CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada and U SPORTS have announced the nine student-athletes who have been selected to join Creating Coaches, a program designed to increase the number of women coaching hockey in Canada, as part of its fourth cohort.

The student-athletes will receive training and mentorship through the program during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.

Creating Coaches was launched in 2021 through a partnership between Hockey Canada, U SPORTS and the Hockey Canada Foundation to provide current U SPORTS student-athletes with opportunities to begin their coaching careers while still playing university women’s hockey.

Each student-athlete will be an assistant coach for a U13, U15 or U18 girls’ hockey team and receive coach education, professional development opportunities and an honorarium.

This year’s cohort includes student-athletes from nine U SPORTS women’s hockey programs across all four of its conferences:

• Allie Barter (Saint Mary’s University, AUS)
• Jordyn Blais (University of Regina, CW)
• Annick Boudreau (Université de Moncton, AUS)
• Brianna Bowman (Wilfrid Laurier University, OUA)
• Madison Cronkwright (Brock University, OUA)
• Maggi Dewolf-Russ (University of Windsor, OUA)
• Jessymaude Drapeau (Concordia University, RSEQ)
• Charlotte Melindy (Queen’s University, OUA)
• Keiara Raitt (University of Waterloo, OUA)
  
  

“We are so grateful to the U SPORTS coaches who nominated these nine incredible women to join Creating Coaches at such an exciting and important time for women’s and girls’ hockey in Canada,” said Marin Hickox, vice-president of women’s and girls’ hockey at Hockey Canada. “The first three cohorts of participants have positively impacted the game in so many ways, and we are thrilled to expand this year’s group to include more deserving student-athletes, thanks to the generous financial support of the Hockey Canada Foundation.

“Girls who have been coached by a woman are more likely to transition into a coaching role at the end of their playing careers, and it is our intention that this program will continue to positively influence the recruitment and retention of girls and women in leadership roles in the sport.”

Since its inception, Creating Coaches has included student-athletes from 19 U SPORTS women’s hockey programs and all four of its conferences.

“We are incredibly proud of the U SPORTS athletes who have been selected to join the Creating Coaches program,” said Pierre Arsenault, chief executive officer of U SPORTS. “These student-athletes represent the future of leadership in sport, and their involvement in this program will not only elevate their own careers but also inspire countless others. By stepping into coaching roles, they are helping to build a stronger, more inclusive sports community across Canada.”

The Creating Coaches selection committee includes representation from Hockey Canada, U SPORTS, Hockey Canada’s Members and the Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors.

During National Coaches Week, Hockey Canada is celebrating the positive impact coaches have on athletes in communities from coast to coast to coast, with #ThanksCoach resources and features shared here.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

TORONTO, Ontario - The Hockey Canada Foundation has committed $1 million for its Assist Fund during the 2024-25 hockey season, which will be distributed as registration-fee subsidies for young Canadians playing hockey and facing financial barriers.

Since it launched in 2020, the Assist Fund has helped nearly 10,000 Canadian children from diverse backgrounds to participate in competitive and non-competitive hockey, including over 3,000 who identify with Black, Indigenous or racialized communities.

“The Assist Fund is a critical program for our foundation to help more children get on the ice and experience the positive benefits of playing hockey from coast to coast to coast,” said Donna Iampieri, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “Through the leadership and contributions of our volunteer board of directors, partners, staff and the many Canadians who donate to the Hockey Canada Foundation each year, we are proud to commit $1 million in assists to those who need it the most in our communities.”

Each approved recipient will receive up to a $500 assist, which can be applied to registration fees this season with minor hockey associations sanctioned by Hockey Canada.

To enhance the impact of the Assist Fund, 100 per cent of all donated funds from Canadians will go towards applicants of the program. Donations can be made at AssistFund.HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca.

The application process for the Assist Fund is now open and can be found here.

To learn more about the Hockey Canada Foundation, please visit HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alberta – The Hockey Canada Foundation has announced that 3,322 young players across the country will receive subsidies towards hockey registration fees for the 2023-24 season through its Assist Fund, which is the most in the program’s four-year history.

More than $1.5 million will be distributed to approved participants this season, with assists going to kids in each of Hockey Canada’s 13 Members. 

This year’s record number of assists represents a 30% increase compared to last season, and 38% of assists are to participants who identify with the Black, Indigenous and racialized community.

“The Assist Fund is such an important program that helps more children and families register for hockey and create lifelong memories through the sport we all love,” said Donna Iampieri, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “This initiative would not be possible without the generosity of Canadians and our partners, and with their support, we look forward to providing more assists to those facing financial barriers to hockey in the future.”

Since 2020, the Assist Fund has provided financial support to more than 8,000 kids, including over 3,000 who identify with the Black, Indigenous and racialized community. The Assist Fund was launched ahead of the 2020-21 season in response to the many families experiencing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued to provide subsidies to help more young Canadians enjoy the game they love.

The Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund – parent testimonials

“Tucker loves everything hockey, and he is so thankful for organizations like this that let him get on the ice. Thank you for helping my child be active and healthy!” – Jesse in Ontario

“Our community has a growing number of Indigenous players and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of the Assist Fund.” – Averil in British Columbia

“Jaxon eats, sleeps and plays hockey and his love for it is something I could never take away from him. We are honoured to be part of the Hockey Canada Foundation and look forward to keeping him doing what he loves.” – Charlene in Alberta

Canadians can give an assist of their own this holiday season, with 100% of donations going towards subsidized registration fees for additional Canadian kids. More information can be found at AssistFund.HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca.

To learn more about the Hockey Canada Foundation, please visit HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alta. – The Hockey Canada Foundation (HCF) has welcomed three new members to its board of directors, with the appointments of Steven Albiani (Toronto, Ont.), Angela James (Toronto, Ont.) and Brad Morris (Unionville, Ont.).

“We are excited to have Steven, Angela and Brad join the Hockey Canada Foundation Board of Directors, as each of them bring unique perspectives and experiences in hockey,” said Doug Goss, chair of the HCF Board of Directors. “Their expertise will be important to furthering our efforts in communities across the country, and we look forward to working with them to enhance our programs that help eliminate barriers in the game.”

Albiani is the managing partner of Stratum Advisory Group Inc., a boutique tax and insurance planning firm. A certified financial planner who holds a certificate as a family business advisor from the Family Firm Institute, Albiani is a volunteer member of the SickKids Foundation Professional Advisory Board, and sits on the boards of a number of private companies. He has also been a guest instructor at the University of Toronto and Queen’s University, his alma mater.

Widely considered as the first superstar in women’s hockey, James led Canada’s National Women’s Team to win a gold medal at four IIHF World Women’s Championships, scoring a record 11 goals at the inaugural edition in 1990. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, appointed to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021 and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2022. James is the co-owner and general manager of the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation.

Morris is currently a global executive with Grote Industries LLC, a leading worldwide innovator of transportation safety systems. From 2012 to 2017, Morris was the chair of the board of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and received the 2018 CWHL Humanitarian of the Year Award. Morris has also served on many other not-for-profit boards, most recently as chair of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation, and has been a long-time advocate for growing women’s and girls’ hockey.

To unite all Canadians and achieve its mission, the Hockey Canada Foundation is committed to three strategic priorities: enable, educate and engage. Each year, HCF programs remove barriers to the game, provide resources and tools to better equip kids, parents and coaches, and promote nation-building, citizenship, mentorship and community involvement.

HCF programs include the Assist Fund, which provided registration subsidies to a record 2,349 children in 2022-23, Dreams Come True, a financial assistance program designed to introduce participants to hockey by providing head-to-toe equipment and assisting with registration fees, and Hockey Is Hers, which focuses on impacting girls and women in the game. 

The HCF Board of Directors also includes Goss, Ashif Mawji (vice-chair), Peter Brauti (secretary), Allan Matthews (treasurer), David Andrews (past chair) and directors Susan Anderson, Sean Finn and Barry F. Lorenzetti. In addition, the Hockey Canada Foundation U.S. board includes Bill Ackerman (chair), Mike Humes (vice-chair), Adam Graves (secretary) and Paul Delparte (treasurer).

CALGARY, Alta. – The Hockey Canada Foundation has announced that 2,349 children across the country will receive subsidies towards registration fees for the 2022-23 season through its Assist Fund, which is the most in the program’s three-year history.

Each of Hockey Canada’s 13 Members have players receiving assists this season, with 39% of the recipients identifying as BIPOC.

“Throughout the application process, we heard so many incredible stories from families who are looking forward to watching their child play hockey for the first time, and from others who needed an assist to return to the rink,” said Donna Iampieri, executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of Canadians and our partners, more children from coast to coast to coast will be impacted through this initiative this season than ever before.”

Since 2020, the Assist Fund has provided financial support to more than 5,000 kids, including over 1,750 from the BIPOC community. The Assist Fund was launched ahead of the 2020-21 season in response to the many families experiencing financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued to provide subsidies to help more young Canadians enjoy the game they love.

Canadians can give an assist of their own this holiday season, with 100% of donations going towards subsidized hockey registration fees for additional Canadian kids. More information can be found at HockeyCanadaFoundation.ca.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Three years ago, I moved my family from France to Quebec. My 15-year-old son Aymane was so happy to move to Canada and be able to live in a country that is passionate about the sport he loves so much – hockey.

Aymane picked up hockey at the young age of four when we lived in Paris, but there aren’t a lot of hockey clubs there like in Canada. He always wanted more from the sport and tried his hardest to learn and grow while in France.

When I changed jobs and got an opportunity to move my three kids to Quebec, Aymane was so excited to play hockey where so many other young kids play every day. All my kids play hockey, but Aymane lives and breathes the game. It is so hard to get him off the ice after practice or a game.

Coming to a new country is a challenge, and it is expensive. Without the Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund, I wouldn’t have been able to keep Aymane in the game.

I heard about the Assist Fund through our registrar when I went to register Aymane for the season. I didn’t have a steady salary at the time, and they explained what the Assist Fund could do for my family. I applied online and we are so grateful to have been accepted.

The Assist Fund was so important to us because I couldn’t have made the hockey season work without it for Aymane. He completely understood what was happening and I couldn’t imagine not being able to keep him playing. Aymane was so grateful to get the assist, which kept him playing this season.

Hockey is a family activity for us – all my kids play the sport, and we are at the arena every day. It provides a great way to dispel all their energy, learn discipline and make friends. It is also like a second family for us – there is so much solidarity with the players and teammates.

Aymane was passionate about hockey the first time he stepped on the ice. He would like to continue to play hockey throughout his life – he wants to stay in the game for as long as possible. He would love to be a trainer for a team when he is older.

Like many other Canadian parents, I want to do what is best for my kids and give them everything they want. For families that don’t have much extra money available or have financial difficulties, this is an incredible opportunity. We want our kids to dream, and having the Assist Fund allows many families to make that happen across Canada.

We were so happy to have access to the Assist Fund and a chance to keep Aymane playing the game he loves so much. The possibilities are endless when kids stay in sports, and I hope many other kids across Canada have the same opportunity Aymane had through the Assist Fund.

Growing up in Ireland, I would watch hockey in the middle of the night because I loved it. I was a big Mario Lemieux fan. When I moved to Canada almost 20 years ago, I knew I wanted to immerse myself in the sport.

When I had my children, I always wanted them to play hockey and I’m a big believer in sports and the positive power it has on kids.

My son Leon is 10 years old, and he is an old soul. He is a firm believer in fair play and is concerned with how other people are doing. While he likes the competition, he likes to be the best he can be.

When Leon was younger, he watched his older brother Floyd play hockey and when asked who his favourite player was, he would say Floyd. He wanted to be just like him and wanted to play hockey, too.

The hockey rink is an integral part of our community – it is the heartbeat of Stanley, New Brunswick. Really, the rink is our community. Everyone has made us feel so welcome and made me feel that I wasn’t an outsider because I came from Ireland.

My boys have grown up at the rink and have made so many new friends through hockey. Leon has such good influences in his life through his coaches, who are teaching him and his teammates life lessons, along with building those hockey skills.

Through hockey, Leon gets that sense of belonging. There is such a camaraderie through sport that Leon is developing with his teammates.

With four children, including three boys in hockey, we have felt the same financial constraints that many Canadian families have faced recently.

This past season when I went to register them, a volunteer told me about the Hockey Canada Foundation Assist Fund, and I applied that night. The process was easy, and I got the registration fees covered for all three boys.

If it wasn’t for the Assist Fund, especially this year, I wouldn’t have been able to put the kids in hockey. Things have been lean, and I didn’t want to disappoint them by not playing the sport they love.

Some people are embarrassed to apply, but I am not. Any trepidation I had about applying and asking for an assist is eclipsed by the look of joy on my kids’ faces.

Even at 10 years old, Leon understood what it meant to get this assist and he was so excited. He is a very kind kid and notices everything. He is aware how much things cost, and he was so happy to know that Hockey Canada helped him and his brothers this season.

Hockey is such an integral part of Leon’s life. Although he knows he will never be a National Hockey League player, he loves the game so much that he even has a beer league name picked out. He wants to play hockey throughout high school and hopefully on a university scholarship.

When I see other parents in the same spot as I am, I know they are appreciative. We might not love the 5 a.m. wakeup calls for games, but the look on their faces when they hit the ice is the best thing.

Our community is so great, and we are all Bulldogs. We spend all winter at the rink, and we wouldn’t change it for anything.

Hockey is so much more than wins, losses or even Gordie Howe hat tricks – it is a lifelong love affair and the joy they experience when playing a game. I am so happy to give my kids the opportunity because we got an assist from Hockey Canada.

The view of life through a child’s eyes often conjures a unique perspective. It’s usually an untainted lens of innocence and fondness with a charming projection.

For Martin Lafleur, that sentiment is not only an adolescent image of his father growing up but a realistic picture of the journey they shared together for over four decades.

As the oldest of the two sons of Montreal Canadiens great Guy Lafleur, Martin was more than just a son to his father; they were business partners, teammates and – most of all – great friends.

Lafleur’s admiration for his dad was absolute. It wasn’t just about having a famous hockey-playing father, but also appreciating the family man he was to his mother, Lise, and younger brother Mark.

“The hockey player is something that’s been part of our family, our lives,” says Martin, 47. “But it’s more of the human part that’s always been pretty remarkable to observe about my dad.”

Guy Lafleur spent 17 seasons in the National Hockey League, most notably with the Canadiens, but also with the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques, from 1971 to 1991.

He won five Stanley Cups with the Habs (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979) and was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in six consecutive seasons, as well as 50 goals and 100 points six years in a row.

On the ice, Lafleur was special. He was a superstar among a constellation of hockey icons the Canadiens produced in abundance during that era.

He especially electrified fans at the Montreal Forum for 14 seasons with his blazing speed and exquisite shot and terrified the opposition with his tremendous skating, offensive skill and elusiveness.

Over his career, the Thurso, Que., product was named a first-team all-star six times and was awarded the Art Ross Trophy (3x), Hart Trophy (2x), Lester B. Pearson Award (now Ted Lindsay Award) (3x) and Conn Smythe Trophy. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and was voted as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017.

It is not hyperbole to suggest Lafleur was beloved by countless hockey fans globally and even highly respected by those that cheered against his teams.

But to Martin Lafleur, his father was not just defined as a hockey player. Sure, the game made him famous, but his personal impact to everyone around him was broader than a singular definition of character.

Away from the rink, Lafleur was charitable and philanthropic, often visiting youngsters at children’s hospitals and donating thousands of dollars to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.

In retirement he was still as popular as ever, especially in Quebec, where he was revered. According to Martin, his dad was often approached by fans to pose for pictures and selfies, and asked for autographs – which he never refused.

“He’s a people person,” says Martin, who owns and operates a company called Dello, a Montreal-based cryptocurrency payment processing business.

“Even though he’s had a lot of success in his hockey career and been at the top of his game, he’s always been that down-to-earth guy and somebody when you talk to him, you have his full attention.”

Lafleur was so popular and charismatic as an athlete and in life that he was bestowed not one, but two, nicknames over his career.

The first, “The Flower” is a direct English translation from his French last name, but also metaphorically illustrated his radiant presence on the ice and in life.

The other was “Le Demon Blond,” which Martin says doesn’t translate very well in English, but loosely evokes the image many of us remember of Guy Lafleur skating at lightning speed down the right-wing boards with his helmetless blonde hair flowing in the breeze.

Both nicknames were used often but segregated for the crowd in which he was present – The Flower mostly amongst close friends and teammates and Le Demon Blond – which Martin admits is his favourite – by fans.

Born in 1975 at the height of his father’s storied career and now a husband and father himself, Martin said he always tangibly understood what his dad meant to hockey, the Canadiens and his fans, but never truly felt the depth of what he portrayed until the public memorial service to honour his dad’s passing at the Bell Centre this spring.

Guy Lafleur died April 22 at the age of 70.

“I saw people were sad,” Martin Lafleur admits. “That’s when I realized the impact he had on the human side and how he touched people.

“People weren’t telling me hockey stories. They were sharing life stories. That’s what really amazed me. Unfortunately, I had to fully grasp that through the scenario of my dad’s passing.”

One story that resonated strongly in this regard was from another father that shared his admiration of the former first-overall pick of the Canadiens in 1971.

Martin said the man was inspired by his dad for the way Guy handled and supported his youngest son, Mark, who over a 10-year period ran afoul with the law on more than one occasion.

Again, the family-first person that he was, Lafleur stood behind his son through the legal strife and proceedings, even challenging some of the legalities in court himself.

At Lafleur’s celebration of life service, Martin delivered part of the eulogy to his father. It was an emotional, heartfelt and concise description of his dad’s impact on the world.

Moreover, that articulate expression will likely serve as a precursor to Martin accepting the Order of Hockey in Canada on his father’s behalf this month.

As one of three Distinguished Honourees for 2022, Lafleur will be recognized for his outstanding contributions to the sport at the annual Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf in Niagara Falls, Ont.

And while the honour will be presented posthumously, Lafleur was informed of the prestigious distinction prior to his death, an accolade Martin says his father was deeply touched and privileged to receive.

“We value our province and our country,” says Martin. “It’s such a great honour for our family. We’re more than appreciative to get this acknowledgement on his behalf.”

The Order of Hockey in Canada and the lead-up to its formal presentation will undoubtedly stir many memories for the Lafleur family, especially Martin.

From the time he was born amid the Canadiens’ incredible run of four straight Stanley Cups between 1976 and 1979 to the conclusion of his dad’s career in 1991, he spent many hours around hockey rinks, including the Montreal Forum, New York’s Madison Square Garden and Quebec City’s Le Colisée – the three NHL stops in Guy’s career.

Of course, those years were all tied to his dad’s hockey career, but Martin was brought to the rink on many occasions, hanging out with other Canadiens players and their kids, and skating with them before or after practice. He attended team golf tournaments and eventually played with the Habs alumni team.

Those interactions from an early age helped off-set some of the time he missed with his dad as travel in the NHL often prevents consistent home time during the season.

“There were a lot of years in my youth that I saw him more on TV than I did in real life,” says Martin. “It was his after-career that allowed me to really spend time with him. I had fabulous moments as a child, but I had a lot more of them after he retired. That was very important to me.”

Hockey was meaningful to Guy Lafleur and his family, but it wasn’t imperative to him that his boys followed the same path. Sure, Martin played the game growing up and still does, although he admits his drive and passion for other sports like snowboarding and soccer internally created more drive and passion.

“Sports were always a huge part of my life, but hockey was just one of them,” Martin says. “My dad never really pushed us. Whatever we decided to do he just wanted us to enjoy it.”

He says Guy was never much on providing pointers during his minor hockey days and jovially mentions his dad “was awful as a hockey coach.”

However, by the time the two were able to play together during Montreal Canadiens alumni events, Martin says skating with his father as a teammate was a great experience, although the senior Lafleur was also “very capable” of telling you if you did something wrong.

When his hockey career concluded and right up until his final day, Guy Lafleur was a busy guy.

He and Martin were involved in business together, including several restaurants, while they both attended many events like sports card and memorabilia shows, where for close to the last decade Martin acted as his father’s de facto agent, organizing travel and attending those work/play events together.

“We’ve had a really close relationship. I’m so grateful to have spent that quality time with him.”

Lafleur was also very patriotic. He was an honorary colonel in the Canadian Air Force, making several trips to support Canadian Forces in places like Kuwait, Afghanistan and Ukraine. He was proud to represent his country at the Canada Cup in 1976 and 1981, and again at the 1981 IIHF World Championship.

And among the other notable honours and awards bestowed on him, Lafleur was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec.

“Both were huge honours,” says Martin. “My dad was French-Canadian, but he was so proud to be Canadian.”

To Martin, his dad’s legacy stands alone, but he’ll try to conduct himself appropriately and use it as a template for his future.

“Those shoes are unfillable,” he says. “But I definitely want to do as much as I can to continue what my dad did in my own way. That’s the way we were brought up. We still owe everything to my dad’s fans. With pleasure, that’s something that will continue.”

Kim St-Pierre remembers sitting on the couch in her home in Châteauguay, Quebec. It’s February 1998, the middle of the night, and her mom wants her to watch a hockey game being played halfway around world in Nagano, Japan. Canada’s National Women’s Team is playing the United States for the first Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey.

“I don’t know why,” says St-Pierre, “but I had this vision, this feeling, that one day – I didn’t know how because I was so far from it – that I could wear that jersey. I would have loved for them to win that gold medal, but that’s the moment when I looked at my mom and wished that one day I could wear this special jersey.”

St-Pierre would wear that jersey 83 times for Team Canada from 1998 to 2011. She won three gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games and five gold medals at the IIHF World Women’s Championship (as well as four silver medals). She posted a 64-10 record, with a 1.17 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage and 29 shutouts. She ranks No. 1 among Canadian goaltenders in games played, wins and shutouts.

In 2021, she became the first female goaltender – and eighth woman – inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

St-Pierre’s journey to her historic destination began like so many Canadian players: street hockey in the summer, a backyard rink in the winter and older siblings directing the youngest to stand in net.

“I fell in love with the sport,” she says. She asked her parents to play on an organized team. “At first it was not easy for them – they weren’t seeing any Team Canada, it was not an Olympic sport, and nothing really to be excited to put your daughter in. But they loved how passionate I was.”

Her dad, André, had played hockey at a high level and been drafted by the New York Rangers. His familiarity with the hockey environment eased everyone’s mind, when, at age eight, St-Pierre transitioned from figure skating to hockey.

St-Pierre started as a forward. One day her coach walked into the room with goalie gear. Inexplicitly drawn to the unattractive old, brown equipment, St-Pierre jumped up to volunteer. Her mom, Louise, may have thought her daughter was crazy, but she encouragingly helped her dress that day.

One practice turned into one game. That one game was unremarkable, and St-Pierre knows her parents could have easily suggested she stick to be being skater. “But they saw how disappointed I was,” she says. “I think it was a great life lesson to just keep going, to work harder to be able to win my first game as a goalie. We never looked back. I’m thankful that they helped me, guided me. I become a goalie.”

St-Pierre idolized Patrick Roy and dreamed of playing for the Montreal Canadiens. A multisport athlete – including tennis, soccer and fastball – she wanted to go to the Olympic Games in anything except hockey, the one sport where she couldn’t see women competing at the time. Those two goals drove her through her teens playing boys’ hockey.

“It was about having a passion for sport,” she says. “It never really mattered that I was the only girl. Being a goalie you’re different, you’re special, you have different equipment. For me, it was a way to stand out and to play because I loved it, not because I wanted to be the first one to accomplish something.”

St-Pierre’s days of playing organized hockey appeared to be coming to a close in 1998. She had finished her junior career and could never crack the roster to represent Team Quebec at various national women’s championships. “I was almost ready to quit, not seeing any opportunities for me.”

Around that time, Dan Madden, the general manager of the women’s team at McGill University in Montreal, offered her the chance to try out for the Martlets. Having been repeatedly released from Team Quebec, St-Pierre didn’t have the warmest memories playing women’s hockey. But a talk with her dad and a visit to the team convinced her that this was where she should be. “It’s a decision that changed my life,” she says. “Yes, I got to play hockey, I got the call to try out for Team Canada that same year. And that’s where I met my husband [Lenny Jo Goudreau], and we have two kids now together [Liam and Ayden]. Going to McGill changed my life and gave me all these opportunities.”

St-Pierre played five seasons at McGill. Her final year, she became the first woman to win a men’s university hockey game. She left the program having set 60 goaltending records. In 103 career games with the women’s team, she recorded 27 shutouts and a 2.13 goals-against average. She won one silver medal and two bronze medals at the national championship.

(She also eventually survived the cut for Team Quebec. She won gold at the 1999 Esso Women’s Nationals, and again in 2002, when she was named MVP. She won silver in 2000 and again in 2001, when she was named Top Goaltender.)

Danièle Sauvageau was one of the coaches who had to keep telling St-Pierre she wasn’t ready for the provincial squad. Sauvageau was also the coach of Canada’s National Women’s Team for the lead-up to the 2002 Olympics and the person who invited St-Pierre to her first national team camp in 1998. Sauvageau had seen St-Pierre play in Châteauguay. “She was impactful in pretty much every game that she was playing.” But for whatever reason, says Sauvageau, she came up short at the camps. But the potential was clear. All she needed was the longer window of opportunity a national camp affords.

Sauvageau wanted to give her young goaltenders experience in the lead up to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. In 2001, St-Pierre earned her first starting position at the IIHF World Women’s Championship.

“This is where her intangible came along: calm, cool, collected,” says Sauvageau. “You're watching the game behind the bench, and you kind of say, ‘Oh, we just gave up a goal here.’ Then you see a glove coming up at the last second and it’s, ‘How did she stop that?’ She created this, ‘We got to win, we’re able to win, we will win” by stopping everything that was coming at her in any possible way. She was the goaltender, the player of that particular world championship.” She dictated a level of trust among the team. “The impact of her stepping on the ice knowing that she was going to do everything [to stop the puck] created this momentum. We needed that momentum in order to go through what we did in 2001, 2002, and it started with this great victory in April 2001.”

St-Pierre fulfilled her dream of being an Olympian in 2002. Canada memorably lost eight games in a row to the United States in preparation. In the gold medal game against its rivals, the team scored early and St-Pierre made a pair of big saves in the first period. Canada then got called for eight penalties in a row.

“When you play [26 minutes] shorthanded and you have Kim St-Pierre in net, you have this sense of ‘We’re going to be OK,’” says Sauvageau. “It’s perception, it’s feeling. Even if we lost eight games in a row, this is the game. And when there’s the game, we have the goaltender. You build a pyramid from the ground, and you build a gold medal game from your goaltender, and she responded at the level that she had in 2001. There’s a sense of calm on the bench.”

Canada won 3-2, and St-Pierre was named Top Goaltender and to the tournament all-star team. “When the countdown happened for the last 10 seconds – I felt like it lasted two minutes in my head – I couldn’t wait for the girls to come [jump in the crease] and celebrate what we had just accomplished together,” says St-Pierre.

Every year on the team was different, but each one left St-Pierre with a lasting memory. Veterans like Cassie Campbell, Thérèse Brisson and Vicky Sunohara welcoming her as a teammate. Three centralization cycles, each one making her feel like a professional hockey player. Playing in a home-ice Games, in 2010, with family and friends cheering her on. Learning about herself even when she didn’t play, like in the 2006 Olympic gold medal game. “It’s one of my proudest accomplishments, the way I reacted and my attitude to [not starting],” she says.

When St-Pierre won the Clarkson Cup with the Montreal Stars in 2009, she completed her collection of the top three championships in women’s hockey. She won again in 2011, and was named the Canadian Women’s Hockey League Goaltender of the Year all three seasons she played.

What made her such a great goaltender?

“Number one was her calm,” says Sauvageau. “Her ability to read, digest the information in front of her, and react.” St-Pierre would sort of shrug when asked about systems, says Sauvageau. “But in her net, she was able to anticipate almost what was going to happen and make the right move, even before she needed to make it.”

St-Pierre spent the last several years working for BOKS, a free physical-activity program meant to get kids moving. She plans to continue promoting not only women’s hockey – to tell her story and hopefully inspire young girls – but also involvement in any sport.

The Order of Hockey in Canada recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the game of hockey. It’s giving St-Pierre a new platform, both to encourage the next generation and to thank those who made the moment possible.

“I want to take this opportunity to really show how when you believe in something you can achieve something,” she says. “I really want to thank everybody who helped me achieve success and be able to represent Canada for so many years.”

There’s a photo of Lanny McDonald from 1989 that has become synonymous with the sacrifice it takes to win the Stanley Cup.

There is Lanny, the red-haired and moustached co-captain of the Calgary Flames (also bearded at that time from the long playoff run), sweat dripping from his forehead and still wearing his bright red Flames jersey with the captain’s ‘C’, cradling the Cup. Look at Lanny’s face and you can see elation at reaching the pinnacle of pro hockey following years of hard work and commitment.

Every year during the NHL playoffs, that seems to be among the most prominent photos shown.

Over 30 years later, McDonald, a product of nearby Hanna, Alta., continues to call Calgary home and is such a legend in the town that he can’t really go anywhere without fans wanting to meet him and talk to him (mostly) about 1989. He says it is still magical to this day.

“It is unbelievable,” says McDonald. “That is a moment in time for not only myself and all of our teammates. To have nine of the guys from the Stanley Cup team still live in the city, that is remarkable and shows how much everyone loves Calgary. How we all still want to be a part of it. To be able to share that with people, grandparents, parents, and now they’re telling their kids. I sign autographs for so many little kids that I’m sure have no idea who I am but their mom or their dad or their grandparents said ‘Oh, this is a legend.’”

The word ‘legend’ is thrown around a lot in sports, but there’s no doubt it applies to McDonald. Following three seasons in the Western Central Hockey League (a precursor to the Western Hockey League) with the Calgary Centennials and Medicine Hat Tigers, he would go move on to a Hockey Hall of Fame career that spanned 1,111 games, an even 500 goals and 1,006 points. His first eight seasons were with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Rockies before a memorable day in November 1981 when Lanny was traded to the Flames, the club with which he spent the remainder of his career, concluding with that Cup win over the Montreal Canadiens, 33 years ago.

There have been countless individual and team accolades over the years for McDonald and, this year, there’s one more – he is among three Distinguished Honourees of the Order of Hockey in Canada. He joins the late Guy Lafleur and legendary women’s hockey goaltender Kim St-Pierre as the newest members of the Order, which honours those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey. McDonald was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. He says the latest honour is right up there.

“You certainly never think of ever receiving an award like this. When [Hockey Canada CEO] Tom Renney called, at that time he was on the board of the Hockey Hall of Fame so I’m thinking, ‘Tom must want to talk about something about the Hall of Fame,’” says McDonald. “And then he gives me that news and you’re speechless. It was just so cool. Tom and I have been friends forever and to hear that come from him was pretty darn nice.”

That iconic picture from 1989 is certainly what McDonald is best known for. But he also had a memorable international career; it included wearing the Maple Leaf at the 1976 Canada Cup and 1981 IIHF World Championship, and facing the Soviet Union with a team of NHL all-stars during the 1979 Challenge Cup.

The 1976 Canada Cup roster is considered by many the greatest-ever Canadian team. McDonald was one of 18 future Hockey Hall of Fame inductees on that team, which also included Lafleur, Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Marcel Dionne and Bobby Clarke. Really, a who’s-who of hockey in that generation. That ’76 team would triumph in a best-of-three final over Czechoslovakia, claiming the first Canada Cup title.

“That was a star-studded team. You have the likes of Lafleur, Esposito, Bobby Clarke. The list went on and on,” says McDonald. “I think there were 18 Hall of Famers on that team. I was like a little kid in a candy store looking on in the dressing room, like which one doesn’t fit in.”

McDonald has continued his involvement in international hockey since the end of his playing days. He was general manager of Team Canada at the 2001 and 2002 IIHF World Championships and was director of player personnel of Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2004 worlds.

He notes that many Canadian kids grow up dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup, but international hockey is unique and special in its own ways.

“I think because it doesn’t happen every year. Yes, the world championships happen every year … but you only get to it every so often,” says McDonald. “When it happens, it’s like ‘Oh my gosh, this is one of the coolest things you could ever possibly do.’ There’s such great pride in the Maple Leaf and the jersey. I have had such a fun time over the years of being part of Team Canada.”

These days, he is chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, which he describes as the coolest job.

“If you love the game and love the history of the game, what a great position to have,” says McDonald.

He also does what he can to grow the game. In May, McDonald was in Finland at the IIHF World Championship. That same month, hockey fans who took in the Battle of Alberta between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers also saw McDonald on the big screen cheering on his beloved Flames in Game 1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In early June, he was cracking jokes and entertaining crowds at Tooth of Dog Pound Creek Golf Course for a charity event.

McDonald is a self-described fan of the game. That includes the history of the game and also where it is today. You likely won’t find a better cheerleader for the game of hockey and one who is so recognizable wherever he goes.

He loves where hockey is today but knows there’s more work ahead to continue to grow the game and ensure all kids have the chance to play.

“You look at Hockey Canada and you look at a company like Scotiabank which is a major sponsor of hockey across the country, we’re all trying to make sure that it’s inclusive and available for everyone,” says McDonald. “To see kids that may never have that opportunity all of a sudden find this love affair with this great game that we have all had feelings for all along, is so great. We just have to continue to work at it and make sure that hockey is for everyone.”