Jayna Hefford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jayna Hefford
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2018
Hefford in 2022
Born	(1977-05-14) May 14, 1977 (age 48) Trenton, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight	140 lb (64 kg; 10 st 0 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Mississauga Chiefs Brampton Thunder
National team	Canada
Playing career	1996–2014
Medal record Representing  Canada Women's ice hockey Olympic Games Gold 2002 Salt Lake City Tournament Gold 2006 Turin Tournament Gold 2010 Vancouver Tournament Gold 2014 Sochi Tournament Silver 1998 Nagano Tournament IIHF World Women's Championships Gold 1997 Canada Tournament Gold 1999 Finland Tournament Gold 2000 Canada Tournament Gold 2001 United States Tournament Gold 2004 Canada Tournament Gold 2007 Canada Tournament Gold 2012 United States Tournament Silver 2005 Sweden Tournament Silver 2008 China Tournament Silver 2009 Finland Tournament Silver 2011 Switzerland Tournament Silver 2013 Canada Tournament Women's 4 Nations Cup Gold 2010 Canada Tournament

Jayna Hefford (born May 14, 1977) is a Canadian ice hockey legend. She is now an Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

Jayna started her sports journey in ringette before switching to ice hockey. During her amazing career, she won many medals at the Winter Olympics and IIHF World Women's Championships. She also won championships in the National Women's Hockey League and Canadian Women's Hockey League. She helped the Canadian national team win four Olympic gold medals in a row from 2002 to 2014. She famously scored the winning goal for the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

At the club level, playing for different teams, she scored an incredible 439 goals in 418 games. This included a record 44 goals in one season (2008–09) in the CWHL. Jayna Hefford was chosen to be part of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. She was also recognized with the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2019.

Jayna Hefford's Early Career

Jayna Hefford was born in Trenton, Ontario. She played for the Mississauga Chiefs and Brampton Thunder during her club career.

In 1994, Jayna was part of the Ontario team that won a gold medal at the national under-18 championship. The next year, she was the captain of Team Ontario at the 1995 Canada Winter Games.

Playing for the University of Toronto

Jayna Hefford played for the Toronto Varsity Blues women's ice hockey team. This team represented the University of Toronto. In 1997, she helped her team win a semifinal game by assisting on three goals.

She later became an assistant coach for her former team. Jayna is one of only two University of Toronto graduates to win a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

Hefford's International Hockey Success

Jayna Hefford played a huge role for the Canadian national team. She won many medals in major international tournaments.

Olympic Games Achievements

Jayna Hefford won an amazing four Olympic gold medals with Team Canada. She also won one silver medal.

• At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she was second on Team Canada with 12 points. She scored 5 goals and had 7 assists in 5 games. This helped Canada win their third gold medal.
• In the 2006 Winter Olympics, she scored three goals and had four assists. Canada won the gold medal again. This was her second Olympic gold.
• She won a silver medal with the Canadian team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
• At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Jayna scored the winning goal in the gold medal game. This goal came against Team USA with only four seconds left in the second period.
• She earned her fourth gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

World Championship Victories

Jayna Hefford won gold medals in six IIHF World Women's Championships. These wins were in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2007.

• In 1999 and 2000, she was Team Canada's top scorer.
• In the 2000 championship game, her two goals in the third period sent the game into overtime. This allowed Canada to win the championship.
• In 2011, she scored three goals in a 16–0 win over Switzerland.
• At the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship, she had two goals and two assists in a 14–1 victory against Russia.

Retirement from National Team

After 17 years and many championships, Jayna Hefford retired from the national women's team. She was 38 years old. She is second only to Hayley Wickenheiser in games played (267), goals (157), and points (291) for Canada.

Jayna and Hayley are the only two Canadian women to play in all five Olympic women's hockey tournaments starting in 1998. They won four gold and one silver medal. They are also among only five athletes to win gold in four Winter Games in a row. Jayna also played in 12 of 16 women's world hockey championships, winning seven gold medals.

Hefford's Club Hockey Career

Jayna Hefford started her senior club career with the Mississauga Chiefs in 1996–97. She scored 32 goals in 30 games and was named Rookie of the Year.

After playing for Canada in 1997–98, she joined the Brampton Thunder for the 1998–99 season. She finished second in the league with 34 goals in just 27 games. She won her first goal-scoring title in 2000–01 with 36 goals. She also led the league in scoring with 69 points.

She returned to the Thunder after the 2002 Olympics. She scored 37 goals in 2002–03 and a record 41 goals in 2003–04. She was named the NWHL's Player of the Year in 2004–05.

In 2006–07, she scored over 40 goals for the second time in her NWHL career. She also led the league with a career-best 70 points. She helped the Thunder win the NWHL playoff championship.

Playing in the CWHL

In 2007–08, Jayna led the new Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) with 26 goals in 27 games for the Brampton Canadettes Thunder. She was named the CWHL's Most Valuable Player. She also helped Brampton win the first CWHL championship.

In 2008–09, she won the Angela James Bowl as the league's top scorer. She had 69 points in 28 games. She set new league records with 69 points, 44 goals, 11 power-play goals, six shorthanded goals, and seven hat tricks. She was the first player in the CWHL to reach 100 career points.

On January 18, 2011, her number 15 jersey was retired by the Kingston Area Minor Hockey Association. No sweaters with her number are used in Kingston minor hockey anymore.

Jayna Hefford scored 439 goals in 418 games across different leagues. She was the NWHL's all-time leading goal scorer with 252 goals. She also retired as the CWHL's all-time leader in goals (130) and points (234), though these records have since been broken. In 2017, she was named to the All-Time CWHL Team.

Life After Playing Hockey

In 2016, the CWHL created the Jayna Hefford Trophy in her honor. This award goes to the most outstanding player in the regular season, as chosen by the players. The first winner was Marie-Philip Poulin, who was Jayna's teammate.

In 2018, Jayna Hefford became the interim commissioner of the CWHL. The league later closed down in 2019. After that, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) was formed. The players asked Jayna to be their Operations Consultant.

In 2023, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) was created. Jayna Hefford became the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. She helped bring in new rules like "Jailbreak Goals" and the "No Escape Rule." In January 2025, she was promoted to Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.

Personal Life

Jayna Hefford grew up in Kingston, Ontario, with her parents, Larry and Sandra, and her brother, Mike. She started playing hockey around age six.

Jayna is a mother to two daughters, Isla and Arwen, and a son, Lachlan. Her partner is Kathleen Kauth, a former Team USA Olympian. Both Jayna and Kathleen have coached for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's ice hockey team.

Jayna is also a spokesperson for the Canadian Hockey Association's Initiation Programme. In 2009, she started a charity golf tournament called the Jayna Hefford Links 4 Life Golf Classic. This tournament raised money for cancer and palliative care at hospitals in Kingston.

Career Statistics

International Statistics

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998	Canada	OG			6	1	0	1	6
1999	Canada	WC			5	5	6	11	0
2000	Canada	WC			5	5	3	8	4
2001	Canada	WC			5	2	2	4	6
2002	Canada	OG			5	3	4	7	2
2004	Canada	WC			5	7	3	10	2
2005	Canada	WC			5	6	2	8	0
2006	Canada	OG			5	3	4	7	0
2007	Canada	WC			5	2	1	3	2
2008	Canada	WC			5	3	5	8	8
2009	Canada	WC			5	1	6	7	2
2010	Canada	OG			5	5	7	12	8
2011	Canada	WC			5	3	2	5	2
2012	Canada	WC			5	3	6	9	4
2013	Canada	WC			5	2	4	6	2
2014	Canada	OG			5	1	2	3	2
WC Totals					55	39	40	79	33
OG Totals					26	13	17	30	18

Awards and Honours

Jayna Hefford received many awards and honors throughout her career:

• 1996–97 OWIAA Rookie of the Year
• Top scorer in the OWIAA (1996–97)
• Angela James Bowl, 2008–09 (Award for top scorer in CWHL)
• CWHL Most Valuable Player, 2007–08
• CWHL Top Forward, 2008–09
• CWHL First All-Star Team, 2008–09
• CWHL Central All-Stars, 2007–08
• 1998 Kingston and Ontario Amateur Athlete of the Year
• Recognized as the top goal scorer at the 1999 and 2000 World Championships
• Inducted into the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame in 2002
• Top Forward, 2003 Esso Women's Nationals
• 2004 World Women's Championship Directorate Award as Top Forward
• Named to the 2004 World Championship Tournament All-Star team
• 2005 World Women's Championship Directorate Award as Top Forward
• Top Forward, 2006 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship, Pool A
• Top Forward at the 2008 Esso Women's National Championship
• 2019 Order of Hockey in Canada recipient
• Order of Sport, induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2019