Four veteran players retire from Canadian national women’s hockey team
The Canadian women’s hockey team that won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver has just lost four of its veteran players.
Becky Kellar, Carla MacLeod, Colleen Sostorics, and Gina Kingsbury all officially announced their retirements today after serving their country with pride in several international tournaments.
Kellar, a defenceman, has suited up for team Canada in every Olympic tournament since 1998, when women’s hockey became part of the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The 35-year-old native of Hagersville, Ontario has three gold medals and one silver medal to her name.
Fellow defenceman Sostorics, 31, is a three-time gold medallist who participated in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, while MacLeod and Kingsbury, both 28, were on the 2006 and 2010 teams.
Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson released a statement thanking the four women for their longtime dedication to the sport.
“On behalf of Hockey Canada and Canadian hockey fans everywhere, I want to thank Becky, Gina, Carla and Colleen for their dedication to the national team program,” Nicholson said.
“While the success that they have all achieved on the ice will stand the test of time, we must also recognize the role that they have played and will continue to play in growing women’s hockey in Canada and around the world, as great role models and ambassadors of the female game.”
There will be some big shoes to fill on the Canadian roster for the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. However, women’s hockey thrives in Canada, and is blessed with a very deep pool of talented players.
During the 2010 Olympics, the women’s team dominated, going undefeated as they faced the other teams in Group A. One of the highlights of the tournament was Canada’s 18-0 rout of Slovakia during round robin play. Their only legitimate threat during the tournament was the United States team, whom they faced in the gold medal game.
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