Geraldine Heaney
| Geraldine Heaney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
October 1, 1967 Lurgan, Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1990–2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Geraldine Heaney (born October 1, 1967) is an Irish-Canadian ice hockey coach and former defenceman. She played 18 seasons and over 1,000 games with the Toronto Aeros organization, won six Ontario provincial championships and was named Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) most valuable defenceman on three occasions. The Aeros retired her jersey number 91 in 2006. Internationally, Heaney was a member of the Canadian national team in the first seven Women's World Championships, winning gold each time. She is a two-time Olympian, winning silver at the inaugural tournament in 1998 tournament, and gold in 2002. On June 14, 2022, she became the head coach of the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation.
A pioneer of women's hockey, Heaney is credited with aiding the growth of the sport. Her offensive prowess as a defenceman earned her comparisons to National Hockey League star Bobby Orr, particularly after she flew through the air after scoring the gold medal-winning goal in the inaugural world championship. In 2008, Heaney became one of the first three female inductees, along with Angela James and Cammi Granato, to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame. She was the third woman, after James and Granato, to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.