Manon Rheaume set the standards for women in hockey, breaking many preset boundaries for the sport. As a goaltender, she played in the professional minor leagues on seven teams leading her to play on the Canadian Women’s national hockey team that propelled them to win medals in the Women’s World Championship and Winter Olympics.
Rheaume was an unassuming lady from Lac-Beauport, Quebec, Canada. But hockey was in her blood at an early age. At the age of 3, she donned her first pair of hockey skates and began dreaming of playing on a real team. Her younger brother also played hockey and Manon would volunteer in the goalie net as practice for him. As she got older, it didn’t matter how talented she was. Getting involved in any of the games was rough, simply because she was a girl.
The tenacity that Rheaume demonstrated paid off. In a 1991-1992 season, Rheaume broke all preconceived ideas about women in hockey when she played in a Junior A men’s hockey game. Her talent was apparent and she set new standards of perception when it came to the role women could play in hockey.
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