Manon Rhéaume
Encyclopedia
Manon Rhéaume is a Canadian ice hockey
goaltender
. An Olympic
silver medal
ist, she achieved a number of historic firsts during her career, including becoming the first and only woman ever to play in a National Hockey League
exhibition game
.
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
.
to Nicole and "Lucky" Pierre Rhéaume. She has one older brother, Martin, and one younger, Pascal
, who was a center for NHL's New Jersey Devils
.
in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
, one of Canada's top junior ice hockey
leagues, for the 1991-1992 season, becoming the first woman ever to play in a men's Junior A hockey game.
In 1992 she tried out for the Tampa Bay Lightning
, and was signed as a free agent
. This was the first time a woman tried out for an NHL team or signed a professional hockey contract. She played one period in an exhibition game
against the St. Louis Blues, allowing two goals, and played in another exhibition game against the Boston Bruins
in 1993.
Also in 1992 she 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.
In 1992 she 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. While in Atlanta, Manon wrote her autobiography - Manon: Alone In Front Of The Net. Rhéaume initially retired from professional hockey in 1997.
, for three years, developing and promoting girls' hockey equipment. She later worked in marketing at the Powerade Iceport in Milwaukee and with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
.
In October 2008, the IHL's Port Huron Icehawks
announced that they going to have Manon Rhéaume take part in their training camp activities and will play for at least a period of the team's exhibition season opener. On April 3, 2009, Rhéaume suited up for one game with the Flint Generals
IHL team. She has been with the practice team since January, filling in for their regular goalie. Rhéaume is the third woman to play for the Generals.
She played for the Minnesota Whitecaps
in 2009, and helped lead them to the Clarkson Cup
finals. On March 19, 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. During the 2008-09 WWHL season, Rhéaume's Whitecaps took two of three games from the Calgary Oval X-Treme. Those losses snapped a string that saw the X-Treme go two years without tasting defeat in the regular season.
Christmas with Tiger Williams
and Jyrki Lumme
. At the height of her popularity, she was approached to pose for Playboy Magazine, which she refused.
In 2011, she took part of 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. Manon performed very well in each of her discipline.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
. An Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
ist, she achieved a number of historic firsts during her career, including becoming the first and only woman ever to play in a National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
.
In 1992 Rhéaume signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
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
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
.
Early life
Rhéaume was born in Lac-Beauport, QuebecLac-Beauport, Quebec
Lac-Beauport is a little town in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada, located on the eponymous Lake Beauport. It has a population of about 6010 people, and lies about 25 kilometers north from downtown Quebec City....
to Nicole and "Lucky" Pierre Rhéaume. She has one older brother, Martin, and one younger, Pascal
Pascal Rhéaume
Pascal Rhéaume is an ice hockey player. He is the younger brother of Manon Rhéaume, the first woman to appear in an NHL preseason game. He has previously played for the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks and Phoenix Coyotes. He won a Stanley...
, who was a center for NHL's New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Playing career
Rhéaume was signed to the Trois-Rivières DraveursTrois-Rivières Draveurs
The Trois-Rivières Draveurs were a junior ice hockey team playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They played at the Colisée de Trois-Rivières, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The team was originally known as the Trois-Rivières Ducs and were a founding member of the QMJHL in 1969...
in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
, one of Canada's top junior ice hockey
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
leagues, for the 1991-1992 season, becoming the first woman ever to play in a men's Junior A hockey game.
In 1992 she tried out for the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
, and was signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. This was the first time a woman tried out for an NHL team or signed a professional hockey contract. She played one period in an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against the St. Louis Blues, allowing two goals, and played in another exhibition game against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in 1993.
Also in 1992 she 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
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team both years. She won the Silver Medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano.
In 1992 she was signed by the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League
International Hockey League
The International Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1945 to 2001. The IHL served as the National Hockey League's alternate farm system to the American Hockey League . After 56 years of operation, financial instability led to...
(IHL). Her first appearance against the Salt Lake Golden Eagles
Salt Lake Golden Eagles
The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City, Utah from 1969 to 1994.They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International Hockey League from 1984 to 1994...
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
Knoxville Cherokees
The Knoxville Cherokees were an East Coast Hockey League team based in Knoxville, Tennessee.-History:The franchise was formed in 1988 along with the ECHL...
, Nashville Knights, the Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas Aces
The Las Vegas Aces is a team in the modern American Basketball Association in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were originally based in Orlando, Florida and began play as the Orlando Aces in the Florida Division of the Blue Conference in the 2006-2007 season...
, the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor professional ice hockey team that played in the ECHL from 1994–2001. Under this period they served as a minor league affiliate to New York Islanders , Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens....
, Las Vegas Thunder
Las Vegas Thunder
The Las Vegas Thunder were an independent professional ice hockey team competing in the International Hockey League. The team's home rink was at the Thomas & Mack Center. They began play in the 1993–1994 season, folding on April 18, 1999...
, and the Reno Renegades
Reno Renegades
The Reno Renegades were a short-lived American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Reno, Nevada. The team was a founding member of the West Coast Hockey League ....
, appearing in a total of 24 games. While in Atlanta, Manon wrote her autobiography - Manon: Alone In Front Of The Net. Rhéaume initially retired from professional hockey in 1997.
Later life
For the 1999-2000 season, she was the goaltending coach of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey program. In 2000 she entered into the business world, serving as marketing director for Mission Hockey in Irvine, CaliforniaIrvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, for three years, developing and promoting girls' hockey equipment. She later worked in marketing at the Powerade Iceport in Milwaukee and with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Central Collegiate Hockey Association
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship...
.
In October 2008, the IHL's Port Huron Icehawks
Port Huron Icehawks
The Port Huron Icehawks were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Port Huron, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at McMorran Arena. The franchise was announced on June 20, 2007 as part of the new IHL. The Icehawks are owned by...
announced that they going to have Manon Rhéaume take part in their training camp activities and will play for at least a period of the team's exhibition season opener. On April 3, 2009, Rhéaume suited up for one game with the Flint Generals
Flint Generals
The Flint Generals were a professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan.They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan....
IHL team. She has been with the practice team since January, filling in for their regular goalie. Rhéaume is the third woman to play for the Generals.
She played for the Minnesota Whitecaps
Minnesota Whitecaps
The Minnesota Whitecaps are a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League . The team play its home games in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area...
in 2009, and helped lead them to the Clarkson Cup
Clarkson Cup
The Clarkson Cup is an ice hockey trophy, which since 2009 has been awarded to the winner of the Canadian Women's Hockey Championship. Like the Stanley Cup, it was created by and named after a former Governor General of Canada: Adrienne Clarkson....
finals. On March 19, 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. During the 2008-09 WWHL season, Rhéaume's Whitecaps took two of three games from the Calgary Oval X-Treme. Those losses snapped a string that saw the X-Treme go two years without tasting defeat in the regular season.
Media and popular culture
She guest-starred as herself in the made-for-TV movie A BeachcombersThe Beachcombers
The Beachcombers is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that ran from October 1, 1972 to December 12, 1990 and is the longest-running dramatic series ever made for English-language Canadian television...
Christmas with Tiger Williams
Tiger Williams
David James "Tiger" Williams is a former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1974–75 to 1987–88. He is the NHL's career leader in penalty minutes.-NHL career:...
and Jyrki Lumme
Jyrki Lumme
Jyrki Olavi Lumme is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League and SM-liiga. After beginning his career in Finland, playing with Ilves Tampere for three seasons, he moved to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens in 1988...
. At the height of her popularity, she was approached to pose for Playboy Magazine, which she refused.
In 2011, she took part of 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. Manon performed very well in each of her discipline.
Personal life
Manon Rhéaume was married to Gerry St. Cyr, a roller hockey player and minor league hockey player in June 1998, whom she later divorced. Gerry and Manon have one son. In 1999, she was hired by Mission Hockey as head of global marketing for women's hockey. One of her projects was helping develop hockey skates for women. Rhéaume formed the Manon Rhéaume Foundation in 2008 as a way to give back to the community and to the game of ice hockey. The goal of the foundation is to inspire young girls to reach for their dreams while overcoming obstacles. The Foundation provides scholarships for young women to assist them as they seek to fulfill their aspirations.Playing career
- 1991-1992 Trois-Rivières DraveursTrois-Rivières DraveursThe Trois-Rivières Draveurs were a junior ice hockey team playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They played at the Colisée de Trois-Rivières, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The team was originally known as the Trois-Rivières Ducs and were a founding member of the QMJHL in 1969...
(QMJHLQuebec Major Junior Hockey LeagueThe Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League...
) - 1992 Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay LightningThe Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
(NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
), played one exhibition gameExhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
. - 1992–93 Atlanta Knights (IHL)
- 1993 Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay LightningThe Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
(NHL), played one exhibition gameExhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
. - 1993-1994 Knoxville CherokeesKnoxville CherokeesThe Knoxville Cherokees were an East Coast Hockey League team based in Knoxville, Tennessee.-History:The franchise was formed in 1988 along with the ECHL...
(ECHLECHLThe ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
), played four games. - 1993–1994 Nashville Knights (ECHL), played four games.
- 1994 Las Vegas ThunderLas Vegas ThunderThe Las Vegas Thunder were an independent professional ice hockey team competing in the International Hockey League. The team's home rink was at the Thomas & Mack Center. They began play in the 1993–1994 season, folding on April 18, 1999...
(IHL), played two games. - 1994 Las Vegas AcesLas Vegas Aces (inline hockey)The Las Vegas Aces are a professional inline hockey team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were a member of the inaugural season of the American Inline Hockey League in 2009. The Aces colors are red, blue and white and play their games at the Las Vegas Roller Hockey Center on 953 E. Sahara Ave....
- Played one game with FeldkirchVEU FeldkirchVEU Feldkirch is a professional ice hockey team from Feldkirch, Austria at Vorarlberghalle. The team currently plays in the Austrian National League . VEU Feldkirch were nine-time Austrian ice hockey champions when they played in the higher level Austrian Hockey League, before being relegated....
. - 1994 Tallahassee Tiger SharksTallahassee Tiger SharksThe Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor professional ice hockey team that played in the ECHL from 1994–2001. Under this period they served as a minor league affiliate to New York Islanders , Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens....
(ECHL) - 1995 New Jersey Rockin RollersNew Jersey Rockin RollersThe New Jersey Rockin Rollers were a professional roller hockey team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States that played in Roller Hockey International. In 1997 they were coached by legendary roller hockey guru Bob Antolos....
(RHIRoller Hockey InternationalRoller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....
) - 1996 Ottawa Loggers (RHI)
- 1996 Sacramento River Rats (RHI)
- 1996–1997 Reno RenegadesReno RenegadesThe Reno Renegades were a short-lived American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Reno, Nevada. The team was a founding member of the West Coast Hockey League ....
(WCHLWest Coast Hockey LeagueThe West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington...
) - 1998 Canada women's Olympic hockey team
- 2007–2008 Little Caesars Senior Women's A Hockey Team (Playing as a Forward instead of Goaltender)
- 2009 Port Huron IcehawksPort Huron IcehawksThe Port Huron Icehawks were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Port Huron, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at McMorran Arena. The franchise was announced on June 20, 2007 as part of the new IHL. The Icehawks are owned by...
( IHL - 2009 Flint GeneralsFlint GeneralsThe Flint Generals were a professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan.They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan....
(IHL) - 2009 Minnesota WhitecapsMinnesota WhitecapsThe Minnesota Whitecaps are a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League . The team play its home games in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area...
(WWHLWestern Women's Hockey LeagueThe Western Women's Hockey League is one of two major women's hockey leagues in Canada. The league was established in 2004, and consisted of teams in Canada and one from the United States...
)
Notable firsts
- First girl to play at the International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament.
- First woman to play in a major junior game.
- First woman to play in an NHL exhibition game (September 23, 1992).
- First woman to win a game in professional roller hockey.
- First game with Little Caesars Senior Women's A - scored a goal and assist. Plus 2