Brianne Jenner And Natalie Spooner's National Team Careers Were Hall Of Fame Worthy

When Hockey Canada announced their 25-player roster for the 2026 World Championships, it was without several of Canada's top stars from the last decade; players like Jocelyne Larocque, Emerance Maschmeyer, Sarah Nurse, Natalie Spooner, and Brianne Jenner

Any of these players might someday find themselves in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but two in particular — Natalie Spooner and Brianne Jenner — leave Team Canada with national team careers behind them that are already Hall of Fame worthy.

Born only seven months apart, the careers of Jenner and Spooner have been aligned for two decades. Spooner, 36, and Jenner, 35, both grew up playing in Ontario's junior league, then coincidentally enough referred to as the Provincial Women's Hockey League, or PWHL. Jenner, from Oakville, played for the Stoney Creek Sabres, while Spooner, from Scarborough, played for the Durham West Lightning. The duo faced off as opponents in the league from 2005 until 2008.

In 2008, the pair won their first international medals representing Canada at the U-18 World Championships alongside Marie-Philip Poulin. Spooner was named a Top 3 Player on Team at the event scoring 11 points, while also leading the tournament in face-off percentage. A year Jenner's senior, Spooner headed to Ohio State the following season, while Jenner returned to captain Canada's U-18 team to another silver in 2009.

At the senior national level, Spooner made her Team Canada debut winning silver in 2011. The following season, Jenner joined Team Canada with both contributing to Canada's gold medal win in 2012.

In many ways, it was a similar situation to Canada's current affairs, where following the 2010 Olympics, Canada began infusing young talent and replacing veterans.

In 2014, Spooner and Jenner were both members of the Canadian national team roster than captured Olympic gold in Sochi, Russia. 

Following Spooner's NCAA career at Ohio State, and Jenner's with Cornell, both joined the Canadian Women's Hockey League, where in 2016-17 Spooner was captaining the Toronto Furies, while Jenner was captaining the Calgary Inferno.

In their careers, both have two Olympic gold medals, Spooner has three and Jenner four World Championship gold medals, while Spooner has seven and Jenner six World and Olympic silver medals. 

Individually, the pair also have unique accolades that set them apart.

At the 2022 Olympic Games, Brianne Jenner was named a tournament All-Star and MVP leading the event in goals scored, while helping Canada to gold.

Spooner was twice named a World Championship tournament All-Star in 2015 and again in 2021. In 2024, she was the recipient of the first ever IIHF Female Player of the Year Award, that season not only winning gold with Canada, but also leading the PWHL in goals and points, while being named a First Team All-Star, Forward of the Year and PWHL MVP. 

Last season, Jenner earned her first PWHL First Team All-Star accolade. 

Ultimately, the 2026 Olympics, where Jenner and Spooner won silver with Canada, will stand as the swan song on their storied international careers. 

With their national team careers looking as though they're in the past, although one or both could conceivably play their way back onto the roster for 2027, and their decorated PWHL careers ongoing, both will someday reunite once again as their parallel career paths will lead Brianne Jenner and Natalie Spooner directly into the Hockey Hall of Fame.