September 23rd marks the day of one of the most unusual, yet proudest days in NHL history.
In a preseason game again the St. Louis Blues, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a trailblazing goalie in for one period. Her name was Manon Rheaume, all 5'7" and 130 lbs of her, a 20-year-old who had already broken through multiple barriers in hockey. To this day, Rheaume, native of Beauport, Quebec, is the only female player to compete in a major North American men's sports league.
Rheaume achieved her share of success in the women's game as well, winning gold with Canada in 1992 and 1994 World Championships, and a silver at the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998. After that, she took a break from the game, married minor league hockey player Gerry St. Cyr and had two children. They divorced later and Rheaume came back for one final run, helping the WWHL Minnesota WhiteCaps reach the Clarkson Cup finals in 2009.
Rheaume had been playing in boys' leagues from a very early time. Her 1991-92 season was spent with the Trois-Rivières Draveurs of QMJHL. She is the first female player to play in a men's major junior league. Rheaume also appeared in 24 regular season games in men's professional leagues (ECHL and the now defunct IHL). Her record stands at 7-6-1.
Rheaume also wrote an autobiography entitled Manon: Alone in Front of the Net, and a movie called Between the Pipes was in the works at one point. She continues contributing to the game by coaching young girls' teams in Michigan. She also dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff at the first ever National Women's Hockey League game in 2015.
Oh, and her younger brother, Pascale Rheaume played in the NHL as well.
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