On September 23rd 1992, Manon Rheaume made history by becoming the first female to play in an NHL game. Rheaume played goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning in an exhibition game vs the St. Louis Blues. The 20-year-old French rookie played the entire first period for Tampa, turning aside seven of the nine shots she faced.
Lightning struck twice for Rheaume, who played in a total of two exhibition games during her time with Tampa Bay. More than 30 years have passed since the NHL’s glass ceiling was shattered by Rheaume’s goalie stick. As of this writing, no other female hockey players have managed to get ice time at that elite level.
Rheaume also proudly represented Canada in international women’s hockey. The Beauport, Quebec native was a two-time gold medalist at the World Hockey Championships in 1992 and 1994. The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan were the first Olympic games to include women’s hockey in the festivities. Rheaume helped to lead Team Canada to a silver medal in this inaugural ice-breaking Olympic event.
“Representing my country at the Olympic games was very special.,” Rheaume told OSDB Sports. “Trying out for the Tampa Bay Lightning was also an extremely memorable experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy many beautiful moments during my hockey journey, and it started when I was young. I remember playing in front of 15,000 people when I was 11 years old, at a Quebec Pee-Wee tournament. It was an amazing feeling.”
Rheaume always seems to be breaking down barriers. The NHL’s First Lady is also a published author, a keynote speaker, and does a weekly hockey TV segment with Réseau des sports (RDS). On July 7, Rheaume became the new Hockey Operations/ Prospect Advisor for the L.A. Kings. Rheaume is a role model for women looking to excel in male-dominated industries, and has experience overcoming obstacles.
“My advice is to never give up,” Rheaume offered. “If you are passionate about something and work hard, you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to. It’s not going to be easy, but it will all be worth it. Being a good person and working hard will take you far, both in sports and in life.”
Rheaume’s role as a prospect advisor is seemingly a perfect fit, as she currently has two young sons who are actively playing hockey. Dylan St. Cyr is a 23-year-old goaltending prospect, and Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen is a 15-year-old defenseman. Rheaume has the unique perspective of being a former player, a coach, and the mom of two young aspiring hockey players.
“I understand what the young prospects are going through,” Rheaume told OSDB. “I experienced it personally as a player and as the mother of two hockey players. I also coached for a long time so I’m able to see things from a coach’s perspective, which could be different from the perspective of a player or parent. It’s important to listen to these young players and understand how they feel about certain situations. Every player is unique and will handle things differently. I just look at my two sons. They are handling their situations in different ways, so my approach with them has to reflect that.”
Both of Rheaume’s boys were selected for the National Team Development Program, and are making Mom proud. Dylan won the gold medal at the U18 World Championships, and now that Dakoda is starting with NTDP, he aspires to do the same.
“With any young prospect it’s essential to get to know them, both on and off the ice,” Rheaume revealed. “I travel to meet prospects in person and watch them play. Watching their games is of course extremely important, but so is seeing what makes them who they are when they aren’t playing. Learning how they handle adversity and supporting them through it. On the hockey operations side, my job is about growing the game in L.A., being a part of hockey camps for young players, and working on any kind of initiative that the Kings have to help grow the game.”
Rheaume has built a solid professional relationship over the years with L.A. Kings President, Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. The two former hockey players have been on the ice together at various events, and they share a passion for charity work.
“I was fortunate to meet Luc several times over the years,” Rheaume said. “Sometimes we’d play in the same hockey events, including his own charity functions for Echoes of Hope. Luc and his wife, Stacia, are such wonderful people and what they are doing for this charity is amazing. Witnessing the impact they have on young people and having the opportunity to be involved in the charity games was always rewarding.”
Rheaume was back between the pipes for the NHL Breakaway Challenge in February, and it was both challenging and exhilarating for the 50-year-old former goalie.
“I discovered ‘new’ muscles that I forgot I had,” Rheaume quipped. “It’s not exactly like riding a bike, but it was a lot of fun. When I got the call, I only had a couple weeks to find new gear and skate a couple of times before going to Vegas. Being on the ice with all the great NHL players was very special. Hopefully young girls were watching and found inspiration to start playing hockey.”
