Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion

Hayley Wickenheiser is a women’s hockey legend in Canada and is regarded as one of the best female players of all time. Wickenheiser has represented Canada at the Winter Olympics five times and once in the Summer Olympics on the Canadian women’s softball team. In February 2014, she was elected to the International Olympic Committee’s athlete commission.

Throughout her long professional career, Wickenheiser has made history several times. Most notably, in 2003, she was the first woman in hockey history to score a goal on a men’s professional team. In 2008, she was was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the “Toughest Athletes in the World,” recognizing her international stature and dedication to sport.

Because of her trailblazing on behalf of women’s hockey and her contributions to Canadian sport, Wickenheiser received the Order of Canada in 2011, the highest civilian honour a Canadian can receive.