Geraldine Heaney
Encyclopedia
Geraldine Heaney is an Irish-Canadian ice hockey
head coach
and retired defenceman
. She is head coach for the University of Waterloo
women's hockey team. She is generally regarded as among the best female ice hockey players, being compared to Bobby Orr
.
She played for the Canadian national women's hockey team
winning seven (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001) gold medal
s at the IIHF World Women's Championships, the only woman to have won gold in all seven events. She was named All-Star of the 1992 and 1999 teams. At the 1992 and 1994 Championships, she earned the Directorate Award for Best Defenceman.
She won a silver medal
at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and gold again at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Heaney won a bronze medal
with Team Ontario and was named Top Defenceman at the 2001 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship. She won a gold medal with Ontario at the 2000 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship and was named Most Valuable Defenseman at 1999 Esso Nationals. She participated in every Women's National Championship from 1987 to 2001—the only player to do so—and was named OWHA Senior AA Most Valuable Defenceman in 1987–1988, 1991–1992, and 1992–1993.
She played for the World Roller Hockey Championship winning a gold medal in 1992 and a silver medal in 1994.
In 2008, she was part of the first group of female hockey players to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation
Hall of Fame. The other inductees were Cammi Granato
and Angela James
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
and retired defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
. She is head coach for the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
women's hockey team. She is generally regarded as among the best female ice hockey players, being compared to Bobby Orr
Bobby Orr
Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr, OC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Orr played in the National Hockey League for his entire career, the first ten seasons with the Boston Bruins, joining the Chicago Black Hawks for two more. Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest...
.
- JerseyHockey jerseyA hockey jersey, traditionally called a sweater , is a piece of clothing worn by hockey players to cover the upper part of their bodies. "Sweater" is the correct reference in Canada, despite the material...
number: 91 - ShootsShot (ice hockey)A shot in ice hockey is an attempt by a player to score a goal by striking the puck with their stick in the direction of the net.-Shovel:The shovel shot is the simplest most basic shot in a shooter's arsenal. Its execution is simply a shoveling motion to push the puck in the desired direction...
: Right - HeightHeightHeight is the measurement of vertical distance, but has two meanings in common use. It can either indicate how "tall" something is, or how "high up" it is. For example "The height of the building is 50 m" or "The height of the airplane is 10,000 m"...
: 173 cm (5'8") - WeightWeightIn science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity. Its magnitude , often denoted by an italic letter W, is the product of the mass m of the object and the magnitude of the local gravitational acceleration g; thus:...
: 63 kg (140 lb)
Career
Heaney began playing for the Toronto Aeros at the age of 13, winning six provincial championships. She would play 18 years with the Aeros.She played for the Canadian national women's hockey team
Canadian national women's hockey team
The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is controlled by Hockey Canada. Canada has been by far one of the two most dominant teams in international competition. They have won the majority of major ice hockey tournaments, while their losses have only been against the United States and Sweden...
winning seven (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001) gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s at the IIHF World Women's Championships, the only woman to have won gold in all seven events. She was named All-Star of the 1992 and 1999 teams. At the 1992 and 1994 Championships, she earned the Directorate Award for Best Defenceman.
She won a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and gold again at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Heaney won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
with Team Ontario and was named Top Defenceman at the 2001 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship. She won a gold medal with Ontario at the 2000 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship and was named Most Valuable Defenseman at 1999 Esso Nationals. She participated in every Women's National Championship from 1987 to 2001—the only player to do so—and was named OWHA Senior AA Most Valuable Defenceman in 1987–1988, 1991–1992, and 1992–1993.
She played for the World Roller Hockey Championship winning a gold medal in 1992 and a silver medal in 1994.
In 2008, she was part of the first group of female hockey players to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
Hall of Fame. The other inductees were Cammi Granato
Cammi Granato
Catherine Michelle "Cammi" Granato is a retired American female ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010....
and Angela James
Angela James
Angela James is a Canadian former ice hockey forward, who played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League , and represented Team Canada internationally...
.
Personal
Heaney is the daughter of Mike and Kathleen. She has two brothers, Damien and Mike, and two sisters, Catherine and Colleen. She was raised in Weston, Ontario.Awards and honors
- Most Valuable Player at the 1992 Women's Canadian National Hockey Championships
- Best Defender, 1993 Canadian women’s national championship
- Best Defender, 1997 Canadian women’s national championship
- Best Defender, 2001 Canadian women’s national championship