The Third... And Fourth?

You may have heard that goaltender Ève Gascon did something that only two other women have done in the history of the game as she suited up and played in a major-junior hockey regular season game. I had mentioned on The Hockey Show that she would be the fourth woman to appear in the QMJHL, but I need to correct that in that she became the fourth woman to appear in any CHL junior game as Shannon Szabados appeared in an exhibition game with the Tri-City Americans. With that fact stated correctly, Gascon officially joined Charline Labonté and Manon Rheaume as the only women to suit up in the QMJHL. Not celebrating this fact would be a huge misstep by this writer.

Without a doubt, Ève Gascon will be a star in the NCAA with the UMD Bulldogs when she arrives. There's a better-than-good chance she'll be on Hockey Canada's radar for 2026 if not sooner, and I'm almost certain the history she's made in her 18 years on the planet will see the Hockey Hall of Fame have her number on speed-dial. But Saturday night was about one woman seeking a win for her team as Gatineau played Rimouski!

As you may have heard, the 18 year-old netminder made 18 saves for the Gatineau Olympiques in a 5-4 overtime loss in front of a sold-out crowd of 4700 at the Centre Slush Puppie - the first sell-out at the rink! - on a night that will always stand out for Gascon.

"I can't even begin to describe what I was feeling," Gascon said after the game. "I had my best friends and family in the crowd so it was really special; it was a great moment. I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life."

As per hockey tradition, the rookie gets a solo lap in his or her first game, and Ève Gascon didn't miss out on her lap either!

Let's be honest in saying that what Gascon did tonight was nothing short of running down a dream. She's not only proved that she's good enough to play with the guys, but she'll only get better if there are more opportunities for her to play. Normally, Gascon is prohibited from spending more than 48 hours with the Olympiques due to school rules, but she was on spring break this week so she spent the weekend playing hockey at the QMJHL level. One would hope there will be more chances this season, but that remains to be seen as Gatineau prepares for what they hope is long playoff run and possibly a Memorial Cup berth, but it sounds like Gatineau liked what they saw in the overtime loss from their netminder.

"As the game went on, the stronger she got," Olympiques head coach Louis Robitaille told reporters. "When we got the lead in the third we saw her make some big saves and the crowd was chanting her name. I'm so proud of how she handled everything."

Speaking of handling everything, there were a number of famous Canadian hockey players who called Gascon in the build-up to the Saturday night game. She got a call from her old sports psychologist Charline Labonté who told her "to be myself and enjoy the moment". Beyond Labonté, calls came from Captain Clutch Marie-Philip Poulin, and from long-time head coach and current GM of the Carabins de Montreal Danièle Sauvageau who used to coach Louis Robitaille earlier in his career!

It seems that Robitaille only had one regret on Saturday night when it came to his goalie.

"We all knew it was a special moment," Robitaille told reporters. "The guys were all in. They were excited – I've never seen the room as hyped up as that before the game. You know, I think they were disappointed at the end. We played well, we didn't cash in on some good chances we had. We kind of let her down, also, because we took some penalties."

"I can't say it enough of how proud I am of her," he added afterwards. "This was tough. All the media attention, the crowd, it's a lot. I told her to go out and enjoy it."

Needless to say, Gascon's accomplishment this week brought all sorts of eyes to the game, and it must be stressed that a number of those sets of eyeballs came from girls younger than her. One of those girls is a young woman named Lisa Mombourquette playing in Nova Scotia who is chasing the same dream that Gascon has been chasing! The 16 year-old netminder from Lantz, Nova Scotia is already playing with the boys regularly as a member of the Weeks Majors U18 team, and she too is hoping to be drafted into the QMJHL!

"Like any guy, I would like to be drafted into the Q and I would give up my NCAA career to play in the Q," Mombourquette told Saltwire's Willy Palov. "I just think it would be such a huge opportunity to be drafted into the league because the chances are very slim for that happen."

While Lisa may believe her chances are slim to be drafted, there's always a chance that it could happen late in the QMJHL draft just as it did for Ève Gascon. As long as she keeps working hard and improving her skills, Mombourquette could be the fourth woman to suit up in the QMJHL. HBIC isn't putting any carts before horses, though, so let's celebrate the achievement of Gascon in being the third woman to play in the QMJHL while keeping an eye on the future because there will be another woman to play in the league. And another after her. And another after her too.

It might be Gender Equality Month in the NHL, but HBIC is all about celebrating the amazing accomplishments of women all year long. Ève Gascon is part of the great things that women are doing in the game, and the future is bright with players like Lisa Mombourquette following the paths laid down by all the amazing women who came before her. Get onboard with the women's movement in the game, folks, but this momentum isn't slowing down!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!