Manon Rheaume, First Woman to Play on Professional Men's Hockey Teams

Born Feb. 24, 1972, Rheaume is the daughter of Pierre and Nicole Rheaume. Her interest in hockey can be accredited to her father, a hockey coach, and the fact that she had several brothers. Youngest brother Pascal later played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Rheaume's father had built a rink in their back yard where Rheaume began skating at the age of three. And when her father practice hockey with her brothers, she often practiced with them. She chose to be the goalie.

At the age of five, Rheaume began playing in some of her father's tournaments as the goalie and found she loved the competition. Although she participated in other sports such as baseball, skiing and ballet, her passion for the game of hockey is what drove her.

By the age of eleven, Rheaume was the first girl to play in the International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament of Quebec. She later played for Louiseville of Quebec Tier II junior hockey where her goals against average was 8.88.

Her Louiseville coach Yves Beaudry was quoted as saying by Brian McFarlane in Proud Past, Bright Future, "Manon was tough, very tough. She was a good team member. She never backed down." [1]

Rheaume played for Trois-Rivieres Draveurs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the first woman to do so. She only let in three goals in thirteen shots. She took a shot to the head but, bleeding, stayed in the game. Staying in that game paid off as she received international attention for it.

She played for Canada's women's team at the world championships in 1992 only giving up two goals in three games. The team won the gold that year.

All this attention brought about an invitation to the training camp of the Tampa Bay Lightning team. When Rheaume allowed in only two goals in nine shots at a pre-season game, she was offered and signed a three-year contract to play with the Atlanta Knights.

Although playing hockey in the minor leagues was a feather in her cap, it didn't come without a price. The publicity surrounding her and the fact she didn't speak much English made Rheaume uncomfortable and led to the development of stomach ulcers.

As she told Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, "I did not ask for the attention, but it came to me, and it was very uncomfortable. I was there because I wanted to play hockey and make a living." [1]

Rheaume continued playing for different teams throughout the United States, the Knoxville Cherokees, Vegas Thunder, Tallahassee Tiger Sharks and the Nashville Knights. She also played again for the Canadian's women's team at the World Championships in Lake Placid in 1994. The next year, she began playing roller hockey during the summer for the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers and the Ottawa Loggers, Sacramento River Rats and Reno Renegades in subsequent years.

In 1997, Rheaume was cut from the Canadian national women's team just before the world championships. It didn't necessarily hurt her career as she was forced to improve her game and led to her being chosen for the 1998 Olympic team. The Canadian women took home the silver that year, losing to the U.S. team.

Rheaume was married to Gerry St. Cyr at the time, also a minor league hockey player as well as a roller hockey player. She was pregnant with their son and didn't play during the 1998-1999 season. She had planned on playing with the Canadian women's team in 2000, but didn't make the cut. So she retired from international play.

Rheaume was hired as head of global marketing for women's hockey at Mission Hockey where she also helped develop hockey skates for women. She also coached a girl's team, the Mission Betty, to the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament.

The Manon Rheaume Foundation was established in 2008. The Foundation's mission is to inspire young girls to reach for their dreams while overcoming obstacles. The Foundation also provides scholarships for young women.

Sources:
[1] Sports JRank