BRAMPTON, Ont. – Canada’s National Women’s Team finished just short in its bid for a third-straight IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medal, falling 6-3 to the United States on Sunday night.

Canada took an early lead on a power-play goal from captain Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./PWHPA), but the Americans equalized before the end of the first period.

The cross-border rivals went back and forth in a fast-paced second period which ended with the Canadians in front 3-2 after 40 minutes thanks to a pair of goals four minutes apart from Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont./PWHPA). Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./PWHPA) chipped in an assist on both Jenner goals.

The Americans tied the game early in the third period and took the lead for good with a pair of power-play markers in the final five minutes.

“Sometimes those games are difficult to process because everything is good, until it isn’t,” said head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.). “It just kind of took a turn with the two penalties and the U.S. capitalizing. All I said to the group after the game was I just wanted to spend time with them instead of having something big and magical to say. I’m proud of the group, they’ve been resilient through so many of things the last few years, and they deserve any of the good that comes to them. We put a lot of focus on being really good teammates; I think this group exudes that, and both players and staff will learn from what could have done better to not be in this situation.”

Following the tournament, Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./PWHPA) was named Most Valuable Player by media and Top Forward by the IIHF Directorate, and Ann-Renée Desbiens (Clermont, Que./PWHPA) was named Top Goaltender. Fast, Fillier and Poulin were named to the media all-star team.

A full game summary and recap can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

“It’s hard to put into words right now,” said Poulin. “This one hurts, for sure, especially on home soil, but this group is very special; we’ll learn from it and move forward, but it’s a tough one to swallow.”

“I’m very proud; this is a really special group,” said Jenner. “I think there’s a bit of disbelief because in our dressing room we believed so much that we were going to find a way to win. It stings right now, but we will learn from it and we’ll be back.”

Canada was perfect through the preliminary round, finishing atop Group A with wins over Czechia, Japan, Switzerland and the United States, outscoring its opponents 18-4. Canada booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 3-2 overtime win over Sweden in the quarterfinals and a 5-1 semifinal victory over Switzerland.

In 22 appearances, Canada has captured 12 gold medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2021, 2022), in addition to nine silver (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023) and one bronze (2019).

Prior to the gold medal game, the IIHF announced that the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship will be held Utica, New York, tentatively scheduled for April 4-14.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or following along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (APRIL 16)

Canada’s National Women’s Team is one win away from a third-consecutive gold medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, and its biggest rivals stand in the way – it will the United States in the final on Sunday night.

Last Game

Canada rode a hat trick from Sarah Fillier to the gold medal game, earning a 5-1 semifinal win over Switzerland on Saturday night. Fillier scored twice late in the second period to finally break a scoreless tie, and added a third in the final five minutes. Jamie Lee Rattray and Rebecca Johnston had the other goals for the Canadians, who outshot the Swiss 59-9.

The U.S. booked its place in the final with a convincing 9-1 semifinal win over Czechia on Saturday afternoon. Hilary Knight and Amanda Kessel had two goals and an assist each, Caroline Harvey had a goal and three helpers, and Tessa Janecke scored twice for the Americans, who pulled away with three goals in less than four minutes early in the second period.

Last Meeting

The teams met Monday night in their preliminary-round finale and, just like pretty much every time these teams meet, it was an absolute thriller. After the Americans scored twice in the last 40 seconds to force overtime and 15-consecutive shooters missed in the shootout, Jamie Lee Rattray tucked in the winner in Round 9 to give Canada a 4-3 victory and a perfect prelims. It was the 100th win all-time for Canada over the U.S.

What to Watch

Fillier continues to leave her mark on international hockey. The 22-year-old was named a media all-star at the 2022 Women’s Worlds in Denmark last summer after posting five goals and 11 points, and is up to seven goals and 11 points in six games at this tournament after her hat trick performance against the Swiss. In 20 games across three world championships, the Brampton-born centre has 28 points (15-13—28). A lot of numbers to digest, but they all equate to one thing – keep your eyes on Sarah Fillier.

A big key for the Canadians? Stay out of the penalty box. The U.S. has been deadly with the power play, bringing a tournament-best 52.4% success rate (11 for 21) into the gold medal game. It struck four times in five chances against the Czechs in the semifinals, getting goals from four different players. Overall, eight different Americans have struck with the player-advantage, including two each from Kessel, Harvey and Hannah Bilka.

A Look Back

These two teams have played in some historic matchups over the years — this is all-time meeting No. 176 —including the seven-game Rivalry Series this season and 20 of 21 gold medal games at Women’s Worlds. The most recent came last summer in Herning, Denmark, when Brianne Jenner scored twice and Desbiens made a huge save in the dying seconds to a secure a 2-1 Canadian win and a 12th world title.

All-time record: Canada leads 100-74-1
Canada goals: 484
United States goals: 422

GAME STATS | LIVE BLOG

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Canada’s National Women’s Team booked its spot in the gold medal game at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship following a 5-1 semifinal win over Switzerland on Saturday night at the CAA Centre.

• Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) led the way for Canada with a hat trick, giving her a tournament-leading seven goals.
• Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont./PWHPA) and Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont./PWHPA) also scored.
• Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./PWHPA) contributed three assists.
• Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont./PWHPA), Jaime Bourbonnais (Mississauga, Ont./PWHPA), Emma Maltais (Burlington, Ont./Ohio State University, WCHA), Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont./PWHPA), Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./PWHPA) and Claire Thompson (Toronto, Ont./PWHPA) added an assist each.
• Ann-Renée Desbiens (Clermont, Que./PWHPA) stopped eight of nine shots.
• Canada outshot Switzerland 59-9.

Following the game, Poulin, Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./PWHPA) and Blayre Turnbull (Stellarton, N.S./PWHPA) were named Canada’s top three players of the tournament.

Next Game:

Canada vs. United States (gold medal game) – Sunday, April 16, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Quotes:

“I think we were pretty happy with our start. We knew eventually we were going to wear them down and something was going to go in. It was about sticking to our plan and not getting individual, and that’s what we did. Overall, we’re also super happy with how everyone played, everyone up and down the lineup got in, which was nice especially as we have back-to-back games and the opportunity to play for a gold medal.”

• Fillier on a total team effort

“I thought tonight we didn’t give them much offensively and I thought we as a team were better offensively. We attacked the net more, mixed it with both high offence and low offence and scored a power-play goal. We’re excited to be in the situation and have the opportunity to play for a gold medal, but we’re not looking ahead. We still have to break down tonight’s game and see what we can learn, but we still have little improvements to make as a group and hopefully between tonight and tomorrow we can do that.”

• Head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) on his team peaking at the right time

“I think when you play really good goaltenders, it makes you a better goal scorer. It really does start from our group in the sense that with Ann-Renee, Emerance and Soupy (Kristen Campbell), those are some of the best goaltenders in the world. The fact that we can practice against them really enables us to be able to put what we practice into games, so when you can get 40 or 50 shots on goal a couple are going to end up in the back of the net.”

• Nurse on the team’s 113 shots on goal the last two games

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWITZERLAND (APRIL 15)

TV: TSN | Stream: TSN Direct

It’s Semifinal Saturday at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship, and Canada’s National Women’s Team faces Switzerland with a place in Sunday’s gold medal game on the line.

Last Game

Canada survived a major scare from Sweden in their Thursday quarterfinal, getting two goals from Sarah Nurse – including the overtime winner – as part of a 3-2 victory. Blayre Turnbull had the other goal for the Canadians, who outshot the Swedes 54-14 but were stymied time and time again by Emma Söderberg, and allowed a game-tying goal in the final 10 seconds for the second time in as many games.

The Swiss erased an early deficit in their quarterfinal against Japan, scoring the game’s final five goals to earn a 5-1 win and book their semifinal spot. Lara Stalder was in on all five goals, scoring once and adding four assists, Rahel Enzler had two goals and a helper, and Alina Müller added a goal and two assists.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Swiss met 10 days ago in the prelim opener for both. The line of Nurse, Sarah Fillier and Natalie Spooner recorded a goal and an assist each, and Ann-Renée Desbiens made 12 saves to post the shutout in a 4-0 Canadian win.

What to Watch

Early in the tournament, head coach Troy Ryan talked about wanting better starts from Team Canada. After the last two games, the focus has turned to finishing strong. The Canadians have allowed game-tying goals in the final 10 seconds against the United States and Sweden before pulling out a pair of victories. The legend of Canada’s National Women’s Team in crunch time is well-established, but as the games get more important, they’d like to avoid leaving it (literally) to the last second.

The trio of Müller, Stalder and Enzler have almost single-handedly (triple-handedly?) pulled the Swiss into the semifinals. Through five games, the top line has combined for nine goals (the Swiss as a team have 12) and 25 points, and it had four goals and 11 points in the quarterfinal win over Japan. Needless to say, they’ll be important if Switzerland hope to spring an upset.

A Look Back

Canada has dominated the head-to-head history with the Swiss, winning all 18 games played, including all 11 at the Women’s Worlds, and holding a sizeable advantage in goal differential.

The best offensive performance belongs to Poulin, who recorded a four-goal game against the Swiss at the 2013 Women’s Worlds. There have been four five-point efforts, including two – by Natalie Spooner and Claire Thompson – in the preliminary-round meeting between the teams in Beijing.

All-time record: Canada leads 18-0
Canada goals: 147
Switzerland goals: 8

GAME STATS | LIVE BLOG

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Canada’s National Women’s Team is off to the semifinals at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship after a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over Sweden in the quarterfinals Thursday night at the CAA Centre.

• Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont./PWHPA) scored twice, including the overtime winner 4:26 into the extra period.
• Blayre Turnbull (Stellarton, N.S./PWHPA) had the other goal.
• Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./PWHPA), Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont./PWHPA), Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont./PWHPA), Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) and Jocelyne Larocque (Ste. Anne, Man./PWHPA) recorded an assist each.
• Emerance Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, Alta./PWHPA) stopped 12 of 14 shots.
• Canada outshot Sweden 54-14.

Next Game:

Canada vs. TBD (semifinal) – Saturday, April 15, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Quotes:

“The shift before, they wore down their players on the ice, so by the time Filly (Sarah Fillier) and I got on the ice I think they were pretty tired. When she came around the net all I thought about was that if this pass comes over to me, we’re crossing the mid-lane and we’re getting a shot off. I saw her hands kind of drop really quick and I decided to put it upstairs.”

“They play with full body contact over in Sweden so that’s something we were prepared for. That’s a team that wanted to win, and every time somebody plays against Team Canada they give us their best game and that’s what we talk about in the locker room that every team will play us hard. We would have loved to get it done in regulation, but things happen in games and we’re happy to get the win in overtime.”

• Nurse on her game-winning goal and facing a tough Swedish opponent

“We want to do a better job of early on in a game, doing the little things that make us difficult to play against instead of resorting to our offensive-zone play that we end up usually finishing games with. You don’t get those opportunities unless you set your game up with chipping some pucks by pressure or mid-lane driving and doing some below goal-line offence. We have to be better at doing the little things to set up our game so we can roll into our more wide-open offence later in the game. You have to earn that, you just don’t get it from your first shift.”

• Head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) on better managing their game going into the semis

“I think we just tried to regroup. Everyone took one or two seconds to take a deep breath, look around and see how lucky we are to be surrounded by each other. We knew it wasn’t over; they have a great team and a great goalie but we needed to decide how we were going to respond in overtime. We kept them in their zone, we kept possession and that’s something we take pride in – to keep possession and make sure the next group is ready to go.”

• Poulin on the mood on the bench after Sweden tied the game with nine seconds remaining

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWEDEN (APRIL 13)

It’s on to the playoffs for Canada’s National Women’s Team, which takes on Sweden in quarterfinal action Thursday at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Canada outlasted the United States 4-3 in a shootout thriller on Monday night. Jamie Lee Rattray scored the winner in the ninth round after 15 straight shooters were denied, capping off a perfect preliminary round for the Canadians. On her 29th birthday, Ann-Renée Desbiens put on a memorable performance — she stopped 26 of 29 shots she faced, included a crucial stop on Hilary Knight in overtime, and turned away eight of nine in the shootout.

Sweden clinched third place in Group B thanks to an 8-2 thrashing of France on Tuesday. Hanna Olsson had herself a monstrous seven-point night that included four goals and three helpers in a game that saw Sweden pour 21 shots on the French in the third period alone.

Last Meeting

These two teams last faced each other at this same stage at the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship last summer, a game that saw Canada blank the Swedes 3-0. Sarah Potomak had herself a two-point night while Marie-Philip Poulin recorded her 100th international assist on a goal by Jocelyne Larocque goal, which happened to be her first at a Women’s Worlds.

What to Watch

Fillier has picked up right where she left off last summer. After leading Canada in scoring in Denmark with five goals and 11 points in seven games, the Georgetown, Ont., native (who was born in Brampton), is more than halfway to that total after the prelims, pacing the Canadian offence with four goals and seven points. She has combined with Sarah Nurse and the returning Natalie Spooner to form a lethal second line for Canada.

Olsson, Lina Ljungblom and 16-year-old Hilda Svensson powered the Swedes to a third-place finish in Group A and sit one-two-three in tournament scoring through the preliminary round. The trio have a combined 29 points in four games (led by 10 from Olsson), while 21-year-old Ljungblom leads all players in goals with six. In total, the line has scored 14 of Sweden’s 18 goals in the tournament.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Swedes were frequent foes through the 1990s and 2000s, but the quarterfinal clash last year was the first meeting between the countries at Women's Worlds since 2009.

Canada owns a perfect 10-0 record against Sweden at the Women’s Worlds, having outscored them 77-6 during that span. In their last three meetings, Canada has scored a combined 20 goals, and you have to go back to the 2004 Women’s Worlds in Halifax to find the last time a Swede (Jenni Asserholt) managed to score on Canada.

All-time record: Canada leads 78-2-1
Canada goals: 506
Sweden goals: 68

GAME STATS | LIVE BLOG

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Canada’s National Women’s Team outlasted the United States 4-3 in a shootout on Monday night, closing out preliminary-round play atop the Group A standings with a perfect 4-0 record at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

• Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont./PWHPA) scored the game-winner in the ninth round of the shootout.
• Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) scored her team-leading fourth goal of the tournament and added an assist.
• Laura Stacey (Kleinburg, Ont./PWHPA) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./PWHPA) also scored.
• Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont./PWHPA), Emily Clark (Saskatoon, Sask./PWHPA), Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont./PWHPA), Claire Thompson (Toronto, Ont./PWHPA) and Micah Zandee-Hart (Saanichton, B.C./PWHPA) added an assist each.
• Ann-Renée Desbiens (Clermont, Que./PWHPA) stopped 26 of 29 shots on her 29th birthday.
• Canada outshot the U.S. 35-29.

Next Game:

Canada vs. TBD (quarterfinal) – Thursday, April 13, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Quotes:

“It’s something I often say to teams that I coach that if the scoreboard falls from the ceiling, we need to act like we expected it to happen. I think our group has a pretty good mindset of that, and I thought everybody (athletes and coaches) did a great job. Everyone fell into their roles and kept things calm on the bench so I could share it with the officials. Although it never happens in that order, you’re usually prepared for it so, you talk through it, communicate as much as you can and it had no impact on us.”

• Head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) on the game continuing after a scoreboard malfunction and delayed game

“I’ve shot in a couple of shootouts in the past, but [Ryan] just turned to me and said ‘Are you ready, Ratty?’ and I said ‘Yeah, sure,’ and I think after that I just blacked out. What a cool feeling and I don’t even remember what I did after because I was so excited; I just screamed out loud because that’s all I could think of.”

“The most proud thing is we won as a team, everyone contributed and everyone made important plays in the game. We can leave it knowing we played a complete game. Obviously, we don’t want to give up two goals at the end, but we stayed calm and resilient and I think that’s something we can take away from this game.”

• Rattray on her shootout winner and the team’s performance

“As a goalie its always about stopping the next puck. Sometimes you have bounces that don’t go your way, but that’s out of your control. You just focus on stopping the next one and that’s what I tried to do today. The team helped with their scoring and Ratty with a big shootout winner in the end, I was happy she got it. It was an interesting ending, a good performance from both goalies but happy to finish first in Group A.”

• Desbiens on her 26-save performance

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. UNITED STATES (APRIL 10)

Canada’s National Women’s Team looks to finish a perfect preliminary round when it takes on the United States in a marquee matchup Monday night at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Last Game

Canada made it three wins in as many tries on Saturday night, blanking Japan 5-0. Sarah Fillier had two goals and an assist in a game that saw the Canadians outshoot the Japanese 60-11. Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse and Natalie Spooner had the other three goals for Canada while Emerance Maschmeyer turned aside 11 shots for the shutout.

The U.S. stayed perfect in preliminary play and kept pace with Canada atop Group A after taking care of Czechia 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. Six different players scored goals and 12 had at least a point for the Americans, who scored the game’s last five goals.

Last Meeting

The last time these teams faced off was Feb. 22 at Place Bell in Laval, Que., a 5-0 Canadian victory in Game 7 of the Rivalry Series. In blanking the U.S., the Canadians erased a three-game deficit in series. Blayre Turnbull quarterbacked the offence, scoring a pair of goals 32 seconds apart as part of a four-goal second period, and Ann-Renée Desbiens posted a 25-save shutout.

What to Watch

The depth of this Canadian team is impressive. Through three prelim games in Brampton, Canada is getting production from its top three lines – the Nurse-Fillier-Spooner trio combined for six points against Switzerland, Marie-Philip Poulin netted a pair of goals and Blayre Turnbull recorded four points against Czechia, and Fillier had a two-goal effort against Japan. Oh, and it helps that the defence has allowed just a single goal and 38 shots through 180 minutes of work.

Taylor Heise has picked up where she left off last summer. The 23-year-old was named MVP of the 2022 Women’s Worlds after posting 18 points (7-11—18) in seven games, the second-most points ever at a single world championship, and has recorded six (1-5—6) in her first three games in Brampton, sitting tied for second in tournament scoring (alongside teammate Carolyn Harvey. Heise starred in her senior season at the University of Minnesota, finishing second in NCAA scoring behind Canadian forward Danielle Serdachny.

A Look Back

These two teams have played in some historic matchups over the years — this is all-time meeting No. 175 —including the down-to-the-wire Rivalry Series this season and 20 of 21 gold medal games at Women’s Worlds. The most recent came last summer in Herning, Denmark, when Brianne Jenner scored twice and Desbiens made a huge save in the dying seconds to secure a 2-1 Canadian win and a 12th world title.

All-time record: Canada leads 99-74-1
Canada goals: 480
United States goals: 419

GAME STATS | LIVE BLOG

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Canada’s National Women’s Team made it three consecutive wins at the 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship following a 5-0 shutout victory over Japan on Saturday night.

• Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont./Princeton University, ECAC) led the way with a pair of goals and an assist.
• Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont./PWHPA) recorded a goal and an assist.
• Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont./PWHPA) and Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont./PWHPA) added Canada’s other goals.
• Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont./PWHPA) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que./PWHPA) chipped in with a pair of assists each.
• Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont./PWHPA), Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont./PWHPA), Danielle Serdachny (Edmonton, Alta./Colgate University, ECAC) and Blayre Turnbull (Stellarton, N.S.) recorded an assist each.
• Emily Clark (Saskatoon, Sask./PWHPA) played in her 100th international game with Canada’s National Women’s Team.
• Emerance Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, Alta./PWHPA) turned aside 11 shots for the shutout.
• Canada outshot Japan 60-11.

Next Game:

Canada vs. United States – Monday, April 10 (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT)

Quotes:

“I think in the game today we had a bit of a mindset to get a better start than we have had and fall into the way we play instead of letting the game dictate the way we play. I think there were little spells where we got individualistic, but what stopped it was every time we got that way, we ended up turning the puck over and took a penalty as a result of it, and that was the thing we needed to snap us out of it.”

• Head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) on his team breaking bad habits

“If you just know Nursey and Spoons as people, they’re incredibly humble and positive, so it’s easy to be their linemate. It’s really easy to play in that light and fun atmosphere. They’re incredibly skilled, and when they get me the puck I’m usually in a pretty good spot.”

• Fillier on her three-point night playing with Spooner and Nurse

“Any of these teams are very opportunistic and Japan is just that, so whenever they get their shot they are usually quality shots. I know that mentally I have to stay in it, so I do some visualization, move around a little bit and communicate with my defence. I also just try to play the puck and find ways to stay engaged because I know my next shot will probably be a tough one.
-           Maschmeyer on staying focused in games

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Women’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

They are essential to a hockey team, working long hours in the shadows, far from the spotlight. They aren’t household names. But no athlete who hits the ice with skates on their feet and a stick in their hands will tell you that their work is not appreciated. That their presence is not comforting.

Serge LeBlanc is one of those who makes sure players worry about nothing other than their performance on the ice. As an equipment manager, he is a master at setting up a dressing room. And the phrase " other related duties" certainly applies.

"I know, for example, during a game, that I will have to change blades because a player can be tougher with her blades than another,” he says. “I think my job is to provide a personalized service to each player."

A proud Acadian from Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, N.B., and a resident of the nearby village of Grande-Digue, LeBlanc has been involved with Team Canada for over 20 years. The Université de Moncton equipment manager has never hesitated to answer the Hockey Canada call, including twice at the Olympic Winter Games (2018 and 2022) with Canada’s Women's Olympic Team and twice at the IIHF World Junior Championship (2008 and 2011) with Canada’s National Junior Team.

LeBlanc spent 11 years (and almost 1,000 games) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Moncton Wildcats. Along the way, he has participated in various Hockey Canada and international events with both men's and women's teams.

Since 2017, he has spent most of his time in arenas, on buses and in airports across the country and around the world with Canada’s National Women’s Team. A natural bon vivant, he has his own way of contributing to the success of Team Canada.

"Serge is an extraordinary person," says goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens. "You know that no matter what time you arrive at the arena, he's going to be there. He's the first to come, last to go. He's always happy to see us and he always wants to go the extra mile to make sure our lives are as smooth as possible."

"When you see Serge, he puts a smile on your face," adds veteran forward Brianne Jenner. "He's sort of like that fun uncle that everyone has in their family. That's the way I think of Serge. He's just he's reliable but a great time and just he fits in so well with the girls. He's one of the girls."

A valued and respected mentor

LeBlanc is not the only one who takes good care of the players. Andrew Davis joined him on the equipment staff this season, and the two are teaming up again at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton. Davis first met LeBlanc in December 2015, when Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team played an exhibition game at Concordia prior to 2016 IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

"It was the first time that I met anyone from Hockey Canada," recalls Davis. "I was so impressed with how he worked."

Davis’ first official Hockey Canada appearance came at Canada’s National Women's Under-18 Team selection camp in August 2016. He was able to learn from LeBlanc, who was mentoring equipment managers ahead of a series against the United States.

"It was really the perfect experience to start with, because he was able to focus on showing us the Hockey Canada standard, which is the highest standard," notes Davis, a Hudson Heights, Que., native.

So how does LeBlanc go about mentoring the next generation of equipment managers?

"I try to show them what helps me to stay effective and to answer their questions," says the man known affectionately as Bayo in his home province. "It's not that I think I'm better than anyone else, that’s absolutely not it, but with my personality and the way I've acted, I've been able to learn a way to operate that makes me effective."

A trusted confidant

If you ask Davis what LeBlanc is like behind the scenes, a smile comes to his face.

"In any arena we went into [during the Rivalry Series], in Canada or the U.S., he wanted to know people’s stories. He likes to connect with people at the arena, the players and the staff. He's very approachable. He has won at almost every level. I almost never hear him talk about the wins, it's always about the people he's met along the way."

Desbiens agrees: "He knows everyone! I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know Serge. He’s very warm-hearted, jovial and spontaneous."

LeBlanc's interpersonal skills serve everyone on the team, including head coach Troy Ryan, who frequently consults the dressing room veteran to help guide decisions.

"We did our first event together in 2006 [at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge]," says LeBlanc. We’ve known each other long enough that he trusts me to ask any question and I’ll be honest with him. He can, for example, ask me about the personality of the players as to whether they are a good fit within the team or not."

His golden moment

Throughout his extensive experience in game, both domestically and abroad, LeBlanc has made countless memories he will cherish. His favourite? He doesn’t hesitate.

"For sure, it's [winning an Olympic gold medal in] Beijing [with Canada’s Women’s Olympic Team],” he says. “I could have retired at that point, and I would have been happy with my career on the international stage. So, there's no doubt that seeing these girls for four years and having to deal with COVID and all that, the way they acted, trained and prepared, winning that was definitely the highlight of my career."

But there’s one more that deserves a mention.

"A personal highlight for me was reaching the 100-game mark with Team Canada in November 2021 in Finland,” LeBlanc says. “It was special to experience that, too."

Big shout out to 🇨🇦's National Women's Team Equipment Manager, @bayo291 on his 100th international game!
#OurGameIsBack pic.twitter.com/aRqR9UVqt2

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) November 13, 2021

Special for him, but also for the players who got to be part of that special night in the lead up to Beijing 2022.

"It was a very special moment," remembers Desbiens. "He’s very appreciated in our locker room, someone that we like to have around the team. One hundred games with the Canadian team, it’s really impressive. I'm sure he has many more to go. Every time we invite him, he comes and he's always happy."