Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Geraldine Heaney

In honour of the Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame 2014 Induction Celebrations presented by Canadian Tire on October 22, 2015 OLM will be featuring inductees—recent and historic—in a weekly Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile piece.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and achievements of Honoured Members to inspire Canadians in all aspects of life.

Geraldine Heaney: Athlete, Hockey

Some people are born with star power. They have it in their veins. Geraldine Heaney is one of these people.

In 1980, at the young age of 13, Heaney was already playing hockey with the Toronto Aeros. This began a long and successful career playing in Canada’s favourite sport. At the time it was rare to see young girls playing, much less dominating on the ice.

However, Heaney persevered and ultimately helped in developing women’s hockey into the forefront of Canadian sport culture. Her gold medal-winning goal at the 1990 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship thrust her into the public eye as she was quickly positioned as a leader in the world of Women’s Ice Hockey.

Heaney played for Canada's National Women's Hockey Team from 1990 through to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games—competing in 125 games for Canada! Geraldine won seven gold medals at the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships, won a silver medal at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and a gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Her obvious dedication and superior skill set made her a stand out player!

As the highest scoring defenceman in the history of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team, Heaney takes her status as a role model very seriously. She was a champion for female hockey before the sport garnered much public attention. She continues to advance the women’s game and be a team player.