If there’s a position for Team Canada for which very few questions will be asked is in front of the net. Ann-Renee Desbiens is the number one, so much that she won’t even be playing the first two games of the Rivalry Series. Emerance Maschmeyer is number two. And the odds are strongly in favour of 22-year-old Eve Gascon for the number three spot. 

At 31 years old, in her third Olympics, Desbiens is about to break a few Canadian records. She’s four games away from being the goaltender with the most games at the Olympics. Shannon Szabados leads with nine, followed by Kim St-Pierre with eight. She’s also three wins away from having the most wins. She would be surpassing once again Szabados and St-Pierre who have eight wins each. She could also become only the second goalie to win two gold medals playing that final game. 

And among the nine goaltenders who played with Team Canada since 1998, she will join Szabados, St-Pierre and Charline Labonté as the only ones with at least one game in three different Olympics.

“When I retired in 2018, there weren't many professional options,” Desbiens explained after Team Canada’s practice in Montreal last Wednesday. “I think we will see more and more players and goalies playing longer. Before, we didn’t have many choices: make a living, play hockey, or a bit of both. So, I hope it will become the norm to see more goalies participate in more Olympics.”

It’s going to be the first Olympics since the inception of the PWHL. If for 25 years, the main goal, for any Canadian women players, was to win the gold medal at the Olympics, now they are also battling for the Walter Cup. And it’s not a secret that Montreal wants to make the PWHL playoffs final for the first time and win the ultimate prize. 

“Both are on my to-do list this season,” admitted Desbiens. “It's no secret that I'm a sore loser, so whether it's an exhibition game, regular-season game, or gold-medal game, I want to win them all.”

Gascon in Desbiens’ Footsteps

One goalie who dreams to replace Desbiens is her fellow Quebecer Eve Gascon, who will be the Rivalry Series this coming week. The Mascouche native had her first national team call-up last April at the World Championships, even though she was the third goalie, a role Desbiens has also played when she first started. 

Between her role as the number one goalie with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, the training blocks, the Rivalry Series, and her studies, Gascon, 22, has a lot on her plate this season. 

“It’s a lot, but it’s fun to be able to experience this,” Gascon said. “I don’t have time to think about it. We’re always on the go. But I’m lucky to be with Caitlin Kraemer who is with me at school, so we help each other with that, and we have the same schedule, so it’s nice to have a friend with you.”

“Fatigue is going to play a role,” she continued. “I need to take the time to take care of myself, and it's more difficult with school, the team, and Team Canada, and then when I'm in Minnesota-Duluth, I also want to spend some time with my friends. So, it's true that it’s a lot. The important thing is to find the right balance in all of this.”

Desbiens The Mentor

Nine years older than Gascon, Desbiens has played the role of a mentor for her since the last Worlds. 

“It's really fun. We have a great relationship,” said Desbiens. There's also Marilou Grenier, whom I managed to connect with this summer, who came to my house. So, it's fun to see the next generation and watch them pave the way for others, inspiring others at different levels. I am confident that Eve will be here for many years. She has already started her college season, so her schedule is a bit different from ours, and I find it impressive that she comes here, misses school and her team, so I tip my hat to her.”

It is a relationship that Gascon actually cherishes. 

“Ann is a good role model, and I can take notes on what she does both on the ice and off the ice. She knows what she wants, and that's something I admire about her. She has really been kind to me, so it's fun to be able to be with her.”

Around the Rink

After Wednesday’s practice, it was fun to see Laura Stacey asking assistant coach and Hall of Fame member Caroline Ouellette advice on her positioning on the ice while on the rush.

Jennifer Gardiner really loved her time in Montreal last season, so much that she came back during summertime and again in September. She even gave Montreal’s first-round draft pick Nicole Gosling advice about where to go and what to do. Her favourite? To walk by the side of the Lachine Canal. 

The two-time Olympic gold medallist and 2018 MVP Mélodie Daoust was at the Verdun Auditorium on Wednesday with her new born to say hello to some friends. She does miss playing hockey, but she really likes the fact that she can be on the ice every day with her job at College Bourget. Since being retired, she took the women’s hockey program head coach position there.