Sarah Nurse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sarah Nurse |
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Nurse with PWHL Toronto in 2024
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| Born | January 4, 1995 Burlington, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 148 lb (67 kg; 10 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoots | Left | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PWHL team Former teams |
Vancouver Goldeneyes Toronto Sceptres Toronto Furies |
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| National team |  Canada |
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| Playing career | 2015–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sarah Nurse (born January 4, 1995) is a talented Canadian professional ice hockey player. She is an alternate captain for the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Sarah also proudly represents the Canada women's national ice hockey team.
She achieved an Olympic gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. During that tournament, she set a new Olympic record with 18 points. Sarah also earned silver medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2026 Winter Olympics. She has competed in six IIHF World Women's Championships, winning three gold medals (2021, 2022, 2024), two silver medals (2023, 2025), and one bronze medal (2019).
After a successful college career, Sarah played for the Toronto Furies. She was also a co-founder of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). This group helped create the PWHL, where she now serves on the executive committee for the PWHL Players Association.
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Sarah Nurse's Early Life and Family
Sarah Nurse was born in Burlington and grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the oldest of three children. Sarah started skating when she was three years old and began playing hockey at age five. When she was seven, she watched the Canadian women's hockey team win gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics. This inspired her to dream of playing in the Olympics herself one day.
Sarah comes from a very athletic family in Hamilton. Her father, who moved to Canada from Trinidad, was a national-level lacrosse player. Her uncle, Richard Nurse, played football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Her aunt, Raquel-Ann Nurse McNabb, played basketball at Syracuse University. Sarah's cousins are also famous athletes: Darnell Nurse plays hockey for the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL, and Kia Nurse is a three-time Olympian and WNBA All-Star basketball player. Her younger brothers, Isaac and Elijah, also played hockey.
Sarah began her organized hockey career in local leagues. She played for teams in Ancaster and Stoney Creek. She won a silver medal at the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) provincials. In high school, she earned a bronze medal at the 2010 OFSAA championships and a silver in 2011. During the 2012–13 season with the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres, she set a league record by scoring 35 goals.
Sarah Nurse's Hockey Journey
College Hockey with Wisconsin Badgers (2013-2017)
Sarah played NCAA Division I hockey for the University of Wisconsin. She was part of four Frozen Four tournaments, which are like the championship playoffs for college hockey. In 2015, she scored two goals, including the winning goal, in the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game. In 2016, she made history by scoring three goals (a hat-trick) against the team's rivals, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. She was the first player in the program to do this.
Playing for the Toronto Furies (2018-2019)
After the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sarah was chosen second overall by the Toronto Furies in the 2018 CWHL Draft. She scored her first goal in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) on October 17, 2018. This goal was the game-winner in a 3-1 victory.
Creating the PWHPA (2019-2023)
In 2019, Sarah joined over 200 other women's hockey players to create the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). This group wanted to build a stronger, more professional league for women's hockey. Sarah served on the PWHPA's board. The PWHPA organized exhibition games called the "Dream Gap Tour" to showcase their talent. Sarah played for Team Sonnet (Toronto) in these events. She was also part of the team that negotiated the agreement to create the new PWHL.
Time with the Toronto Sceptres (2023-2025)
When the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) started, Sarah was one of the first players signed by PWHL Toronto, later known as the Toronto Sceptres. In the 2023–24 season, she played in all 24 regular season games. She scored 11 goals and made 12 assists, tying for second in the league with 23 points. Toronto finished first in the standings that season. Sarah scored her first PWHL hat trick in a 6-2 win against New York. She also scored two goals, including the overtime winner, in a record-breaking game against Montréal at the Bell Centre. She was named to the PWHL Second All-Star Team. In the 2024 PWHL playoffs, Toronto lost in the semifinals.
During the 2024–25 season, Sarah scored six goals and eight assists. She scored an important goal in Toronto's season-opening win. She also scored the league's first "Jailbreak" goal, a special PWHL rule where a shorthanded goal ends a penalty. Toronto finished second in the standings but again lost to Minnesota in the playoffs.
Joining the Vancouver Goldeneyes (2025-Present)
In June 2025, as the league expanded, Sarah signed a one-year contract with the new Vancouver Goldeneyes team. On November 21, 2025, she was named an alternate captain for the Goldeneyes. On the same day, Sarah scored the first-ever goal for the Goldeneyes in their 4-3 overtime win. She later suffered an injury but returned to play in January 2026. In a game against her former team, the Toronto Sceptres, she scored Vancouver's only goal. Five days later, she scored twice in a 5-0 win over Toronto, setting a new league record for the fastest two goals by one team.
Sarah Nurse's International Career
Youth and Junior Teams
Sarah played for Team Ontario blue, winning gold in 2011 and bronze in 2012 at the National Women's Under-18 Championship. She also helped the Canadian team win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship. In 2015, she won a gold medal with Canada's U22/Development Team at the 4 Nations Cup.
Senior National Team: World Championships
Sarah has played in six IIHF World Women's Championships. She won three gold medals (2021, 2022, 2024), two silver medals (2023, 2025), and one bronze medal (2019). She made her debut at the 2019 Championship, helping Canada win bronze. After the 2020 tournament was cancelled, she helped Canada win gold in 2021, their first world title in almost ten years. Canada repeated as champions in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, she scored the overtime winner against Sweden in the quarterfinals, leading Canada to a silver medal. She also won silver in 2025.
Senior National Team: Olympics
Sarah was chosen to play for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. She scored her first Olympic goal in a win against the United States. Canada won a silver medal after a close game against the United States.
On January 11, 2022, Sarah was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team for the Beijing Games. There, she set two new Olympic records: most points (18) and most assists (13) in a single women's tournament. She scored the first goal in the gold medal game against the United States, helping Canada win 3-2. Sarah became the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in ice hockey. She was also named the Best Forward of the tournament.
On January 9, 2026, she was named to Canada's team for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Canada won a silver medal at these games.
Other International Appearances
In 2020, Sarah played for Team Canada in a special 3-on-3 game at the Skills Competition of the 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game.
Sarah Nurse's Personal Life and Advocacy
Sarah started skating at age three and playing hockey at age five. Her famous cousins include Darnell Nurse, an NHL hockey player, and Kia Nurse, a WNBA basketball player. Her uncles, Donovan McNabb and Richard Nurse, also played professional sports.
Sarah is a strong voice for fairness and equality in sports. She has spoken about the importance of making hockey a welcoming place for everyone, no matter their background. She believes in standing up for what is right and helping to create a positive environment for all athletes. After the PWHL was founded in 2023, Sarah was named to the executive committee for the PWHL Players Association, which is the league's labor union.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | OWHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | OWHL | 36 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | OWHL | 30 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres | OWHL | 35 | 36 | 20 | 56 | 26 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 38 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 37 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 36 | 25 | 13 | 38 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | University of Wisconsin | WCHA | 39 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Toronto Furies | CWHL | 26 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | GTA West | PWHPA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Toronto | PWHPA | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Team Adidas | PWHPA | 20 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | PWHL Toronto | PWHL | 24 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Toronto Sceptres | PWHL | 21 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| CWHL totals | 26 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| PWHPA totals | 24 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| PWHL totals | 45 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Canada | U18 |  |
5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Canada | OG | |
5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Canada | WC |  |
7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Canada | WC |  |
7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Canada | OG | |
7 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Canada | WC | |
7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2023 | Canada | WC | |
7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WC | |
7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2025 | Canada | WC | |
7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Senior totals | 54 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 34 | ||||
Awards and Honours
NCAA
- All-WCHA Rookie Team (2013–14)
- 2015 WCHA Frozen Face-Off Most Outstanding Player
- WCHA All-Tournament Team (2015)
- All-WCHA Third Team (2015–16)
- Second-Team All-American (2016–17)
- WCHA 20th Anniversary Team
PWHL
- PWHL Second All-Star Team (2023–24)
IIHF and Olympics
- IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship gold medalist (2021, 2022, 2024)
- IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship silver medalist (2023, 2025)
- IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship bronze medalist (2019)
- Olympic gold medalist (2022)
- Olympic silver medalist (2018, 2026)
- 2022 Olympic Best Forward
- 2022 Olympic All-Star Team
Other Recognitions
- EA Sports NHL cover athlete (2023)
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