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Manon Rhéaume

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Manon Rhéaume
Rhéaume in 2010
Born (1972-02-24) February 24, 1972 (age 52)
Beauport, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight 130 lb (59 kg; 9 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for QMJHL
Trois-Rivières Draveurs
IHL
Atlanta Knights
Las Vegas Thunder
Flint Generals
Port Huron Icehawks
WWHL
Minnesota Whitecaps
Austria
VEU Feldkirch
RHI
New Jersey Rockin' Rollers
Ottawa Loggers
Sacramento River Rats
ECHL
Knoxville Cherokees
Nashville Knights
Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
WCHL
Reno Renegades
NHL
Tampa Bay Lightning (preseason)
National team  Canada
Playing career 1992–2009
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Women's ice hockey
Olympic games
Silver medal – second place 1998 Nagano Tournament
IIHF World Women's Championships
Gold medal – first place 1992 Tournament
Gold medal – first place 1994 Tournament

Manon Rhéaume (born February 24, 1972) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender. An Olympic silver medalist, she achieved a number of historic firsts during her career, including becoming the first woman to play in an exhibition game in any of the major North American pro-sports leagues.[1]

In 1992, Rhéaume signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL, appearing in preseason exhibition games in 1992 and 1993. She spent five years in professional minor leagues, playing for a total of seven teams and appearing in 24 games. She also played on the Canada women's national ice hockey team, winning gold medals at the IIHF Women's World Championship in 1992 and 1994, and the silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

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Rhéaume, the first woman to play in the NHL, played for the Sherbrooke Jofa-Titan squad in the League Régionale du Hockey au Féminin in the province of Québec.[2] She was the first female goaltender to play for a boys' team in the 1984 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.[3] Rhéaume was signed to the Trois-Rivières Draveurs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, one of Canada's top junior ice hockey leagues, for the 1991–92 season, becoming the first woman to play in a men's Major Junior hockey game.[4]

In 1992, Rhéaume tried out for the Tampa Bay Lightning; this was the first time a woman tried out for an NHL team. She played one period in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues, allowing two goals on nine shots, and played in another preseason game against the Boston Bruins in 1993.[4]

Also in 1992, Rhéaume was selected for the Canada national women's ice hockey team. She won gold medals at the 1992 and 1994 IIHF Women's World Championships, and was named to the All-Star team both years. She won the silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.[4]

In 1992, Rhéaume was signed by the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League (IHL). Her first appearance against the Salt Lake Golden Eagles marked the first time a woman appeared in a regular season professional game. She played for seven different teams between 1992 and 1997, including Atlanta, the Knoxville Cherokees, Nashville Knights, the Las Vegas Aces, the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Las Vegas Thunder, and the Reno Renegades, appearing in a total of 24 games.[4] While in Atlanta, Rhéaume wrote her autobiography, Manon: Alone in Front of the Net. She initially retired from professional hockey in 1997.[4]

Later life

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For the 1999–2000 season, Rhéaume was the goaltending coach of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey program.[5] She entered into the business world in 2000, serving as marketing director for Mission Hockey in Irvine, California, developing and promoting girls' hockey equipment for three years. She later worked in marketing at the Powerade Iceport in Milwaukee and with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.[4]

In 2008 Rhéaume suited up for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Western Women's Hockey League, and in 2009 helped lead them to the Clarkson Cup finals[6] of the Canadian women's ice hockey championships. On March 19, 2009, the Whitecaps, with Rhéaume in net, beat the Montreal Stars in a playoff game by a score of 4–3 in overtime, with Kim St. Pierre in net for the Stars.[7] During the 2008–09 WWHL season, Rhéaume's Whitecaps took two of three games from the Calgary Oval X-Treme, snapping a string that saw the X-Treme go two years without tasting defeat in the regular season.[8]

In October 2008, the IHL's Port Huron Icehawks announced plans to have Rhéaume take part in their training camp activities and play for at least one period of the team's exhibition season opener.[9] On April 3, 2009, Rhéaume suited up for one game with the Flint Generals IHL team.[10] She had been with the practice team since January, filling in for their regular goalie. Rhéaume is the third woman to play for the Generals.

In 2015, Rhéaume dropped the puck in the ceremonial opening faceoff before the first National Women's Hockey League game.[11][12]

In October 2021, Rhéaume was hired by Bally Sports Detroit as an analyst and reporter for the Detroit Red Wings.[13]

She was a goaltender for the 2022 NHL All-Star game's Breakaway Challenge.[14]

Rhéaume was hired in July 2022 as hockey operations and prospect advisor for the Los Angeles Kings.[15]

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Rhéaume guest-starred as herself in the made-for-TV movie A Beachcombers Christmas with Tiger Williams and Jyrki Lumme. At the height of her popularity, she was approached to pose for Playboy Magazine, which she refused.[4]

In 2011, Rhéaume took part in the Quebec TV show Le défi des champions (Champions' Challenge), a show that trained eight Quebec athletes (such as Isabelle Charest, Bruny Surin, Marc Gagnon, Marie-Andrée Lessard, Étienne Boulay, Nathalie Lambert and Mathieu Dandenault) to the art of the circus.

In June 2016, Rhéaume was mentioned in an episode of the show Bones, (season 11, episode 18), as the only woman to play in an NHL game.

Personal life

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Rhéaume was married to Gerry St. Cyr, a minor league hockey player and roller hockey player, in June 1998, whom she later divorced. They have one son, Dylan.[16] A goaltender like his mother, Dylan St. Cyr played for the Michigan State Spartans and previously served as goaltender for Notre Dame and Quinnipiac University.

After her divorce from Gerry St. Cyr, Rhéaume married her second husband, with whom she had a second son, Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, a defenseman who was drafted in the 2022 OHL Priority selection by the Sarnia Sting, 124th overall in the 7th round, and now plays for the Michigan Wolverines collegiately.

Rhéaume formed the Manon Rhéaume Foundation in 2008, which provides scholarships for young women.[17]

She is the older sister of former NHL player Pascal Rhéaume.

Career statistics

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Career statistics from Eliteprospects or The Internet Hockey Database or The Western Women's Hockey League.

Ice hockey regular season

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Regular season
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1991–92 Trois-Rivières Draveurs QMJHL 1 0 1 0 18 3 0 10.55 .750
1992–93 Atlanta Knights IHL 2 1 0 0 66 7 0 6.36 .806
1993–94 Knoxville Cherokees ECHL 2 0 1 0 187 13 0 4.17 .870
1993–94 Nashville Knights ECHL 4 3 0 0 197 12 0 3.64 .901
1994–95 Las Vegas Aces PSHL 0 — — — — — — — —
1994–95 Tallahassee Tiger Sharks ECHL 1 0 1 0 20 4 0 12.00 .750
1994–95 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 2 — — — 53 3 0 3.41 .824
1996–97 Reno Renegades WCHL 11 2 4 0 425 40 0 5.65 .868
2000–01 Montreal Wingstar NWHL 4 — — — — — — — —
2007–08 Minnesota Whitecaps WWHL 1 1 0 0 63 2 0 1.90 .939
2008–09 Minnesota Whitecaps WWHL 2 2 0 0 120 6 0 3.00 .880
2008–09 Flint Generals IHL 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 30.00 .000
WCHL totals 11 2 4 0 425 40 0 5.65 .868

Ice Hockey International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1992 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3 — — — — — — 0.67 .957
1994 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 — — — — — — 1.72 .864
1998 Canada OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4 2 1 0 208 4 1 1.15 .926
Senior totals 11 2 1 0 208 4 1 — —

Inline hockey regular season

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Regular season
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1993–94 New Jersey Rockin' Rollers RHI 4 — — — — — — — —
1994–95 New Jersey Rockin' Rollers RHI 1 — — — — — — — —
1995–96 Sacramento River Rats RHI 4 — — — — — — — —
1995–96 Ottawa Loggers RHI 1 — — — — — — — —
RHI totals 10 — — — — — — — —

Awards and honours

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  • 1992 All-Star Team, Top Goaltender
  • 1994 All-Star Team, Top Goaltender

Notables

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kristina Rutherford. "Manon Rheaume realizes her NHL debut was 'not just another game'". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  2. ^ On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History, p.132, by Elizabeth Etue and Megan K. Williams, Second Story Press, Toronto, Ontario, 1996, ISBN 0-929005-79-1
  3. ^ "History". Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Kearney, Mark; Ray, Randy (30 September 2006). Whatever Happened To-- ?. Dundurn. ISBN 9781550026542. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  5. ^ Who's Who in Canadian Sport, Volume 5, p.372, Bob Ferguson, Fitzhenry and Whiteside Ltd., Markham, ON and Allston, MA, ISBN 1-55041-855-6
  6. ^ "Montreal wins first Clarkson Cup". Iihf.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  7. ^ "CWHL - Canadian Women's Hockey League". Cwhl.ca. 2009-02-18. Archived from the original on 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  8. ^ "CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey - Women: Manon-ing the pipes". Slam.canoe.ca. 2009-01-24. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  9. ^ "Minnesota Whitecaps | MLive.com". Topics.mlive.com. 2008-10-02. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  10. ^ "Flint Generals to welcome Manon Rheaume to the crease tonight vs. Muskegon Fury | MLive.com". Blog.mlive.com. 2009-04-03. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  11. ^ Clinton, Jared (October 7, 2015). "NWHL sells out inaugural game, Manon Rheaume to drop ceremonial puck in Buffalo". The Hockey News. Longueuil, PQ. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  12. ^ Blinn, Michael (2015-09-23). "NWHL opens play: Meghan Duggan, players' have long-term focus - NHL". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  13. ^ Bally Sports Detroit [@BallySportsDET] (October 7, 2021). "Manon Rhéaume is a trailblazer, the first woman to play in the NHL. She was recently honored in Quebec City with her very own statue. Rhéaume is now part of the @BallySportsDET family as she will be part of @DetroitRedWings broadcasts this season." (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Rheaume set for return to ice as goalie in 2022 NHL All-Star Skills". NHL.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  15. ^ "Rheaume named hockey operations, prospect adviser by Kings". NHL.com. July 7, 2022. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  16. ^ Krupa, Gregg (18 January 2017). "Son of NHL's first woman goalie has all angles covered". Detroit News. Archived from the original on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  17. ^ "The Manon Rheaume Foundation". The Manon Rheaume Foundation. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  18. ^ "Part 1: Manon Rhéaume shatters hockey's gender barrier". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  19. ^ "Manon Rheaume". whockey.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
  20. ^ "Detroit Little Caesars Hockey Club Hockey Website Software By GOALLINE.ca". Littlecaesarshockey.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
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