Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was 16 years old the last time the French men's ice hockey team qualified for the Olympics. That was in 2002 for the Games in Salt Lake City. Now, at age 40, he is days away from making his Olympic debut as captain of the French national hockey team.

Bellemare is no stranger to late starts; the hockey journeyman made his NHL debut at the age of 29. He began his career in his home country and eventually moved to Sweden to play for Leksand IF. In 2009, he moved to another team in Sweden, Skelleftea AIK, where he played until 2014, when he finally made the move to the NHL to join the Philadelphia Flyers. He went on to play for the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Seattle Kraken for a decade in the NHL before moving to his current team, HC Ajoie, a team in the National League (Switzerland's top professional ranks).

After playing for nine franchises in four leagues over 24 years, Bellemare's career, marked by perseverance and determination, culminates in a crowning moment as he serves as captain for his home country on the world's biggest stage.

The Olympic puck drops for the French team on Friday, Feb. 12, at 6:10 a.m. ET against Switzerland — appropriately against the country in which Bellemare currently plays. Bellemare will have a chance to see familiar faces in that match, as 15 players on the Swiss roster currently play in the National League.

Bellemare has described these Games as his last opportunity to compete at the highest level before he retires, and it is a fantastic opportunity to end his career competing at the pinnacle of the sport. There is no doubt it will be an emotional moment for Bellemare when he takes the ice next Friday.

France's other two preliminary fixtures will be against the Czechia and Canada — a tough matchup to close out the prelim round against one of gold medal favorites. The French team is not considered to be a medal contender, but with the resolve of its captain, who knows what’s possible for this team.