Manon Rhéaume: The Tampa Bay Lightning's First Star

 Is it controversial to say that Manon Rheaume was the Tampa Bay Lightning's first star? Not really. When team founder and general manager Phil Esposito started building the roster for the team's inaugural season in 1992, he gathered a group of solid if unspectacular NHL veterans from the expansion draft and free agency, and added some promising young talent in the entry draft, but none of those players were remotely household names. If you asked the average Floridian sports fan in 1992 to name a hockey player, how many would have been able to name a second after Wayne Gretzky?

Players like Brian Bradley, Mikael Andersson, and Roman Hamrlik would make important on-ice contributions, but individually, none of them were going to move the needle when it came to drawing vital media coverage to the team. But when Esposito announced the Lightning were inviting a woman to the team's first training camp, the needle definitely moved, as local and national sports media swam in to cover the event. Most pundits cynically (and not incorrectly) decided that it was a publicity stunt to draw attention to the team, but the public's curiosity was aroused. Upon her arrival in Tampa Bay for camp, Manon received a huge amount of coverage, especially when she played the first period of an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues on September 23, 1992, becoming the first, and so far only woman to play in the National Hockey League.

Who Is Manon Rheaume?

(photo credit: Nicole Rheaume)

Manon Rheaume was born February 24, 1972 in Lac-Beauport, a small town just north of Quebec City. Lac-Beauport is known for skiing, and at the time that Manon's parents Nicole and Pierre moved there, the town had no skating rink or organized hockey program. Pierre convinced the town to pay for boards, and he built an outdoor rink behind his house. This gave Manon and her two brothers unlimited ice time as they grew up. 

Manon started skating at age three, and started playing hockey by acting as goalie for her brothers. When her father began organizing a team for the kids in town, he found himself without a goaltender. Manon, aged five, convinced her parents to let her play.

Pierre and Nicole expected that she would soon outgrow the "boys' sport," and switch to gymnastics or skiing, but Manon, a competitive and athletic child, stuck with hockey. She continued playing with the local boys teams, often as goalie, although sometimes on defence when she had to share the crease. She faced criticism and derisive comments from parents and other organizers, but always wanted to prove herself; she refused to show pain when hurt or injured, and practiced hard enough that no one could say she wasn't good enough for a place on the team. 

(photo credit: Nicole Rheaume)

Manon's appearance in tournaments began to draw the attention of the Quebec press, especially when her team played in the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. She performed well,  but despite her success and work ethic, Manon was often held back. As she got older she was often denied spots on top level teams because of the attitude that she would be taking a spot from a boy who might one day play in the NHL. After spending her age 16 season playing CC level (the "fun" league, instead of the competitive AAA level), Manon quit hockey. She saw no avenue forward. 

After a year away from the sport, Manon moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to play with a competitive women's team, and soon had her sights set on playing with the Canadian National team at the upcoming world championships. Then came a big break: she was invited to train with the Trois-Riviers Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In the 1991-92 season Manon was the Draveurs' third-string goalie and saw game action once, coming to replace the starter, who had allowed five goals. She performed well but had to be taken out of the game when a hard shot broke her mask and cut her eyebrow, requiring stitches. Even so, she had become the first woman to play men's major junior hockey in Canada.

After winning gold at the 1992 women's world championship in Finland, Manon again thought she might be through with men's hockey. She was wrong.

Phil Says Okay

(photo credit: Scott Halleran/Allsport)

In 1992, Jacques Campeau, a hustler who finagled a job as a part-time Quebec scout with the Lightning, convinced Phil Esposito to take a look at Manon Rheaume, and he introduced them at the entry draft in Montreal that summer. Manon was at the draft working for RDS, the French-language equivalent of TSN, and Phil extended an invitation to Tampa Bay.

For Phil, the move was all about publicity, and he has had no compunction about the fact that her looks were an important factor in the decision. In his 2003 book Thunder and Lightning, Phil explains that a lot of people on the team were against the move, including head coach Terry Crisp and Phil's brother Tony, whom he'd hired to be his head scout. But Phil wanted the media attention, and the team flew Manon to Florida for promotional events before training camp even began.

When it was time to actually play hockey, Manon showed that even if she was there for publicity, she could also play; in her first inter-squad game of training camp, she didn't allow a goal. She kept up with the other players, and survived the first round of cuts. When it was determined that she wouldn't embarrass them with her ability, the decision was made that she would play in an exhibition game.

(photo: B Bennett/Getty)

Phil's idea of drawing eyes to the unfamiliar sport was a success. The game against the Blues at the Florida State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall was a sell-out. Manon played in the first period and gave a strong performance, making seven saves on nine shots, while allowing goals from Jeff Brown and Brendan Shanahan. The game drew a huge amount of media coverage, making Manon a celebrity, and helping Phil get eyes on his fledgling team.

Manon played well enough, and the publicity was positive enough, that the Lightning signed her to a three year developmental contract and assigned her to its top affiliate, the IHL's Atlanta Knights. She served as the team's third-string goalie, practicing and training, as well as playing in two games.

She returned to the Lightning for training camp in the fall of 1993, this time playing the first period of a neutral-site exhibition game against the Boston Bruins in Atlanta. She surrendered three goals on the first four shots against her, finishing the period with eight saves. Manon was assigned to the ECHL that season under the assumption she would be able to get more playing time in the lower-level league. She played eight games that year, split between the Knoxville Cherokees and the Nashville Knights.

While she didn't return to Tampa Bay, Manon's legacy as the "first lady of hockey" was already cemented. Her celebrity status helped encourage a generation of girls to see hockey as a game that was not just for boys. She continued playing professional hockey in the minor leagues through the '90s, and representing Canada in international competition, including winning silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first year that women's hockey was included. 

(photo: manonrheaume33.com)

Although Manon has acknowledged that her appearances with the Lightning were for publicity, she has never been bitter about the fact. In her point of view, many doors in hockey were closed for her because she was girl; it's only fair that she appreciate the time one was opened.

Manon Rheaume continues working in hockey, most recently with the Los Angeles Kings. Articles and interviews about her remarkable journey are abundant, and links to many of them can be found on her website, manonrheaume33.com.

(Much of the information on Manon's early life in this article was gathered from her 1993 book, Manon: Alone in Front of the Net, with Chantal Gilbert).