Geraldine Heaney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Geraldine Heaney |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 1, 1967 Lurgan, Northern Ireland |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 140 lb (64 kg; 10 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | Toronto Aeros | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached for | University of Waterloo Toronto Six |
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| National team |  Canada |
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| Playing career | 1990–2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Geraldine Heaney (born October 1, 1967) is a famous Irish-Canadian ice hockey coach and former defence player. She played for 18 seasons with the Toronto Aeros team, playing over 1,000 games. During her time with the Aeros, she helped them win six championships in Ontario. She was also named the best defence player in the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) three times. In 2006, the Aeros retired her jersey number 91 to honor her amazing career.
Geraldine was also a key player for the Canadian national team. She played in the first seven Women's World Championships and won a gold medal every single time! She also competed in two Olympic Games. She won a silver medal at the first women's Olympic hockey tournament in 1998 and a gold medal in 2002. In 2022, she became the head coach for the Toronto Six team in the Premier Hockey Federation.
Geraldine Heaney is known as a pioneer in women's hockey, meaning she helped the sport grow a lot. She was so good at scoring goals as a defence player that people compared her to National Hockey League star Bobby Orr. This was especially true after she scored the winning goal in the first ever World Championship and flew through the air! She has been honored in many ways, including being one of the first three women inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in 2008. She was also the third woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and joined Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
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Early Life and Hockey Start
Geraldine Heaney was born on October 1, 1967, in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. When she was just one year old, her parents, Mike and Kathleen Heaney, moved their family to Canada. Even though she grew up in Canada, Geraldine always felt proud of her Irish roots and often visited Ulster.
Her family settled in North York, Ontario. This is where Geraldine fell in love with hockey. She often played goalie for her brothers on outdoor ice rinks. Geraldine was a very talented athlete and also played Gaelic football, soccer, fastball, and in-line hockey.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting with the Toronto Aeros
Geraldine joined her first girls' hockey team when she was 10 years old. She even played against girls who were up to six years older than her! In 1980, at age 13, she joined the Toronto Aeros. This was the start of a long and successful career with the team. She played over 1,000 games for the Aeros, first at the senior level and later in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL).
She helped the Aeros win six provincial championships. She was also recognized as the best defence player in the Ontario Women's Hockey Association three times: in 1987–88, 1991–92, and 1992–93.
While studying at Seneca College in Toronto, Geraldine was first asked to play volleyball. But as soon as she found out the school had a women's hockey team, she switched right away! In 1987, she led Seneca to win an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championship. She was also named to the all-star teams for both her league and the provincial championship.
Geraldine was part of four national championship teams with the Aeros. She was the only player to play in the Esso Women's National Hockey Championship every season between 1987 and 2001. She was named the best defender of the tournament in 1993, 1997, and 2001. In 1992, she was even named the most valuable player!
She finished her club career in 2004 by scoring the winning goal in overtime to win the national championship. At the time, she was three months pregnant with her first child! To celebrate her amazing 27-year playing career, the Aeros retired her jersey number 91 in 2006.
International Success with Team Canada
The first ever International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship was held in 1990 in Ottawa. Geraldine was chosen to play for Team Canada. Since she had recently moved to Canada permanently, she had to quickly become a Canadian citizen before she could play.
Canada and the United States were the top teams and met in the final game. Geraldine scored the gold medal-winning goal in a very exciting way! She skated around two American defence players and then slid the puck into the net. As she scored, she tripped over the goalie and flew through the air. This reminded many people of Bobby Orr's famous Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1969. Because of this goal and her skills as a scoring defence player, Geraldine became known as the "Bobby Orr of women's hockey."
The 1990 tournament was the first of seven gold medal wins in a row for Geraldine. She was the only player to play in the first seven World Championships for Canada. She was named the best defence player of the tournament in 1992 and 1994, and was also named to the tournament all-star team in 1992.
Women's hockey became a full medal sport at the 1998 Nagano Games. Geraldine was chosen for the Canadian Olympic team. Canada had won every World Championship against the United States, but the Americans had started winning other tournaments. Geraldine scored two goals and had four assists in six games. However, Canada lost the final game to the United States 3–1, earning a silver medal.
Geraldine planned for the 2002 Salt Lake Games to be her last tournament. She ended her international career with an Olympic gold medal! Canada defeated the United States 3–2 in the final. The game was a bit tricky because the American referee called many penalties against Canada. Geraldine said that the Canadian players felt like the officials "tried to give them the game, and we weren't going to let that happen." After the win, Geraldine was celebrated not only in Canada but also as a sports hero in Northern Ireland.
Geraldine also played in two World Ball Hockey Championships, winning a gold medal in 1992 and a silver medal in 1994.
Coaching Career
After her playing career, Geraldine Heaney became a coach. She spent six seasons coaching the University of Waterloo Warriors women's hockey team. This program faced challenges because it didn't have as many resources as bigger university programs. In 2012, Geraldine left Waterloo to coach her daughter's young hockey team.
On June 14, 2022, Geraldine was hired as the head coach for the Toronto Six team in the Premier Hockey Federation. She is the third head coach in the team's history.
Geraldine Heaney's Legacy
Geraldine Heaney was an amazing defence player who was great at scoring goals. She played 125 games for the Canadian National Team, scoring 27 goals and getting 66 assists. In World Championship games, she holds Canadian records for defence players with the most games (35), goals (8), assists (28), and points (36).
Geraldine is seen as a pioneer of modern women's hockey, meaning she helped shape the sport into what it is today. She has been honored by many groups, including being inducted into the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association and Canadian Ball Hockey Halls of Fame.
In 2008, Geraldine Heaney, along with Angela James from Canada and Cammi Granato from the United States, became the first women inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. Geraldine was very proud of this honor. She saw it as a sign that women's hockey was being recognized all over the world. She said, "There are so many young girls playing hockey now, it's amazing. I really feel we need to promote the game worldwide, not just in Canada, and inducting women now should help that."
Five years later, in 2013, Geraldine became the third woman (after Angela James and Cammi Granato in 2010) to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Personal Life
After her playing career, Geraldine Heaney settled in Ancaster, Ontario. She lives there with her husband, John, and their two children, Shannon and Patrick.
See also
- List of University of Waterloo people
