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 retired ice hockey player. She is also the current chairperson of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.

Jayna started her sports journey playing ringette. Soon after, she switched to ice hockey. During her amazing career, she won many medals. These included 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. This incredible streak lasted from 2002 to 2014. She is famous for scoring the winning goal in the gold medal game at the 2002 Winter Olympics. For her club teams, she scored 439 goals in 418 games. This included a record 44 goals in one season (2008–09) in the CWHL.

Jayna Hefford was chosen to join the Hockey Hall of Fame on June 26, 2018. She was also named a recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2019.

Jayna Hefford's Hockey Journey

Jayna Hefford was born in Trenton, Ontario. She started playing hockey around age six. She played for the Mississauga Chiefs and Brampton Thunder during her career.

Early Years and Junior Hockey

In 1994, Jayna was part of the Ontario team that won a gold medal. This was at the national under-18 championship. In 1995, she played for the Ottawa Regional Select Team. They played against the U.S. National Under-18 Team. Jayna was also the captain for Team Ontario at the 1995 Canada Winter Games.

Playing for the University of Toronto

Jayna Hefford played college hockey for the Toronto Varsity Blues women's ice hockey team. This team represents the University of Toronto. In 1997, she helped her team win a semifinal game. She had three assists in that game.

Jayna and her former University of Toronto teammate Heather Moyse both won gold medals. They achieved this at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Jayna is now an assistant coach for her old college team.

Playing for Team Canada

Jayna Hefford was a key player for the Canadian national team. She played in five Olympic Games.

Olympic Achievements

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Jayna was second on Team Canada in scoring. She had 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in 5 games. This helped Canada win their third Olympic gold medal.

In the 2006 Winter Olympics, Jayna scored three goals and had four assists. Canada won the gold medal again. This was her second Olympic gold. She also won a silver medal with Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Jayna scored the game-winning goal. This goal came in the gold medal game against Team USA. It was scored with only four seconds left in the second period!

World Championship Success

Jayna 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 forced overtime. This allowed Canada to win the game.

On January 1, 2010, Jayna was honored before a game. This was because she had played 200 games for Team Canada. She then scored the only goal in the shootout that night.

In 2011, Jayna scored three goals in one game (a hat trick). This was in a 16–0 win over Switzerland. She also scored two goals in an 11–0 win against Slovakia. In 2012, she had four points (two goals, two assists) in a 14–1 victory over Russia.

Jayna played for Canada again at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She earned her fourth Olympic gold medal there. After 17 years, she retired from the national team at age 38. 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 from 1998 to 2014. They won four gold and one silver medal together.

Playing for Club Teams

Jayna Hefford started her senior club career with the Mississauga Chiefs in 1996–97. She scored 32 goals in 30 games. She also won the Rookie of the Year award in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League.

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

Jayna returned to the Thunder after the 2001–02 Olympic season. She scored 37 goals in 2002–03. She set an NWHL record with 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 again. She also led the league with a career-best 70 points. She helped the Thunder win the NWHL playoff championship.

In 2007–08, she led the new Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) with 26 goals. 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. This award is for the league's top scorer. She set new CWHL records with 69 points and 44 goals. She was the first player in the CWHL to reach 100 career points.

On January 18, 2011, her number 15 jersey was retired in her hometown of Kingston, Ontario. This means no one in Kingston minor hockey will use that number again.

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). 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 best player in the regular season. The players in the CWHL vote for this award. The first winner was Marie-Philip Poulin, who played with Jayna in the Olympics.

Jayna Hefford was named the interim commissioner of the CWHL in 2018. The CWHL later announced it would close down in 2019. After this, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) was formed. The players asked Jayna to be their Operations Consultant.

Personal Life

Jayna Hefford grew up in Kingston, Ontario. Her parents are Larry and Sandra, and she has a brother named Mike.

Jayna has three children: two daughters, Isla and Arwen, and a son, Lachlan. Her partner is Kathleen Kauth, who was also an Olympian for Team USA. Both Jayna and Kathleen have coached for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's ice hockey team.

Jayna is a spokesperson for the Canadian Hockey Association's Initiation Programme. In 2009, she started a charity golf tournament. It raised $15,000 for cancer care at hospitals in Kingston.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play

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

• 1996–97 OWIAA Rookie of the Year (best new player)
• Top scorer in the OWIAA (1996–97)
• Angela James Bowl, 2008–09 (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, inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2019