| France Saint-Louis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
(1958-10-17) October 17, 1958 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | DHC Lyss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |
.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Canada_(Pantone).svg.png) Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1987–1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
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.svg/1280px-Silver_medal_icon_(S_initial).svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg/1280px-Gold_medal_icon_(G_initial).svg.png){kind=icon}
France Saint-Louis (born October 17, 1958) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and retired player. She was a member of the Canadian women's national ice hockey team for nearly a decade, winning gold medals at five IIHF Women's World Championships and a silver medal at the inaugural women's ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics. At the age of 40, she retired from the Canadian Olympic Program to launch her own hockey school.[1] She served as a consultant to the Montreal Carabins women's ice hockey program from 2008 to 2016 and currently teaches at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal.[2]
She won the Abby Hoffman Cup seven times at Hockey Canada's National Championships (1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999) and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player a record five times (1988, 1990, 1991, 1997, 1998)
Playing career
Ice hockey
In the 1980s, St. Louis competed for the Ferland Quatre Glaces (first based out of Brossard, and then Repentigny) team in the League Régionale du Hockey au Féminin in the province of Québec.[3] She participated in the 1987 Women's World Hockey Tournament and was Canada's leading scorer. St. Louis was a member of the Canadian Hockey Team from 1990 to 1999. She was part of the first five women's teams to win gold at the IIHF Women's World Championships. She won the gold medal at the 1996 Three-Nation Cup and the gold medal at the 1996 Pacific Rim. She was also an assistant coach for Team Quebec at the 1991 Canada Winter Games.[4] France St. Louis was the Most Valuable Player of the 1998 Esso Nationals as Team Quebec finished in third place and was awarded the Maureen McTeer Trophy.[5]
In the 1980s, writers often paralleled St-Louis with the best names in men's hockey, be it Guy Lafleur[6] or Wayne Gretzky.[7][8] She started the decade with Belvedère de Montréal, won her first national medal on loan with Nettoyeur Seyer de St-Hyacinthe in 1984 (silver), and won her first National Championships MVP award with Sherbrooke in 1988.[9]
At the 1988 National Championships in Burlington, she had a 12-point game when she scored seven goals and five assists in a 20-0 win over Nova Scotia, a record that one reporter called "a game that would have made even Wayne Gretzky green with envy".[10]
Lacrosse
In addition to hockey, St. Louis was an accomplished lacrosse player. She was a member of the Canadian Team from 1985 to 1989. She participated at the World Championships in Australia (1989) and the World Championships in Philadelphia (1986), where Canada finished in fourth place. St. Louis was part of the team that won the Gold medal at Canadian Championships in 1989.
Career stats
| Event | Goals | Assists | Points | Shots on goal | +/- |
| 1998 Olympics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
[11]
Coaching
As part of the IIHF Ambassador and Mentor Program, St. Louis was a Hockey Canada coaching mentor that travelled to Bratislava, Slovakia to participate in the 2011 IIHF High Performance Women's Camp from July 4–12.[12]
As of 2010, St. Louis was a consultant to the Montreal Carabins women's ice hockey program.
Awards and honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Order of Hockey in Canada | 2014[13] |
| Abby Hoffman Cup | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| Most Valuable Player, National Championships | 1988, 1990, 1991, 1997, 1998 |
| Isobel Gathorne Hardy Award | 2001 |
| Québec Sports Hall of Fame (Panthéon des sports) | 2003[14] |
| Hockey Québec Hall of Fame (Temple de la renommée du hockey québécois) | 2014[15] |
More honours
- Quebec Athlete of the Decade in Lacrosse (1980 to 1990)
- Quebec Athlete Award of Excellence in Women's hockey (1986 and 1991)
- Captain of the Canadian Women's team (1992–1994)
- Assistant captain of the Canadian Women's hockey team (1997)
- Nominated for Teammate Award of Excellence by the Quebec Hockey Federation (1994 and 1990)
References
- ^ http://www.francestlouis.com/anglaisnew/fr_accueil2_e.htm Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Athletes – France St-Louis". Canadian Olympic Committee. September 18, 2011. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History, p.131, by Elizabeth Etue and Megan K. Williams, Second Story Press, Toronto, Ontario, 1996, ISBN 0-929005-79-1
- ^ Who's Who in Canadian Sport, Volume 4, p.418, Bob Ferguson, Fitzhenry and Whiteside Ltd., Markham, ON and Allston, MA, ISBN 1-55041-855-6
- ^ "Alberta downs Ontario 3–2 in Overtime in Gold Medal Final to win 1998 Esso Women's Nationals Hockey Championship". Hockey Canada. March 22, 1998. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ "Au tournoi féminin de hockey" Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe, March 26, 1980, p. B4.
- ^ "Encore des préjugés au hockey féminin" La Presse, January 22, 1988, p. 6.
- ^ "Quebec skates to championship" The Burlington Spectator, March 21, 1988, p. T5.
- ^ "Quebec skates to championship" The Burlington Spectator, March 21, 1988, p. T5.
- ^ "Golden Hawks defence adapts well" The Spectator, March 19, 1988, p. C2.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Official Website of Hockey Canada". Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ "Order of Hoceky". Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "Panthéon des sports du Québec". Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "Temple de la renommée du hockey québécois". Retrieved December 7, 2025.
External links
- France St-Louis – Biography Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- (French) Coach profile on Carabins Website 2010–11
- (French) Tellement sport report on Radio-Canada.ca
