"We were phoning guys. It wasn't just about us, it was about families, too," Canada coach Willie Desjardins said.
"We had Steve Thomas phone his son, Christian Thomas. … He was so excited to tell his son he made the Olympic team. Could be as excited as he was in his career, I'm sure. For his son to hear him; it was so emotional and it was an incredible story to see that happen.
"It's about the families too. It's not just about the players."
\[RELATED: Cup winner Kelly named to Canada men's team for 2018 PyeongChang Olympics\]
At 25, Christian Thomas will be Canada's youngest player. Prior to the 2017 Spengler Cup and 2017 Karjala Cup, two auditions to help determine, he last represented Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
His dad let him know he'd wear the maple leaf at least once more.
"Steve, breaking the news to his son … most of us are parents … I put myself in that position," Canada general manager Sean Burke said. "I have a son who plays hockey. He's 22. I just thought what that conversation would be like. That was very emotional. There wasn't one call that you got off the phone and didn't really feel the appreciation that these players have to be named to the team."
Steve Thomas had 933 points (421 goals, 512 assists) in 1,235 games during 20 NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings.
Christian Thomas has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 23 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League this season. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in 27 games with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes from 2012-13 through 2015-16. His last NHL game was Jan. 26, 2016, when he played for Arizona against the Winnipeg Jets.
"All our players somewhere along the line have been told 'no,' they're not going to get a chance to continue their NHL career or even start it in some way," Desjardins said. "A lot like other Canadians, they've managed to battle and fight back. They stuck with it and won't give up.
"That's the nature of Canadians. We've all had adversity and it's how you handle it."
