Manon Rheaume

Manon Rhéaume (born February 24, 1972 in Lac-Beauport, Quebec) is a Canadian goaltender and Olympic silver medalist who was the first and only woman to play in an NHL exhibition game.

Playing career
Rheaume played for the Sherbrooke Jofa-Titan squad in the League Régionale du Hockey au Féminin in the province of Québec. She was signed as a free agent to Tampa Bay Lightning and played games against the St. Louis Blues in the 1992 preseason and the Boston Bruins in the 1993 preseason. She was pulled from both games early despite doing nothing to warrant a change in goaltenders (although goaltenders are regularly replaced mid-game during the NHL preseason).

She played a total of 24 games for various minor league teams between 1992 and 1997. She played on the Canadian silver-medal winning Olympic women's hockey team in 1998, and won Gold Medals as Team Canada's goaltender at the 1992 and 1994 World Hockey Championships. While in Atlanta, Manon wrote her autobiography - Manon: Alone In Front Of The Net. For the 1999-2000 season, she was the goaltending coach of the Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey program.

In October 2008, the IHL's Port Huron Icehawks announced that they're going to have Manon Rheaume take part in their training camp activities and will play for at least a period of the team's exhibition season opener. On April 3, 2009, Rhéaume suited up for one game with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League.. She has been with the practice team since January, filling in for their regular goalie. Rhéaume is the 3rd woman to play for the Generals.

She played for the Minnesota Whitecaps in 2009, and helped lead them to the Clarkson Cup finals. On March 19, the Whitecaps, with Rheaume in net, beat the Montreal Stars in a playoff game by a score of 4-3 in overtime, with Kim St. Pierre in net for the Stars. During the 2008-09 WWHL season, Rheaume’s Whitecaps took two of three games from the Calgary Oval X-Treme. Those losses snapped a string that saw the X-Treme go two years without tasting defeat in the regular season.

Media and popular culture
She guest-starred as herself in the made-for-TV movie A Beachcombers Christmas with Tiger Williams and Jyrki Lumme. At the height of her popularity, she was approached by both Playboy Magazine and Penthouse Magazine to do shoots, which she refused.

Personal
Manon Rhéaume was married to Gerry St. Cyr, a roller hockey player and minor league hockey player in June 1998, whom she later divorced. Gerry and Manon have one son. In 1999, she was hired by Mission Hockey as head of global marketing for women's hockey. One of her project was helping develop hockey skates for women. Rheaume formed the Manon Rheaume Foundation in 2008 as a way to give back to the community and to the game of ice hockey. The goal of the foundation is to inspire young girls to reach for their dreams while overcoming obstacles. The Foundation provides scholarships for young women to assist them as they seek to fulfill their aspirations.

Playing career

 * 1991-1992 Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
 * 1992 Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), played one exhibition game.
 * 1992–93 Atlanta Knights (IHL)
 * 1993 Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), played one exhibition game.
 * 1993-1994 Knoxville Cherokees (ECHL), played four games.
 * 1993–1994 Nashville Knights (ECHL), played four games.
 * 1994 Las Vegas Thunder (IHL), played two games.
 * 1994 Las Vegas Aces
 * Played one game with Feldkirch.
 * 1994 Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (ECHL)
 * 1995 New Jersey Rockin Rollers (Roller Hockey International)
 * 1996 Ottawa Loggers (RHI)
 * 1996 Sacramento River Rats (RHI)
 * 1996–1997 Reno Renegades (WCHL)
 * 1998 Canada women's Olympic hockey team
 * 2007–2008 Little Caesars Senior Women's A Hockey Team (Playing as a Forward instead of Goaltender)
 * 2009 Port Huron Icehawks (International Hockey League (2007-)| IHL
 * 2009 Flint Generals (IHL)
 * 2009 Minnesota Whitecaps (WWHL)

Notable firsts

 * First girl to play at the International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament.
 * First woman to play in a major junior game.
 * First woman to play in an NHL exhibition game (September 23, 1992).
 * First woman to win a game in professional roller hockey.
 * First game with Little Caesars Senior Women's A - scored a goal and assist. Plus 2