Canada's men's alpine ski team is generating buzz in the world of downhill skiing not seen since the Crazy Canucks put Canadian athletes on the map in the late 1970s.
The group, which includes the newly-minted Canadian Cowboys, has put up three top-10 finishes in the season's first weekend of speed racing with Erik Guay finishing just six one hundredths of a second from the podium at the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart this week.
"If you look at our team performance right now we're three in the top eight which I think is probably better than any other nation right now," Guay said after a race earlier this week.
Their impressive performance both this season and last has drawn comparisons to the Crazy Canucks and inspired the Canadian Cowboys moniker.
The Canucks mesmerized the skiing world in the late 1970s and 1980s with their daring as they attacked some of the world's iciest ski runs and racked up a string of World Cup victories.
That caution-be-damned style led to spectacular crashes and superstar status on the previously European-dominated circuit.
This batch of talented Canadian skiers wanted to carve out their own identity on the international stage and the cowboy nickname has caught on.
"Sure, they (the Canucks) did great things, and that's the reason we're here," Guay said.
"They're the ones who sort of motivated us to get to this place. That being said, I think their time is done, and there's a new younger generation that's stepping in now."
For now, the Cowboy title is reserved for the six who made it to the podium last season: Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Erik Guay, Jan Hudec, John Kucera, Francois Bourque and Mike Janyk.
Former Canuck Ken Read, who was charged with rebuilding the men's team in 2002, believes the latest round of Canadian skiing stars has earned their bragging rights.
"These guys are more versatile than us. It's a different sport now," Read said.
The cowboy identity is meant to intimidate opponents and it's even prompted a new team logo -- a skull with ski cross bones.
"It's good to have something to be associated with and to have something that people can connect with," Hudec said.
The nickname also functions as a team builder, reminding all members of the cowboy ethic of hard work.
"I think that really embodies us as a group you know. We're hard working guys, we're really dedicated to what we do and we wouldn't be doing anything else," Kucera said.
"But when the boots are off we're ready to go have a good time."
Should the team continue their winning streak, Cowboy paraphernalia may become at hot commodity at Vancouver 2010 souvenir kiosks.
"We kind of got nicknamed the Canadian Cowboys and I think that name's picking up. You know there's t-shirts that are being sold and everything," Guay said.
With a report from CTV's Sarah Galashan
