Trailblazing Canadian goaltender Manon Rhéaume named general manager of PWHL Detroit

Manon Rheaume attends NHL All-Star media day at T-Mobile Arena in 2022. Getty Images

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More than 30 years ago, Manon Rhéaume made a name for herself as the first woman to sign a professional hockey contract and cemented herself in history as one of the most prominent trailblazers in women’s sport.

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Now, at 54 years old, Rhéaume will assume the leading role in building a professional women’s hockey team, becoming part of a league that didn’t exist when she was once looking to play hockey at the highest level.

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Rhéaume will become the general manager of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s expansion team in Detroit, the league announced Friday. The announcement comes a little over a week after Detroit was officially introduced into the PWHL.

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“Manon is a pioneer whose impact on the game extends far beyond the ice,” Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice-president of hockey operations, said in a statement. “She brings an unmatched hockey resume, a championship mindset, and a lifelong commitment to growing the women’s game.”

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FILE – Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Manon Rheaume listens to the national anthem prior to her professional debut against the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 23, 1992 at the Tampa Fairgrounds in Tampa, Fla. Photo by Chris O'meara /AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

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The trailblazing goaltender also represented the Canadian national team at the first Olympics to ever feature women’s hockey in Japan in 1998, coming home with a silver medal. She also won two world championship gold medals.

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Rhéaume joins PWHL Detroit after four seasons in hockey operations with the Los Angeles Kings. She also spent 11 years as the girls’ division director with the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club in the Detroit area.

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“I’m incredibly honored and excited to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit,” Rhéaume said in a statement. “This city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special.

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Things will have to happen quickly for Rhéaume and her new expansion franchise, as she now looks to construct the team’s hockey operations department and start the process of building an expansion roster.

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FILE – Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Manon Rheaume, in goal, watches as the puck goes into the corner during her professional debut against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1992, at the Tampa Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Peter Cosgrove /AP

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The expansion process is set to begin as soon as the playoffs come to an end. The 2026 PWHL draft will then take place in a little over a month from now, on June 17 in Detroit.

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Expansion teams have also been announced in Las Vegas and Hamilton, bringing the league’s current total to 11 teams. General managers have not yet been named for the other two new teams.

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