Perrin’s Retirement Means Canada Will Have A New Look at 2022 FIVB Nations League

Canada’s men’s volleyball team will have a new captain when it takes to the court in the Volleyball Nations’ League this spring.

Gord Perrin, a mainstay as the leader on the Canadian team, announced earlier this month that he is retiring after a decade with the national team.

“I think we have a great group of young guys coming up on the team. I think they’ll be able to hold their own just fine,” Perrin told Momentum Volleyball late this summer.

The Tokyo cycle took its toll on the Canadian program. After the thrill of qualifying in Vancouver in January 2020, Canadians playing around the world had their lives upended as the pandemic took hold and global sports shut down.

Perrin, who now plays in Russia with Ural Ufa, was in Brazil at the time and had to return home to Creston, B.C., just as the playoffs were about to start.

“It happened really quick,” said Perrin. “We were travelling for a game and we just heard the news here and there. When the NBA shut down, that was the big ‘oh shit’ moment—like, this could come for everybody. Within a week, I’m home. I’m done with the season.”

Perrin took the time to enjoy life at home in Creston while he waited for the world to come to terms with what was going on.

“Creston’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. You’re not going to run into people—especially with COVID going on,” said Perrin. “I left Brazil which was a really busy place and hectic. I got out to an 80-acre farm where I could relax and just turn the world off for a few months. It was perfect.”

When things finally got back on track, Canadian players went from their clubs to the VNL bubble in Rimini, Italy. When they couldn’t return to Canada to train, they went to Turkey and then finally to the Olympics.

All that took its toll.

Now 32-years-old, Perrin has been focusing on his club situation and came to the decision that it was time to step away from Team Canada, and let someone else step into his leadership position.

However, the year-long Olympic delay means there’s now a shorter window before Paris 2024.

Canada now faces the challenge of bringing in a new coach to prepare for Olympics and the 2022 world championships.

And then there’s VNL.

Canada is one of the “challenger” teams, meaning their status in the league is always precarious. One bad year where they finish behind the other three challenger teams and Canada would be relegated to the lower Challenger Cup competition.

“VNL is super important to grow the team and grow the future athletes because they’re 15 really good matches,” said outgoing Canadian coach Glenn Hoag. “We have certain pressures to perform very quickly when we come to the spring. We didn’t have that pressure with the FIVB this year but it’s going to come back.”

Perrin has no doubts, though, that Canada will still have the firepower needed to succeed without him.

“I think they’ll be able to hold their own just fine,” said Perrin. “For the most part, I think it will be a young group across the board for countries. I think our young guys will do fine.”

As is always the case with the end of an Olympic cycle, veterans face the decision of pushing through for another Games. But the delayed 2020 Games means the 2024 Olympics are that much closer.