Manon Rhéaume

Manon Rhéaume is a champion goaltender and was the first and only woman to play in the NHL. Born in Lac-Beauport, Québec, she was a tough and gifted athlete who rose through the ranks facing constant disapproval for playing on boys' teams. Signed to the Trois-Rivières Draveurs in 1991, she was the first woman to play in a men's Major Junior hockey game. In 1992, Rhéaume tried out for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first woman to do so for an NHL team. Signed as a free agent, she played in two exhibition games and went on to play for seven different professional teams. Named to Canada's women's hockey team, Rhéaume won gold medals at the 1992 and 1994 World Championships and a place on the All-Star team. The year after retiring from professional hockey, Rhéaume won the silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics. She went on to coach professional women's hockey and to establish an athletic scholarship fund for girls.

“I had two things I told myself. The first was that I didn't want to live my life with regrets, so I didn't want to not do this and then 10 years later say what if I would have done it. The second was that people were saying they only invited me because I was a girl, but I had to prove myself there.”