BUFFALO – When Sabres forward Josh Dunne recently traveled to Italy to watch his sister, Joy, a forward for Team USA, and his girlfriend, Ella Shelton, a defenseman for Team Canada, compete in the Olympics, he set some ground rules for when the countries faced each other.
“I was sitting with my family, and my girlfriend’s family was right behind me,” Dunne said of the Feb. 10 meeting, a 5-0 shellacking the heavyweight Americans laid on the Canadians. “And I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not standing up at all, only if Ella or Joy score. I’m not going to make a single emotion.’”
Neither player scored in that contest, so Dunne stayed seated. But how might he react from afar Thursday as he watches the countries, the fiercest of rivals, compete for a gold medal at the Milano Cortina Games?
“It’s a win-lose situation no matter what,” Dunne said following Wednesday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter, the Sabres’ first session following the Olympic break. “I’m just so proud of them both, I’m so happy for them both. To get to the highest level, the Olympic gold medal game, they’ve both earned it, they’ve both worked so hard. …
“So for me, in a way, it’s stress free because I’m just watching them enjoy themselves and living out their dream. So it’s a good problem to have, I’ll put it that way.”
The US has steamrolled the competition entering Thursday’s game, going 5-0 and outscoring its opponents a stunning 31-1.
“I think it’s so good for women’s hockey everywhere,” Dunne said. “You see these … women, the plays they’re making out there, it’s unbelievable. Just the growth of the game, I think it’s so good for the next generation, seeing the continued growth.
“The U.S. and Canada challenging each other, that rivalry, I think, helps young girls out there watching everywhere, inspires them. These women are so much fun to watch.”
Dunne, whose parents are still in Italy, said attending the Olympics was “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said.