Golden girls bound for Olympic Hall

It remains one of the indelible images of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games – Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser leaping into the arms of goaltender Shannon Szabados as the final seconds had ticked off the clock in the women’s hockey gold medal game in Vancouver.

Wickenheiser, Szabados and the rest of the 23 players who helped Canada’s Women’s Olympic Team to its third-straight trip to the top of the podium were honoured again Monday, announced as part of the Class of 2019 to enter the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame next month.

Szabados and Marie-Philip Poulin were the heroes of the 2-0 win over the United States in front of 16,805 fans at Canada Hockey Place; Szabados stopped all 28 shots she faced, and 18-year-old Poulin – the youngest player on the roster – provided the offence with a pair of first-period goals.

“This medal is Canada's medal,” said Canadian forward Meghan Agosta. “To be able to win a gold medal on home soil is an honour. We're going to cherish the moment for the rest of our lives.”

That victory capped a dominant run through the tournament for the Canadians, who outscored their opponents 48-2 in their five wins. They hit double digits in all three of their preliminary-round wins, and Szabados posted back-to-back shutouts in the medal round, blanking the Finns and Americans.

“I looked up in the stands and saw a sign that said, ‘Proud to be Canadian,’ and that’s what I am today,” Szabados told the Olympic News Service after the gold medal game.

Not surprisingly, Canadians took home a number of post-tournament accolades.

Szabados, who fashioned a 0.33 goals-against average in her three appearances, was named Top Goaltender, while Agosta garnered Most Valuable Player and Top Forward honours after posting a tournament-best nine goals and 15 points. Both players joined Poulin on the media all-star team.

The team will officially be enshrined Oct. 23 in Toronto, alongside Alexandre Despatie (diving), Christine Girard (weightlifting), Émilie Heymans (diving), Hiroshi Nakamura (judo coach), Jack Poole (Vancouver 2010 CEO), Randy Starkey (journalist), Simon Whitfield (triathlon) and the 2012 women’s soccer team.

It will be the seventh hockey team to be inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, joining the 1920 Winnipeg Falcons, 1948 RCAF Flyers, 1952 Edmonton Mercurys, 2002 and 2010 Men’s Olympic Teams, and 2006 Women’s Olympic Team.