SAMI JO SMALL
Date of Birth: 1976-03-25Date of Induction: 2022
Convinced that girls couldn't play hockey, Sami Jo Small started her hockey career on the outdoor rinks of Winnipeg competing in the boys minor system. Stepping into goal at the AAA level in St. Vital, she found a mentor in Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame member, Suzie Yuen. It was while watching Suzie and the 1990 Canadian Womens team take the first Womens World title that she realized girls can play hockey.
She would graduate Coll?ge Jeanne-Sauv? before attending Stanford University on a track and field scholarship. While at Stanford, she was playing hockey on the side with the Sanford Cardinals Mens hockey team.
Joining the Canadian Womens National team in 1997, she was called up as a reserve in 1998 by the Canadian Womens National team. By the time her international career ended she had won five World Championships and twice been named Championship MVP. She is a three time Olympian and has been a member of two Olympic Gold Medal Winning teams.
One of the founders of the now defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), she served in the role of vice-chair during the league's inaugural season and went on to play ten seasons in the league.
Sami Jo continues to give back to the sport through hockey camps, speaking engagements, blogs and has published her autobiography, titled "The Role I Played: Canada's Greatest Olympic Hockey Team.