What was to be a swan-song season for Erik Guay ended early Thursday when the Canadian skier announced his retirement.

Guay felt some ambivalence when he arrived in Lake Louise, Alta., for SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 season-opening menB次元官网网址檚 downhill.

The 37-year-old from Montreal wondered how competitive heB次元官网网址檇 be after missing most of last season with a back injury. Guay was also bracing himself for another winter away from his wife Karen and four daughters ranging in age from one to nine.

Then, before stepping into the start hut for WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 first training run, Guay heard on the race radio that veteran teammate Manuel Osborne-Paradis had crashed.

The tell-tale sound of the chopper to evacuate Osborne-Paradis from the mountain started a cascade of thoughts in GuayB次元官网网址檚 head because heB次元官网网址檇 been there: crashes, injuries, surgeries, months of rehab.

B次元官网网址淲hen Manny crashed, I thought B次元官网网址業 should just go take the chair lift down,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Guay said Thursday. B次元官网网址淚t took everything for me to push out of the start gate.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 focus or charge the way that I wanted to and I think thatB次元官网网址檚 when I kind of knew it was time.B次元官网网址�

Within hours of crossing the finish line in 69th, Guay made the decision to retire in the place where he won the first of 25 World Cup medals back in 2003, when he claimed downhill silver in Lake Louise.

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B次元官网网址淭here were a lot of things tugging me in different directions,B次元官网网址� Guay explained. B次元官网网址淥ne is my family at home, being away from them for more than a little while is quite difficult at the moment.

B次元官网网址淢y skiing wasnB次元官网网址檛 at the level I wanted it to be. I would have been out there looking for the feeling, being far away from my family, far away from my wife for months on end, trying to break through. There were a lot of ifs. I wasnB次元官网网址檛 willing to do that one more time.B次元官网网址�

Along with his two gold medals and one silver world championship medals, Guay is the most decorated male in Canadian ski racing history.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 been one of the best downhill skiers weB次元官网网址檝e had over the last, I would say, my generation for sure,B次元官网网址� said reigning Olympic menB次元官网网址檚 downhill champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway.

Osborne-Paradis suffered broken bones in his leg and is out indefinitely, leaving the Canadian team bereft of its two most veteran skiers to start the season.

Guay was a role model for skiers on the national menB次元官网网址檚 team.

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B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 huge to the ski-racing community in Canada,B次元官网网址� Canadian team skier Dustin Cook said. B次元官网网址淚 remember watching him as a kid.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 definitely a loss for the team. We knew it was coming. ItB次元官网网址檚 still a big hole to fill and big boots to fill for us. He has so much experience and leadership. ItB次元官网网址檚 definitely a tough one for us.B次元官网网址�

Less than two weeks after crashing spectacularly in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Guay won super-G gold and downhill silver at the 2017 world alpine championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

B次元官网网址淭o be able to walk away with two medals at a world championship is quite special,B次元官网网址� Guay said. B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e on, youB次元官网网址檙e on. Even big crashes like that donB次元官网网址檛 affect you. TheyB次元官网网址檙e motivating more than anything.

B次元官网网址淚 had a big crash in Garmisch but it was only because I was competitive and I was charging. As soon as I felt better and the bruises kind of healed, I was ready to charge again.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 had just enough time to heal up between Garmisch and St. Moritz. As soon as I did my first training run there, I knew I was in a place where I could be competitive.B次元官网网址�

But it was becoming harder to Guay to navigate the physical toll of ski racing. He took the entire 2014-15 season off after a pair of surgeries on his left knee.

The back injury limited him to just two starts last season and forced him to withdraw from FebruaryB次元官网网址檚 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The three-time Olympian missed the podium by .03 seconds in 2010 in Whistler, B.C.

His first World Cup downhill win was in Garmisch in 2007. Guay claimed a coveted crystal globe in 2010 as the overall World Cup leader in super-G that season.

He also won the world menB次元官网网址檚 downhill title in 2011.

From 2006 to 2014, Guay, Osborne-Paradis, Jan Hudec and John Kucera made the Canadian downhill team an international force reminiscent of the Crazy Canucks, led by Ken Read and Steve Podborski, in the 1980s.

B次元官网网址淲hen I grew up, what inspired me a lot was the legacy of the Crazy Canucks, watching them ski race,B次元官网网址� Guay said.

B次元官网网址淚 hope IB次元官网网址檝e inspired some young Canadians and some young athletes across the world to also be competitive and enjoy our sport. Really thatB次元官网网址檚 all the legacy that IB次元官网网址檇 like to leave.B次元官网网址�

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

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