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Hayley Wickenheiser hangs up the skates as she retires from hockey |
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Hayley Wickenheiser announced her retirement from the game of hockey on Friday night, the news courtesy of a simple tweet:
The accolades and well wishes came pouring in from the hockey community and beyond, celebrating arguably the greatest women’s hockey player of all time who broke down barriers and unified hockey fans, regardless of gender.
Wickenheiser was just 15 years old the first time that she was named to the Canadian women’s national team, representing them at the 1994 World Championships. It is absolutely incredible that Wickenheiser was playing with and against the best women in the world at just 15 years young. Perhaps that says something about the lack of depth in women's hockey at the time. In reality, it just means that Wickenheiser was a special talent who deserved her spot on the team.
Wickenheiser’s goal was always to make herself a better player but her decision to play men’s professional division two and three hockey in Finland (2003) and Sweden (2007) drew the ire of many. Even Rene Fasel, the President of the International Ice Hockey Federation openly questioned Wickenheiser playing with men and that she would not be able to handle the speed or checking of the game. Wickenheiser was criticized for not staying in Canada to help grow women’s hockey, shunning the original National Women’s Hockey League. However, it was always about how to make herself a better player and she knew that in order to continually improve, Wickenheiser had to face tougher and more skilled competition. At the time, the level of professional women’s hockey was simply not what it is today. Wickenheiser would not have had the incredible career that she did if she did not continually challenge herself to improve and reach an even higher level of play.
Wickenheiser’s career numbers speak for themselves:
Participated in all five Olympic Winter Games that Women’s Hockey has been a part of earning 4 gold medals and 1 silver
Two time Olympic MVP
Holds the record for career Olympic points with 52
Won 7 World Championship gold medals and 6 silver
Holds the record for career points in the World Championships with 86
First woman to record a point and score a goal in men’s professional hockey
Won Clarkson Cup with the Calgary Inferno in 2016, her lone year in women’s professional hockey
Off of the ice, Wickenheiser is much of an all-star as she is on it. She relentlessly promotes the game as she was and will continue to be the face of women’s hockey. Wickenheiser embraced being a household name in Canada and took her responsibility seriously, paving the way for generations of girls to play hockey while making it acceptable, cool and even the norm for girls to lace up hockey skates. She has spearheaded many initiatives such as her annual WickFest which promotes and celebrates girls hockey. This past year's edition had 3,000 participants!
Numerous awards and accolades have been bestowed on Wickenheiser throughout her career. She has been named to the Order of Canada, given a spot on Canada’s Walk of Fame and earned honorary degrees to name a few. Throughout her hockey career, education has always been a priority as she earned her Bachelor's in Kinesiology and Master's in Medicine Studies.
She leaves the game in order to start her studies in pursuit of a degree in medicine. There have been apparently been discussions as to a future role in the NHL as well. There are endless opportunities for her and there is little doubt that she will succeed at everything she touches. Wickenheiser is simply a superhuman. There is nothing that this woman cannot do and hockey, nevermind women’s hockey is richer for her having played the game. To call Wickenheiser a trailblazer is an understatement. She is a legend.
Cheers and follow along!
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