Three-time Olympic medallist Johnston looks to bounce back. salimvalji HAS MORE:
Last spring, the Sudbury, Ont., native was a surprise omission from Canada’s roster ahead of the 2020 Women's World Hockey Championship, which was ultimately cancelled because of the pandemic. A few months later, she injured her Achilles while training. She also had to manage the uncertainty of the women’s hockey calendar.
“I’ve taken it and tried to make it a positive and I’ve come back stronger,” Johnston said last week. “I’ve tried to learn from areas I think I can improve and get better.” “We have to name 23 players for certain rosters and at that moment in time, we felt that we wanted to name 23 other players. Obviously very disappointing for her. We had a good conversation and continued those conversations.”“There’s definitely a rationale and things that are being discussed with the athlete,” Kingsbury said. “We try not to leave them in the dark and be as transparent as possible on areas we think they can improve in, where we need them to be, and what we expect.