Before becoming one of the greatest speed skaters of all-time, Cindy Klassen dreamed of representing Canada's women's hockey team at the Olympics, and almost did.

Had the selection camp for Canada's women's hockey team prior to the 1998 Olympic Games gone differently, one of the greatest Canadian athletes of all-time, we might have never known Cindy Klassen's speed skating greatness.

Growing up in Winnipeg, Klassen dreamed of playing in the NHL. She was a hockey player, and a hockey player alone. Her parents suggested speed skating early, when Klassen was only eight, but she resisted in favor of chasing her hockey dreams, which soon evolved to focus on representing Canada's women's hockey team at the Olympic Games.

"My dreams of being in the NHL had long switched to dreams of making the women’s Olympic hockey team," Klassen said when reflecting on her induction to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1995, Klassen represented Team Manitoba at the Canada Games, and the following year the blueliner was named to Canada's newly former women's national junior team alongside the likes of new Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Caroline Ouellette. Two years later, however, Klassen failed to crack Canada's Olympic women's hockey team, and it changed her path forever.

"I found out, however, that I wasn’t good enough for 1998 Games in Nagano, and I would have to wait to try out for the 2002 team. It was my first year of university, high school sports had ended for me, and all I had was hockey. I needed something else to keep me busy."

Soon, her parents brought back the now decade old suggestion of trying speed skating and "begrudgingly," Klassen agreed to try the sport. Hating the skin tight speed skating uniforms, Klassen took to the ice wearing a track suit and hockey helmet.

Soon however, Klassen found love for the sport.

"My NHL heroes were replaced by Susan Auch and Catriona LeMay Doan, and I recorded their races on VHS tapes to watch over and over again. My dream to compete at the Olympics had morphed," she said. "Hockey was fading, speed skating was rushing in."

At the 2006 Olympics, Klassen became the first Canadian in history to win five medals in a single Olympic Games including a gold medal in the 1500m race. That year she was named Canada's Athlete of the Year, beating out the likes of NHLer Joe Thornton and NBA star Steve Nash, who were also nominated for the award that year.

Klassen's career recognitions include being featured on a minted Canadian quarter coin, and being inducted to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

She retired from speed skating in 2015.

Had her hockey career turned out differently in 1998 however, the world may have never known one of the fastest athletes on ice, Cindy Klassen.