Goalie Kim St-Pierre had practiced figure skating since the age of five, but by eleven decided that her future was that of an ice hockey goaltender. She played on boys teams for many years until she was invited to join McGill University’s squad in 1998 and, after having failed to make the cut five times, the Canadian women’s national team in 1999. By the end of 2001 she possessed World Championship gold medals from the 2000 and 2001 editions of the tournament and was fired up to play in at the 2002 Winter Olympics, where she minded the net for four matches and took home another gold medal. In 2003 she became the first woman to have a victory credited as a member of a Canadian men’s collegiate ice hockey team and the following year added another gold medal to her World Championship collection. After graduating with a degree in kinesiology in 2004 and earning a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships, her next stop was the 2006 Winter Olympics, where she minded the net for two matches and celebrated another Canadian victory. In preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics (where she won a third gold medal) she skated at the 2007, 2008, and 2009 World Championships, winning gold in the former competition and silver in the latter two. As of 2010 she is the captain of the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and was voted the league’s best goaltender in 2008. On October 23rd of that year she became only the second woman to skate alongside National Hockey League players, after Manon Rhéaume, when she minded the net for the Montreal Canadiens during a practice session.
Canada