Jocelyne Larocque made headlines after Team Canada’s gold-medal loss when she immediately removed her silver medal and did not put it back on for the rest of the ceremony.
It’s a powerful image from after the game as the women’s team stands in line and only one person has no medal around their neck. It has been talked about a lot since the end of the game with many people (Including ourselves) comparing it to Lias Andersson’s medal toss. While it obviously wasn’t as dramatic, the decision to take off the medal comes from a similar place of frustration.
Only, there appears to be something significantly different for Larocque. The Olympics are notorious for extensive rules and it appears as if a representative of the IIHF ordered Larocque to put her medal back on.
Grant Robertson reported on the interaction for the Globe and Mail:
”After leaving the ice heartbroken, and struggling to answer postgame questions for reporters, Larocque had almost made it to the dressing room when an official from hockey's governing body pulled her aside and gave her a talking to.
Few people witnessed it, but there was Larocque, tears welling up in her eyes, holding her unwanted silver medal, being told by a man in a suit about the "legal" reasons why she can't refuse to wear it.
This was the Olympics, the official from the International Ice Hockey Federation explained. It doesn't matter how sad you are. Or how angry, or disappointed. There are rules.”
Whether or not she followed the order remains to be seen. She did not put the medal on following this conversation with the IIHF official and then walked out of public sight. While Larocque has had her fair share of critics, she also has her supporters who feel that nobody can force you to wear a medal, no matter the competition.
