Hayley Wickenheiser

Lore & Background

Wickenheiser began playing minor ice hockey on outdoor rinks in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan at age five, exclusively on boys' teams until she was 13. She moved to Calgary, Alberta, and in 1991 represented Alberta at the 18-and-under Canada Winter Games, scoring the game-winning goal and being named MVP of the final game. At age 15 in 1994, she was named to the Canada women's national team and remained until her retirement in 2017. Her first international tournament was the 1994 World Championship in Lake Placid, New York, where she earned an assist and Canada won gold. She has seven World Championship gold medals (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2012) and three silver medals (2005, 2008, 2009).

Reader's Guide

Wickenheiser's significance lies in her groundbreaking role as the first woman to play full-time professional men's hockey in a position other than goalie, and her sustained dominance in women's international hockey. She represented Canada at five Winter Olympics, winning four gold and one silver medal, and also competed at the Summer Olympics in softball. She is tied with teammates Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford for the most gold medals of any Canadian Olympian. Her career points record for Canada (168 goals, 211 assists in 276 games) and her seven world championship gold medals underscore her legacy. She was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission on February 20, 2014, and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. Her efforts to address the competitive balance in women's hockey, including speaking at the 2010 World Hockey Summit, further highlight her impact beyond her playing career.

Did You Know?

• Wickenheiser was the first woman to score a goal playing in a men's semi-professional league, for HC Salamat in Finland's third-division league in 2003.
• She took the athlete's oath in English at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver and was Canada's flagbearer at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.
• She is one of only five athletes to win gold in four consecutive Winter Games, along with teammates Jayna Hefford and Caroline Ouellette.
• Wickenheiser was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, in her first year of eligibility.