1984 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
SARAJEVO, YUG

Although Canada finished out of the medals again, there was a definite shift in the mindset of players who became more interested in pursuing an Olympic dream as well as an NHL one. By 1984, Canada was firmly back at the IIHF World Championship, sending NHLers whose team had missed the playoffs or been eliminated in the first round. Additionally, the CAHA had established the Program of Excellence, which provided incredible results for the National Junior Team at the World Juniors. In short, by 1984 international hockey was on the map and minds of any Canadian kid who wanted to play at the highest level. To that end, Pat Flatley gave up a year of junior hockey to play for the national team, a decision he later called "the best thing I ever did." Canada advanced to the medal round, but couldn’t manage a single goal against the Soviets or Sweden and finished off the podium. Nevertheless, the number of players who became stars in the NHL was encouraging for future recruiting.