Three hockey greats look back fondly on their Canadian careers
Posted Sep 11, 2015 3:35 pm.
Last Updated Sep 11, 2015 3:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With nine Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championship titles between them, Canadians Jayna Hefford, Gillian Apps and Catherine Ward are retiring.
Hefford debuted with Canada’s National Women’s Team at the 1997 IIHF World Women’s Championship and finishes her career ranked second all-time in Team Canada history in games played, goals and points. The 38-year-old is a four-time Olympic gold medallist in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, and a silver medal in 1998.
She has advice for the younger generation of players coming through the pipelines.
“Work hard, set goals, find ways to become better every day,” the forward offered during a call with the media this week. “Avoiding complacency in that field and finding ways to be a better teammate, athlete and person.”
For Gillian Apps, it’s been an honour wearing the Maple Leaf.
“I feel very grateful for the career that I’ve had, the people that I’ve met and the chance to wear the Team Canada jersey and to represent Canada is an extreme honour, ” the 31-year-old said.
The forward leaves the game with Olympic gold medals in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Catherine Ward, who debuted in 2006, said her experience in the national program has set her up well for the future.
“There’s the discipline it takes to really achieve your goal,” the blueliner explained. “It’s not always going to be easy. It’ll take hard work, but it’s going to help me in my career, for sure.”
Ward is an assistant product manager with Reebok-CCM hockey for the past year and will continue to manage the development of hockey sticks with the company. She finishes her career as a two-time Olympic gold winner (2010 and 2014).
