EDMONTON 鈥� It was a fitting tribute to one of the best players ever to wear a Canada hockey sweater.
Hayley Wickenheiser, who led Canada to four Winter Olympic gold medals and a silver during her distinguished career, was honoured during a special pre-game ceremony prior to puck drop between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at Roger Place on Saturday.
The 38-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., who announced her retirement from hockey on Friday, has lived in Calgary since she was 12 but has been a life-long Oilers fan, making the game between the two Alberta-based rivals the ideal place for a tribute in her eyes.
鈥淚 want to thank the Oilers organization for allowing me this moment to say goodbye to Canadians as a hockey player,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 grew up idolizing the Oilers and it seems fitting that I would say goodbye here 鈥� at an Edmonton versus Calgary game 芒鈧�� representing the two cities that have given so much to my career.鈥�
Among those joining Wickenheiser on the ice during the ceremony were Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky, former Team Canada coach Danielle Goyette, Wickenheiser鈥檚 first hockey coach Wally Kozak, parents Tom and Marilyn, and son, Noah.
鈥淭his is so special,鈥� Gretzky said. 鈥淵ou have touched so many lives, including so many young girls who may one day go on to win gold medals of their own.
鈥淵ou played with heart, desire, finesse, speed, skill, and the greatest player who ever lived, I think he would be happy if I called you the female Gordie Howe.鈥�
A video tribute included messages from Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, Wickenheiser鈥檚 childhood hero Mark Messier and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who referred to her as a 鈥渓eader, champion and a trailblazer.鈥�
Oiler captain Connor McDavid and Flames captain Mark Giordano each presented Wickenheiser with framed jerseys from their respective teams with her name stitched on the back.
Wickenheiser, who also played men鈥檚 hockey in Europe during her 23-year career, was also joined on the ice by several young female hockey players, who she said she was glad to pass the torch to.
鈥淭o all the girls behind me, this is the beginning of your story,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he only thing I can ask is that you leave the game in a better place than where you found it.
鈥淭o the fans, thank you for the support of the women鈥檚 national team and the women鈥檚 game. To everybody across Canada, thanks for cheering for us. It was the greatest honour of my life to play for Canada. I鈥檒l never forget it.鈥�
Named MVP of the 2002 and 2006 Olympic women鈥檚 hockey tournaments, Wickenheiser recorded 379 career points for Canada 芒鈧�� 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games.
In addition to winning five medals for Canada in hockey, Wickenheiser also played for the Canadian softball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Wickenheiser blazed the trail
When Hayley Wickenheiser sees girls dragging hockey bags into arenas, she feels a sense of accomplishment.
The normalcy of girls playing hockey is what she sweated for, fought for, and shed tears for.
When Wickenheiser started playing 33 years ago, there were no girls鈥� teams. She played with boys and wasn鈥檛 always welcomed by players or their parents.
鈥淭he greatest stride鈥檚 been made in the acceptance of girls playing the game,鈥� says Wickenheiser. 鈥淎ny little girl in this country can walk into a hockey rink and no one is going to think twice or look twice. There鈥檚 female hockey change rooms in a lot of rinks now.
鈥淚 remember when I was a kid, I hid in the bathroom and tucked my hair up so no one would know I was a girl. I just went through hell really, to play. Girls don鈥檛 have to go through hell anymore to play hockey.鈥�
The fact that female hockey has arrived at this stage puts some soothing balm on the difficult decision to end her playing career.
The country鈥檚 all-time leading scorer announced her retirement Friday after 23 years on the Canadian women鈥檚 team and almost a dozen Olympic and world championship gold medals.
鈥淒ear Canada. It has been the great honour of my life to play for you. Time to hang em up!! Thank you!鈥� Wickenheiser posted on her Twitter account.
Not only was Wickenheiser a star in women鈥檚 hockey when the game desperately needed one, she changed perceptions of what women are capable of in sport.
The 38-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., told The Canadian Press in a sometimes tearful interview she didn鈥檛 want to postpone her entrance into medical school any longer.
鈥淚t has been the greatest honour of my life to play for Canada,鈥� Wickenheiser said. 鈥淚鈥檒l miss it.鈥�
The number of registered female players in Canada went from 16,000 in her first year on the national team to almost 87,000 today.
Bob Nicholson, who was Hockey Canada鈥檚 president and chief executive officer during most of Wickenheiser鈥檚 career, said she played a big role in giving 鈥済irls the dreams that boys had.鈥�
鈥淗er record speaks for itself winning so many gold medals, but in years to come, the biggest memory will be how she inspired so many girls to play the game,鈥� said Nicholson, now CEO of Oilers Entertainment Group. 鈥淪he always was harder on herself than any of her teammates and pushed herself to excellence.鈥�
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent out a congratulatory tweet to Wickenheiser on Friday night.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e inspired a generation of hockey players to play hard and dream big. Congrats on an incredible career,鈥� the tweet read.
Wickenheiser鈥檚 forays into men鈥檚 professional hockey in Finland and Sweden set new standards on how much a woman can be pushed physically. She played a combined 65 men鈥檚 pro games in Europe.
Her decision to play with and against men wasn鈥檛 unanimously supported at home. Some female teammates believed she should stay in Canada and help grow women鈥檚 leagues here.
But Wickenheiser made choices she felt would make her a better player, which meant leaving her comfort zones.
She trained in her off-seasons with NHL players, making headlines skating in Philadelphia Flyers rookie camps when she was in her early 20s.
鈥淚鈥檓 comfortable being uncomfortable,鈥� Wickenheiser said.
Danielle Goyette said Wickenheiser was a driven woman when they were linemates on the national team and when Goyette coached her at the University of Calgary.
鈥淪he鈥檚 the kind of athlete that never took 鈥榥o鈥� for an answer,鈥� Goyette said. 鈥淲hat I mean by that is she wants to push the limits of women鈥檚 hockey.
鈥淪he didn鈥檛 have to (train) with guys, but she always tried to train with somebody stronger than her to make sure that she鈥檚 pushing herself to the max.
鈥淪he went to Europe and played hockey with the men, full-body contact. I don鈥檛 know a lot of girls who would put themselves through that.鈥�
Hockey isn鈥檛 done with Wickenheiser. There will be opportunities for her to work in the game. She said she鈥檚 had discussions with people in the NHL, but there are no concrete plans yet.
鈥淚 have to see how that all fits in with where I鈥檓 going in medicine and the rest of my life,鈥� Wickenheiser said.
She was an Oilers fan idolizing Mark Messier as a young girl. Wickenheiser, who has lived in Calgary since she was 12, will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony Saturday in Edmonton before the Oilers host the Calgary Flames.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a celebration and of course it鈥檚 really emotional,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sad in some ways because you鈥檙e leaving a part of your life behind, but it鈥檚 also exciting in other ways.
鈥淭here are other things I鈥檝e wanted to do for a long time. I have other opportunities within the game and in medicine to pursue. I just didn鈥檛 want to wait to do that.鈥�
But there have been sleepless nights coming to that conclusion.
Just six months ago, Wickenheiser said she wanted to wear the Maple Leaf at a sixth Winter Games in 2018 and pursue a fifth gold medal. It would have been Wickenheiser鈥檚 seventh Olympic Games as she also played softball for Canada in 2000.
鈥淚t would have been great to play in one more,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he more I thought about it, it would have been too long to wait.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough decision, but it鈥檚 going to be the right one.鈥�
The Canadian Olympic Committee recognized her accomplishments as a two-sport athlete in a statement on Saturday morning.
鈥淗ayley is one of the most accomplished and inspiring athletes in our country鈥檚 history competing in both the Winter Games in hockey and Summer Games in softball,鈥� said COC president Tricia Smith. 鈥淪he has competed for Canada with grit and passion to become our country鈥檚 all-time lead female scorer in hockey and a four-time Olympic Champion.
鈥淲hile she is mostly celebrated for her vast accomplishments on the ice, she is also recognized as a great role model and a true leader in sport.鈥�
Wickenheiser underwent surgery in 2015 to have a plate and eight screws inserted in her left foot.
Her playing minutes reduced in her 13th world championship last year in Kamloops, B.C., she still drew the loudest cheers during player introductions.
Her body of work in hockey is broad, deep and unique.
A five-foot-10, 171-pound forward with a heavy shot and creative hands, No. 22 was the dominant female player in the world in this century鈥檚 first decade.
Named MVP of the 2002 and 2006 Olympic women鈥檚 hockey tournaments, Wickenheiser鈥檚 379 career points for Canada 鈥� 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games 鈥� will be difficult to match.
The active player with most points is Meghan Agosta at 155 in 155 games.
Wickenheiser is one of just five athletes in the world 鈥� joined by retired teammates Jayna Hefford and Caroline Ouellette 鈥� to win gold at four consecutive Winter Games.
Wickenheiser intends to continue getting girls into hockey. She鈥檚 now committing through her annual international female hockey festival Wickfest to fund 22 girls who otherwise couldn鈥檛 afford to play.
Wickenheiser is confident there will be a women鈥檚 pro hockey league some day, with the NHL鈥檚 help.
She鈥檚 been a mom since 2001 when she adopted the infant son of her then-partner Tomas Pacina. Wickenheiser continued to co-parent Noah, now in high school, after the relationship ended.
Hockey is precious in Canada so Wickenheiser鈥檚 message to the next generation is to take care of it.
鈥淒on鈥檛 ask 鈥榃hat can I get out of the game?鈥� Ask 鈥榃hat can I give to the game?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭ake everything you can from the game and give everything you can back to it and it will reward you well.鈥�
鈥� Donna Spencer & Shane Jones , The Canadian Press
