Canadian women's hockey pioneer Vicky Sunohara gives her acceptance speech at the 2025 IIHF Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Stockholm, Sweden.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / MATT ZAMBONIN
If Canada’s Vicky Sunohara has an earworm song, it’s probably Queen’s “We Are The Champions.”
The 2025 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee was a slick, speedy sniper in her playing days, helping Canada win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2002 (Salt Lake City) and 2006 (Turin) after settling for silver in the Winter Games debut of women’s hockey in 1998 (Nagano).
Her national team journey began much earlier, though. Sunohara was just 19 when she scored six goals and nine points in Canada’s run to gold at the first-ever Women’s Worlds in Ottawa in 1990. It was her first of seven world titles, the last one coming in Winnipeg in 2007. Sunohara added a CWHL championship in 2008 as the captain of the Brampton Thunder.
This past season, the 55-year-old Scarborough native did triple duty as a bench boss. The longtime University of Toronto head coach also served as a coaching consultant with the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres. And in her first stint as the head coach of Canada’s U18 women’s national team, she guided her girls to gold at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Vantaa with a perfect 6-0 record.
After her induction in Stockholm in May, Sunohara chatted with the assembled media.
On her feelings about the Canadian jersey
So special and such a huge feeling of pride every time I've had the opportunity to put it on. Now, when I watch any Canadian teams play, it's like, you win with them, you lose with them. And I think it'll be like that for me forever.
On her biggest IIHF moment
After the heartbreak of losing in the gold medal game in 1998, I was with such a big group of the players that really wanted to have that opportunity to represent Canada again at another Olympics. So when that final whistle blew, I was so proud and so happy for all my teammates, knowing what they had been through. Winning gold in Salt Lake in 2002 was a highlight.
On handling adversity
In addition to Nagano, losing our first-ever World Championship gold medal game in 2005 in Linkoping was pretty difficult. But these times, as much as they're difficult, they're still memorable times where we grew as well. When you're winning, you don't get these valuable lessons on how to be a gracious loser. But in defeat, it's also a chance to take a good look inside individually: "What can I do better for the team?" Tough times make great learning experiences.
On being a women’s hockey pioneer
It's tough to see myself as a trailblazer, but to have girls that want to play and represent our country and also have players that are playing in the PWHL, it's very special. It's like being a parent. You always want a little bit better for your kids. And I feel like that as a hockey player, just wanting better things for the younger generations of female players to come.
On today’s players
I sometimes joke and say, "I'm glad I played when I did, because I don't think I would make the team these days!" The players are so fast, so strong, so much more skilled. It's because of the opportunities that they're given. They're allowed to play a lot more than we were, provincially, at college, or internationally.
The 2025 IIHF Hall of Fame inductee was a slick, speedy sniper in her playing days, helping Canada win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2002 (Salt Lake City) and 2006 (Turin) after settling for silver in the Winter Games debut of women’s hockey in 1998 (Nagano).
Her national team journey began much earlier, though. Sunohara was just 19 when she scored six goals and nine points in Canada’s run to gold at the first-ever Women’s Worlds in Ottawa in 1990. It was her first of seven world titles, the last one coming in Winnipeg in 2007. Sunohara added a CWHL championship in 2008 as the captain of the Brampton Thunder.
This past season, the 55-year-old Scarborough native did triple duty as a bench boss. The longtime University of Toronto head coach also served as a coaching consultant with the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres. And in her first stint as the head coach of Canada’s U18 women’s national team, she guided her girls to gold at the IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship in Vantaa with a perfect 6-0 record.
After her induction in Stockholm in May, Sunohara chatted with the assembled media.
On her feelings about the Canadian jersey
So special and such a huge feeling of pride every time I've had the opportunity to put it on. Now, when I watch any Canadian teams play, it's like, you win with them, you lose with them. And I think it'll be like that for me forever.
On her biggest IIHF moment
After the heartbreak of losing in the gold medal game in 1998, I was with such a big group of the players that really wanted to have that opportunity to represent Canada again at another Olympics. So when that final whistle blew, I was so proud and so happy for all my teammates, knowing what they had been through. Winning gold in Salt Lake in 2002 was a highlight.
On handling adversity
In addition to Nagano, losing our first-ever World Championship gold medal game in 2005 in Linkoping was pretty difficult. But these times, as much as they're difficult, they're still memorable times where we grew as well. When you're winning, you don't get these valuable lessons on how to be a gracious loser. But in defeat, it's also a chance to take a good look inside individually: "What can I do better for the team?" Tough times make great learning experiences.
On being a women’s hockey pioneer
It's tough to see myself as a trailblazer, but to have girls that want to play and represent our country and also have players that are playing in the PWHL, it's very special. It's like being a parent. You always want a little bit better for your kids. And I feel like that as a hockey player, just wanting better things for the younger generations of female players to come.
On today’s players
I sometimes joke and say, "I'm glad I played when I did, because I don't think I would make the team these days!" The players are so fast, so strong, so much more skilled. It's because of the opportunities that they're given. They're allowed to play a lot more than we were, provincially, at college, or internationally.