Caroline Ouellette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caroline OuelletteOC |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ouellette with the Montreal Stars in 2011
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| Born | May 25, 1979 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | Montreal Wingstar Minnesota Whitecaps Les Canadiennes de Montréal |
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| National team |  Canada |
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| Playing career | 1999–2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Caroline Ouellette is a famous Canadian ice hockey player who retired in 2018. She was born on May 25, 1979, in Montreal, Quebec. Caroline was a key player for the Canadian national women's ice hockey team and the Canadiennes de Montreal in the Canadian Women's Hockey League.
She has won many amazing awards, including four Olympic gold medals! She also earned 12 medals at the IIHF Women's World Championship (six gold, six silver) and four Clarkson Cup championships. Caroline is one of only five athletes to win gold in four Olympic games in a row.
Her teammates call her "Caro." She started playing hockey when she was nine years old. Caroline also helps student-athletes with their college applications through athletichub.com. She is an ambassador for Right to Play, an organization that uses play to educate and empower children.
In 2023, Caroline Ouellette was honored by being added to both the IIHF Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Caroline's Amazing Playing Career
Caroline Ouellette showed her talent early on. She played for Team Quebec at the 1995 Canada Winter Games. In 1997, she won a gold medal with Canada's Under 18 team. When the Canadian Under 19 women's hockey team started in 1996, Caroline was one of the first players chosen.
She played in 3 Olympic Games, 9 World Championships, and 9 Four Nations Cups. In 157 international games for Team Canada, Caroline scored an impressive 169 points. At the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship, she scored the winning goal in overtime against the United States, helping Canada win the gold medal.
Playing in College (NCAA)
Caroline went to the University of Minnesota Duluth and played for their women's ice hockey team, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey program. She set an NCAA record by scoring two shorthanded goals in one game in 2003.
During the 2004–05 season, Caroline was involved in more than 60% of the goals scored by her team. She was known for playing cleanly, rarely getting penalties. She was also a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is given to the best female college ice hockey player.
Caroline is ranked third in all-time scoring for the Bulldogs. She was also named to the WCHA All-Decade team in 2009.
Playing in the CWHL
Caroline played for the Montreal Wingstar in the 2000–01 NWHL season, finishing third in league scoring. She also played for the Minnesota Whitecaps. In 2008–09, she joined the Montreal Stars. She was named the CWHL Most Valuable Player that year.
When she won the 2009 Clarkson Cup, Caroline became an unofficial member of the Triple Gold Club. This means she won the Clarkson Cup, an Olympic gold medal, and an IIHF Women's World Championship gold medal. At the time, she was one of only three women to achieve this!
In the 2010–11 season, Caroline won the Angela James Bowl as the CWHL's top scorer with 68 points. She also became the first player to win the league's Most Valuable Player award twice. On December 11, 2016, Caroline made history again by becoming the first player in CWHL history to reach 300 career points.
Caroline's Coaching Career
After her playing career, Caroline Ouellette became a coach. For the 2007–2008 season, she was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team. She also worked with Hockey Canada as an assistant coach for the Women's National Under-18 Team. Since 2012, she has been part of the coaching staff for the Concordia Stingers women's ice hockey program.
Caroline's Life Off the Ice
Caroline Ouellette is not just a hockey star. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2005 with a degree in criminology and women's studies. She also graduated from the National Police Academy in Quebec in 2000.
She played softball for Quebec at the 1997 Summer Canada Games. In 2010, one of the rinks at the Centre Etienne Desmarteau in Montreal was named in her honor. Caroline also helps raise money for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.
Caroline is married to American hockey player and Olympic silver-medalist Julie Chu. They have two daughters, Liv, born in 2017, and Tessa, born in 2021.
Career Statistics
Here are Caroline Ouellette's career statistics from her time playing ice hockey.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1998–99 | Bonaventure Wingstar | NWHL | 27 | 32 | 28 | 60 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Montreal Wingstar | NWHL | 25 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Concordia University | RSEQ | 7 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Montreal Wingstar | NWHL | 29 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 32 | 31 | 42 | 73 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 32 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 33 | 32 | 48 | 80 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Montreal Axion | NWHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Minnesota Whitecaps | WWHL | 9 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Montréal Stars | CWHL | 24 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Montréal Stars | CWHL | 29 | 22 | 46 | 68 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Montréal Stars | CWHL | 27 | 30 | 36 | 66 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Montréal Stars | CWHL | 23 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Montréal Stars | CWHL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Montréal Stars | CWHL | 22 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Les Canadiennes de Montréal | CWHL | 24 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Les Canadiennes de Montréal | CWHL | 22 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Les Canadiennes de Montréal | CWHL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| WWHL/NWHL totals | 90 | 86 | 98 | 184 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| CWHL totals | 179 | 131 | 183 | 314 | 94 | 23 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 14 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Canada | WC |  |
5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2000 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Canada | OG | |
5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Canada | WC |  |
5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | Canada | OG | |
5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2009 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Canada | OG | |
5 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2013 | Canada | WC | |
4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Canada | OG | |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Canada | WC | |
5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| WC Totals | 59 | 23 | 45 | 68 | 34 | ||||
| OG Totals | 20 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 14 | ||||
Awards and Honours
Caroline Ouellette has received many awards and honors throughout her career:
Hockey Canada Awards
- 2019 Hockey Canada Female Breakthrough Award
- Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award, 2013
CWHL Awards
- Clarkson Cup Top Forward, 2009
- Clarkson Cup Top Scorer, 2009
- CWHL Most Valuable Player, 2008–09 and 2010–11
- CWHL First All-Star Team, 2008–09
- Angela James Bowl, 2010–11 (for being the CWHL's top scorer)
NCAA Awards
- 2003 NCAA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player
- NCAA leader in points per game (2.38) and assists per game (1.47) in the 2003–04 season
- She was a top finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award multiple times.
- Named UMD's first ever WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year in 2005.
- Named to the WCHA All-Tournament Team in 2005.
- Honored with the USCHO.com Sportsmanship Award in 2005.
- Named a CCM All-America First Team selection for two straight seasons.
National Honours
- In 2019, she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honor in Canada.
- In 2023, she was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Caroline Ouellette para niños
