Women’s hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser, longtime women’s coach and general manager Melody Davidson and former Para hockey captain Todd Nicholson have been named to the Order of Hockey in Canada.
Hockey Canada announced Tuesday the trio are all being invested as “distinguished honourees” and will be formally celebrated at the world junior hockey championship in Edmonton on Dec. 29.
Wickenheiser spent more than two decades playing for Canada’s women’s team and holds the record for most games played (276), goals (168), assists (211) and points (379) in the program’s history. The native of Shaunavon, Sask., won four Olympic gold and seven women’s world championship titles between 2002 and 2014.
Davidson, from Coronation, Alta., also won four Olympic gold medals for Canada as an assistant coach (2002), head coach (2006, 2010) and general manager (2014). She also coached Canada to world titles in 2000 and 2007.
Nicholson, who hails from Dunrobin, Ont., served as captain of Canada’s national sledge team, now known as the national para hockey team, from 1994 through 2007 and was part of five gold medal-winning teams, including the squad that won at the 2006 Paralympics in Turin, Italy.
The Order of Hockey in Canada was created in 2012 to recognize individuals for their role in growing and developing the sport across the country.
