As a first-round NHL pick who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 255 pounds, Jamie Oleksiak is accustomed to being big man on campus.
It was that way when he attended Northeastern University, when he was drafted 14th overall by the Dallas Stars and the following year when his Canadian squad won bronze at the 2012 World Junior Championship.
However, following a summer trip to Rio where he watched his sister Penny become Canada’s surprise four-time Olympic swimming medalist, the towering defenceman knows his spot in the pecking order has changed.
“Sister questions?” he chuckled when asked if he had a few minutes to chat following a Stars win in Calgary.
“She’s kind of replaced me as the athlete in the family now. We’re working on it.”
It has been three months since Penny stole a record number of Canadian medals, along with the hearts of a nation. One gold, one silver and two bronze for a 16-year-old Torontonian who wasn’t even expected to make many of the finals.
It was THE story of the Olympics in Canada and Jamie was there with his family to savour every fraction of a second as the story unfolded.
“I’m so glad I went – you have to,” said Jamie, 23, seven years older than Penny.
“It’s crazy. We weren’t expecting her to win any medals but just to have the opportunity to represent Canada. It was a special moment for her and the whole family and I’m just so proud of her for everything she’s accomplished. I’m glad I could experience that moment with her. At the same time she’s still my little sister, so I’m enjoying the moment.”
As is Penny, who returned to a hero’s welcome, a hometown parade and plenty of endorsement opportunities. Not to mention the fact she is now Big Girl on Campus at Monarch Park Collegiate Institute.
“Honestly, it’s pretty hard to get a text back from her right now,” he laughed.
“She’s such a humble kid. She’s a 16-year-old so she wants to hang out with her friends and she is just kind of enjoying the moment. I think she’s got a good head on her shoulders and she’s been carrying herself really well and doing what 16-year-olds do and making sure she’s training at the same time. She’s got her priorities in check.”
With a little help from her parents, of course.
“They’re kind of in shock and I think they’re doing a good job making sure she doesn’t get a big head,” said Jamie, whose father got Penny into swimming at age 9 after she learned to swim in a neighbour’s pool.
“They’re managing all the publicity and all the outside stuff and making sure she’s just being a 16-year-old kid. They’re also making sure she’s going to school and doing her homework.”
The youngest of five children, Penny has said many times she’s counted on Jamie and sister Hayley, a rower at Northeastern University, for support and advice along the way.
“All three of us have pretty hectic schedules with our sports so we just text to support one another and if it works into our schedules we’ll watch one another,” said Jamie, the tallest player in Stars history, who has played five games for the Stars this season after bouncing between the NHL and AHL the last four years.
“Hopefully she’ll see me play more down the road and I’ll see her swim.”
Jamie said the shock of seeing Penny win bronze in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay on Day 1 of the Rio Games had hardly worn off when she won silver in the 100m butterfly the next day. She anchored the Canadian team to bronze in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay on Day 5, setting up her dramatic, come-from-behind win in the 100m freestyle race in which her final 50 metre push saw her pass five of the fastest women in the world to tie American Simone Manuel for gold – Canada’s first in the pool since 1992.
Penny tried catching her breath and waited more than 20 seconds before turning around to see her winning result. Video of Jamie showed a similar hesitation in the stands, as he was expressionless for several moments, even after his family screamed out that she had won.
“I kind of slipped into shock there – I didn’t know what was going on,” said Jamie, who was later seen shedding a tear.
“She was having a tough one at the turn and her bounce back there speaks to her competitive nature. I fell into shock until my parents told me she won. It was unbelievable – I’m glad I have that on video.”
So are all his friends and teammates.
“I got a couple texts from pals laughing at my face because I was in shock and didn’t show any emotion,” he smiled.
“We went crazy afterwards as a family but I definitely got a bit from the boys… but I’ll take it.”
Who wouldn’t?
Penny showed her age days later by quietly returning home to spend a day at Canada’s Wonderland with her friends and catch up on sleep before returning to Rio to be Canada’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony.
“The best moment was obviously seeing her on the podium, but just seeing her represent Canada and wearing the flag was just such an unbelievable moment,” said Jamie.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have that experience as well and I know how special it was for her. It was just such an uplifting feeling.”
As is the whole Oleksiak story.
