They learned to skate together, they were drafted by the Medicine Hat Tigers together, and now identical twins Markus and Liam Ruck are wearing the Maple Leaf together at the Youth Olympics
Markus and Liam Ruck are twins through and through. Born eight minutes apart
on Feb. 21, 2008, the brothers have been inseparable on and off the ice ever
since.
From playing minor hockey in the small town of Osoyoos, B.C., to rising
through the ranks in the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association, to being
drafted by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the first round of the 2023 Western
Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft, Markus and Liam have been by each
other’s side, stride by stride.
The Rucks are what the medical community categorizes as mirror identical
twins, which is when a pair twins possess opposite traits that mirror each
other. Markus is a playmaking left-handed centre, while Liam is the
goal-scoring right-handed winger. By definition, they complement each other
perfectly.
“We do everything together, on and off the ice,” Liam says. “We’re
competitive off the ice, always trying to beat each other, and on the ice,
we push each other, want to make each other better, and make our jobs easier
out there.”
“It’s been really special to have us together,” Markus adds. “It’s always a
little bit easier to have my twin with me throughout my whole life.”
Now, the brothers are making their international debuts together at the
2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games
in Gangwon, South Korea.
“We’re going to go out there and show what we can do on the international
stage, as a team and as individuals and play the way we play,” says Liam.
“We’re looking forward to putting our names out there, wearing that Canadian
jersey,” Markus adds. “The goal is to find success with the team and come
back with the gold.”
A family affair
Markus and Liam first hit the ice when they were two years old on the
family’s backyard rink and then at public skates. By the time they were
four, they were already making plays to each other in games. With hockey
smarts to back their chemistry, their skills were quickly noticed in their
hometown.
“They loved the game from a very young age,” says Jim Liebel, the twins’
coach from ages four to 12. “They were committed to hockey, from shooting in
their living room to showing up to the rink. They were soft spoken, but you
could tell they really wanted to be hockey players back then. The plays…
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