Travis Sanheim has come a long way to reach the top with Canada: ‘Anything’s possible if you put your head down and go to work’
Sanheim, who two offseasons ago was written off by John Tortorella and nearly traded, earned back his coach's trust. Now he has a 4 Nations Face-Off gold medal as further vindication.
BOSTON ―Travis Sanheim has experienced almost all there is to experience in hockey since he was selected by the Flyers with the 17th overall pick at the 2014 draft in Philadelphia. From playoff heartbreaks to losing teams to individual peaks and valleys and most notably to almost being traded on June 24, 2023.
On Thursday at TD Garden, Sanheim finally checked off a big open box on his resumé, claiming his first hardware since before his junior days by winning the 4 Nations Face-Off with Canada.
After near misses with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen (conference finals), at the World Juniors with Canada (bronze medal), the Flyers during the NHL’s COVID bubble (Game 7 second round), and the World Championships a couple of springs ago (silver medal), Sanheim, celebratory beverage in hand, lit up when speaking to reporters about finally being a champion.
» READ MORE: Connor McDavid scores in OT, as Canada breaks U.S. hearts again in 4 Nations Face-Off final
“I’m just super proud, it doesn’t happen very often that a guy from a small town of you know 500 people gets the opportunity not only to play for your country but to have success and win at this level,” he said of the 3-2 overtime win against the United States. “I’ve got a ton of support back home, and can’t wait to kind of share this with them and just show kids that you know anything’s possible if you put your head down and go to work. So super exciting.”
Going to “work” was something that was instilled early in Sanheim and his siblings at his family’s grain farm just outside Elkhorn, Manitoba. Travis would do several chores around the farm, including driving the combine and helping out at harvest time.
That work ethic helped Travis and his fraternal twin brother, Taylor, who played alongside Travis with the Hitmen, thrive on the ice. That same work ethic later proved critical when Sanheim hit a rough patch with the Flyers two seasons ago. After a 2023 trade to the St. Louis Blues was nixed at the 11th hour because Torey Krug exercised his no-move clause, Sanheim had a decision to make: sulk and seek a fresh start or prove John Tortorella & Co. wrong. He chose the latter.
“Obviously, had some tough times a couple years ago and wasn’t quite sure where I would end up and whether I’d stay with the Flyers,” Sanheim said. “But I just put my head down, went to work, understood that my game wasn’t where it needed to be. I wanted to be better, knew I could be better, and just got my game in a good spot.”
Thursday was a pinnacle moment in Sanheim’s redemption arc over the last two seasons. A huge outsider when conversations started about who could make this Canada roster, Sanheim played himself onto this team with his strong start to this season.
While the 28-year-old has cooled off a bit after racking up five goals and 15 points over the first 25 games, he has consistently shouldered one of the heaviest minute loads in the NHL (24:33) and showcased a hard-to-find mixture of size and skating ability. Sanheim officially found out he had cracked the team in the days leading up to the unveiling of the 4 Nations rosters on Dec. 4.
On Thursday, it ended with a gold medal around his neck.
“To have an opportunity to come here and represent my country with the best players in the world and the best country in the world, you know, it was very, very special and something I’m always going to remember and cherish,” a beaming Sanheim said from the winners’ locker room at TD Garden. “I’m really happy with where I’ve gotten to.”
In Thursday’s win over the Americans, Sanheim was solid while partnering with Colton Parayko. The Flyers defenseman logged 18:29 of ice time and nearly scored in the first period after jumping up into the play and firing just wide after a feed from Mitch Marner. Sanheim said he believes he can take things from this experience back to his parent club.
“Just overall the experience, I think winning is huge. But not only that, the guys that I got to play with, the coaching staff, just a lot of lessons that I learned over the last couple of weeks,” said Sanheim. “To top it all off with winning, to be able to experience that, understand what it takes to win ... in a close game and in overtime ... so yeah, a lot of lessons were learned, and [I’m] really excited about what I can do going back to Philly.”
Sanheim, who had his wife, parents, and siblings in Boston cheering him on, also got to experience this run with his “best friend” and ”Travii” brother, Travis Konecny. Konecny was a hard-luck healthy scratch for the title game, but you’d have never known it watching him celebrate on the ice by going for a piggyback on frenemy Brad Marchand’s shoulders.
But now for the all-important question: Will Sanheim and Konecny partake in any friendly ribbing of Tortorella? Their coach was on the losing end Thursday as an assistant with the United States.
“Not quite sure. We’ll see,” Sanheim said.