Unknown Canadians: Wojtek Wolski

As soon as the NHL pulled out of the Olympics I have consistently preached that the Olympics will be a storyteller's dream hockey tournament. There will be fascinating stories about our unknown heroes.

And no one has a better story than Wojtek Wolski.

It's a story of near-tragedy and comeback best told by himself on a recent Instagram post.

“Exactly one year ago today I laid in a hospital bed after having surgery to fix a broken neck,” Wolski’s post reads. “Today I am so proud and excited to have been named to Canada’s Olympic Hockey Team.

NHL fans will remember Wolski as a former OHL standout and NHL first round pick of the Colorado Avalanche back in 2004. The gentle giant played in 451 NHL games, scoring 99 goals and 267 points. 

Wolski disappeared from the NHL in 2013 and has been starring in the KHL ever since.

But he made headlines in 2016 when a horrific head-first crash into the boards left him lying on the ice with a broken neck and bad concussion.

“I look at the picture of me in the hospital and can’t help but cry. Mostly tears of happiness, but I am filled with so many emotions about what I have overcome. I could never have imagined that I would be so lucky one year later.”