Canadian Prime Minister and former NCAA goalie Mark Carney joins Oilers during practice

Ben Steiner
Ben Steiner
Canadian Prime Minister and former NCAA goalie Mark Carney joins Oilers during practice

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joined the Edmonton Oilers on the ice for practice on Thursday as the team skated at Rogers Place. 

No, the 60-year-old won’t get into a game or surpass Gordie Howe as the oldest NHL player ever, but he did hit the rink after reports emerged that he is set to dissolve parliament and call a Canadian Federal Election as soon as April 28. 

Hockey isn’t new to Carney at all, with the Fort Smith, Northwest Territories-born former goaltender having suited up for Harvard University and Oxford University during his studies. He joined Thursday’s practice as a skater.

He even has an Elite Prospects page. 

Raised in Edmonton, Carney did not play much for Harvard, only suiting up once as their third-string netminder for the 1984-85 and 1985-86 NCAA seasons. However, he had a perfect showing in his one, brief outing.

With Harvard leading Colgate 9-1 in the second game, head coach Bill Cleary took his starter out of the game, only for the backup to also have to leave due to injury. Carney came in for the third period and stopped each of Colgate’s five shots against him in a 10-2 victory. 

Should he become a Member of Parliament in the upcoming election, he would join former Montreal Canadien and Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden among the small club of former elite-level goalies to serve in the House of Commons. 

Carney became Prime Minister after being elected leader of the Liberal Party following Justin Trudeau’s resignation, while Dryden served in the House of Commons under Prime Ministers Paul Martin and Stephen Harper from 2004-2011, 

The Oilers, though, have another race to focus on in their search for form ahead of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They sit second in the Pacific Division on 84 points, trailing the Vegas Golden Knights at 86 points with 14 regular season games remaining. 

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