Manon Rhéaume is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender. She is also the first and only woman to play for a professional North American sports team.
Rhéaume has been playing hockey and making history since she was a child. In the 1984 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, she played for a boys’ team and became the first female goaltender to do so.
In addition to her junior sports accomplishments, in 1991 Rhéaume signed with the Trois-Rivières Draveurs who played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. This signing made her the first woman to play in a men’s Major Junior hockey game.
Her feats did not stop there. Rhéaume then went on to play in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championships where she won gold in 1992 and 1994. Because of her performance in these tournaments, she was named to the All-Star team in both of these years.
Four years after this, Rhéaume played in the 1998 Winter Olympics and won a silver medal.
While she was winning these championships, Rhéaume tried out for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League (NHL). She then signed a contract with the team and went on to play in preseason games for the team in 1992 and 1993. Rhéaume became the first woman to play in an exhibition game for not only the NHL, but for any North American major league sports team.
Also in 1992, Rhéaume joined the International Hockey League (IHL) and played for the Atlanta Knights. She played in this league for five years where she played on seven teams. Rhéaume played in 24 games. Her first appearance marked the first time a woman played in a professional league regular season game.
Rhéaume was also the first woman hockey player to have a sports card with over 1,400 produced.
After retiring from playing, Rhéaume went on to coach and work with other ice hockey teams including women’s teams and the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. She also founded the Manon Rhéaume Foundation in 2008 which provides young women with scholarships.
Even today her progress towards equality is seen in the realm of ice hockey. The recent success of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and other women’s leagues can be indirectly attributed to Manon Rhéaume.
While Rhéaume accomplished amazing things in the world of ice hockey, she also impacted the world. Many of her accomplishments not only marked the first time a woman had done them in her sport, but in any North American professional major league sport.