Hayley Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser

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Olympic gold medalist, Medical Doctor, Author, and AGM of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Seven World Championships; Six Olympic appearances; Five Olympic medals; Four Olympic Gold medals, and now Medical Doctor and NHL leader – Hayley Wickenheiser is a titan of sport both on and off the ice.

A first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Hayley’s hockey IQ is highly-respected in both the male and female game. She has played in, or coached at, four NHL development camps the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs – having accepted a permanent full-time role of AGM of Player development for the Leafs in 2020.

Alongside her career in the NHL, Hayley is a medical doctor practicing family and emergency medicine in the Toronto-area – a pursuit she had dreamt of her whole life and began in 2017 following her retirement from her 23 years on the National Women’s Team.

Prior to her retirement from hockey, she was the first in the world to notch a point in a men’s professional game while playing in Finland and held the record for the most assists, points and goals for the Canadian Women’s National team.

Hayley’s ascent to the top of the sport started in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan when at age 15 she was the youngest member chosen for the Canadian Women’s National team. Her Olympic career spanned 23 years, five Olympic medals and two sports, as she also competed in softball in Sydney 2000. In 2014 she was Canada’s official flag bearer and she served on the IOC Athletes Commission.

She has many accolades including being named one of Sports Illustrated Top 25 Toughest Athletes in the World; has been twice named to the “Power 50 in Sports”; was among the QMI Agency’s “Top 10 Greatest Female Athletes in the History of Sports”; is a member of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame; Canada’s Top 40 under 40; Canada Sports Hall of Fame; Canada’s Walk of Fame; and in 2014 she was awarded Canada’s highest honour when she was appointed to the Order of Canada for her achievements as an athlete for her contributions to the growth of the women’s game.

Hayley’s passion for sport is equally matched by her desire to give back to the community through her work with dozens of philanthropic organizations including Lace ‘Em Up, Jumpstart, KidSport and Right to Play – all organizations dedicated to ensuring kids of all financial and cultural backgrounds can play sports. She is also the founder of the world-renown personal and athletic development weekend, The Canadian Tire Wickenheiser World Female Hockey Festival which provides mentoring and growth opportunities for young athletes from around the world.

Hayley holds several honourary degrees from institutions across Canada, a Masters in Kiniesology and is a practicing doctor of Family and Emergency Medicine, while maintaining a position as the AGM of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

She is a mom to her grown son, Noah who is currently in university.

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Speaking topics

In The Trenches: Resiliency and Toughness When It Matters Most

In 2020 was a year like no other in our lifetimes. Everyone’s work-life has been affected by the current pandemic in some way, but perhaps few have faced more challenges than healthcare workers. The unsung heroes of these times, healthcare workers have frequently been left feeling under-supported for the essential role that they have been playing during the fight against COVID-19.

Hayley Wickenheiser, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and medical doctor, shares her approaches and strategies to not just survive, but thrive in these non-ideal times. Drawing on her experiences from the world of high performance sport and the lessons she’s learned as a medical doctor and champion on the front lines of securing PPE for Canadians, Wickenheiser explores the importance of fostering personal and professional resiliency and strength at a time when these qualities are needed most. She reminds audiences that, at a time when we’ve been asked to keep apart, we’ve actually never been more together.

Buck it

Hayley Wickenheiser’s most recent program encourages the audience to look for opportunities to buck the status quo when doing so means doing the “right” thing vs. following a herd mentality… right off a cliff.

Health, Wealth, and Wondering (in Sport and Life)

With a Masters in Kinesiology (with a focus on young adults with autism and engaging their brains through physical activity), currently attending medical school, and years of working with the most advanced medical technologies and medical minds in her on-ice career, Hayley Wickenheiser offers a unique perspective of the ins and outs of the sports and medicine field and how they entwine, for better and for worse. She also addresses mental health, speaking about her own experiences and of those she loves.

Change as a Path to Greatness

Hayley Wickenheiser shares with her audience the importance of always looking for improvements or opportunities to bring change within your life.

How to Stay Motivated Despite Being at the Top of What You Do

Complacency kills! Hayley Wickenheiser offers advice on how to keep the desire alive.

Being a Female in a Male Dominated World

Hayley Wickenheiser explains what it was like to grow up playing with the boys and later playing men’s professional hockey overseas

Teamwork and Success

Hayley Wickenheiser illuminates what a successful team needs and how Team Canada succeeded on the world stage

It’s Foolish to be Normal!

Success comes from going above and beyond what others normally do.

Dealing with Criticism and Pressure

How to perform when it matters most. Hayley Wickenheiser provides inspiration for the next generation of athletes and sports in Canada to perform even better.

Video clips

Hayley Wickenheiser

Speaker testimonials

“Thanks again for helping us out last night. You rocked it. Feedback has been amazing as people in attendance were completely impressed by your stories and also commented about being inspired and motivated from hearing you speak. I even caught glimpses of a few tears in the room at certain points of your talk. We also received high praise for your approachability and people liked the picture op with you and the medals. Once again, thank you!”

Kevin Morihira | KPMG

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