With Canada just a couple of games away from winning gold at this year’s World Juniors, Ontario superfan Susan Rampp knew Wednesday’s match against the United States was one she couldn’t miss.
Although the Belleville, Ont., resident is currently undergoing treatment for stage 4 lung cancer, Rampp says after speaking with hospital staff they managed to reschedule her oncology appointment so she could watch the semifinal game.
Speaking to CTV News Channel on Wednesday, she said the hospital even included a note in her file that said, “We must get her home in time for hockey.”
“They just care so much about everyone and my doctor said, ‘You’re getting treatment to live, you’re not living for treatment,'” Rampp said.
“And when you’re going to live and watch Team Canada World Juniors play Team U.S.A., you know you’re living and it’s just amazing. I’m excited.”
Canada went on to win that game, defeating the U.S. 6-2 with an outstanding 43-save performance by goaltender Thomas Milic.
The Canadian squad will now compete for gold against Czechia Thursday night. Canada is hosting the World Juniors in Halifax and Moncton.
Rampp, whose cancer treatments have been successful, has followed hockey for years.
A hockey parent to two children, she says she grew up watching the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League, now the Hamilton Bulldogs.
She brought her children to Ottawa in 2009 to watch the World Junior Championship, where Belleville alumni P.K. Subban of Toronto, Eric Tangradi of the U.S. and Philipp Grubauer of Germany, all of whom would go on to play in the NHL, competed for their respective countries. Canada would win a fifth-straight gold medal at the tournament that year.
Now seeing the performance of Canadian star Connor Bedard — who scored the overtime winner in the quarterfinals against Slovakia and broke five World Junior records in the process — Rampp says it’s akin to watching a generational player like Sidney Crosby.
“Just seeing the excitement of the crowd in the Maritimes, getting that same experience and being at home in Canada, it’s just I know what it means to the players,” she said.
“And I just feel like it’s so great that hopefully they know that even though the people aren’t sitting in the barn with them, there’s people all across the country that are really pulling for them.”
Watch the full interview with Susan Rampp at the top of the article. With files from The Canadian Press
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