007-08 U of M Hockey Team that finished 33-6-4. Hagelin currently plays for the New York Rangers, and Pacioretty currently plays for the Montreal Canadiens. Lebler, originally from Penticton, B.C., is in his third season with Linz EHC in the Austrian Hockey League.
The University of Michigan will receive strong representation in figure skating. Of the six total ice dancers on Team USA, four are current students (Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Maia Shibutani, and Alex Shibutani), and one is a recent alumnus (Evan Bates). The Shibutani’s (who are, in fact, siblings) graduated from Huron High School, and will be competing in their first Olympics. Bates, also a Huron High School alumnus, graduated from Michigan this past December, and will make his second Olympic appearance. In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, he finished ninth. Of the five skaters, Davis and White will enter Sochi with the highest expectations after winning a silver medal in the 2010 Olympic Games (mlive.com).
Be sure to set aside time to watch your fellow Wolverines on NBC! The games begin February 7th.
