Manon Rheaume, first woman to play NHL period, starts anew with Kings - Los Angeles Times
# Manon Rheaume, first woman to play NHL period, starts anew with Kings - Los Angeles Times
# Contributors
# Players
# Staff
# Summary
Playing goal was as natural to Manon Rheaume as breathing. […] She also didn’t intend to make history, but she couldn’t say no when the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning invited her to their training camp after she had helped Canada win gold at the 1992 women’s world championships. […] Thirty years later, she has made it to the NHL. Not in uniform but as a member of the Kings’ player development department, one of many accomplished women who have been hired for meaningful roles on NHL teams the past few years.
# Notes and Quotes
I personally find, same with Blake Bolden, that these girls are overachievers. They work really hard, and when you get them in your organization, they bring that attitude. It’s amazing to see. To me, I think there’s huge value. Manon, with her background and how much work she had to do and fighting against adversity to get to the level she got, there’s certainly a lot that could be taught to those young players. – Luc Robitaille
It’s really meeting our draft picks and getting to know them and see if I can see or feel something about those players. More like as a mom. Having two kids that play, I know when things go wrong, they call me. I don’t know if it’s easier to talk with me than their dad. I feel like I’m bringing that side of it. – Manon Rheaume
All those women that played at a high level, even if they don’t make it to the NHL, they’re able to contribute to an NHL team in a different way with their ideas and their knowledge of the game. – Manon Rheaume
You can ask me, could I have played in the NHL way back then? Doing a training camp is one thing. Doing a full year, facing those shots, I was bruised all over after a week. Physically, I didn’t have the same strength as a man possessed.
But I cannot say that a woman could never play there, because you never know. You could have a woman that’s super strong, super fast, or a female goaltender that is big and very agile and can play at that level. Nobody thought I would be able to do it in camp, so that’s why I would never say no. – Manon Rheaume