Canada’s Hayley Wickenheiser honoured in pre-game ceremony
EDMONTON — It was a fitting tribute to one of the best players ever to wear a Canada hockey sweater.
Hayley Wickenheiser, who led Canada to four Winter Olympic gold medals and a silver during her distinguished career, was honoured during a special pre-game ceremony prior to puck drop between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at Roger Place on Saturday.
The 38-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., who announced her retirement from hockey on Friday, has lived in Calgary since she was 12 but has been a life-long Oilers fan, making the game between the two Alberta-based rivals the ideal place for a tribute in her eyes.
“I want to thank the Oilers organization for allowing me this moment to say goodbye to Canadians as a hockey player,” she said. “I grew up idolizing the Oilers and it seems fitting that I would say goodbye here — at an Edmonton versus Calgary game — representing the two cities that have given so much to my career.”