Danièle Sauvageau was born in Montreal and grew up in the Little Italy district before the family of four children moved to the Deux-Montagnes area.
Today, she is the general director of the Victoire de Montréal team, which is as successful on the ice as in the community.
She was the head coach of the women’s national hockey team that won the gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Games. In fact, all of her assistants found jobs in the NHL, except her.
Throughout her youth and later life, she was unable to join an NHL team because that three letter word kept her from achieving her goals… NO, because you’re a girl !
How can you describe your parents to me?
I am privileged because my parents, Marcel and Lise, are still living and they have been married for 65 years. They instilled in me so many good life values, including integrity. My father made sure I was well structured, while my mother wanted, like any good mother, to know what my feelings were like inside my heart.
What sports did you play in your youth?
I played hockey brandishing my ice skates in the street with the guys. I did all kinds of other sports, but always with guys, because women’s sports barely existed. However, one year in high school, I played soccer with a girls’ team.
Were you good enough to play hockey with your brothers?
There was always this major obsession: I was good enough to play with them, but for the first time I was confronted with the word “no”. Because I was a girl, I couldn’t play with the guys.
Were you discouraged by this response?
No way. During the years that followed, I used to open the door for the players when they came off the ice, give them water and occasionally offer advice. No coach has ever stopped me from doing it, except Hockey Quebec.
Hockey Quebec deprived you of becoming a coach?
I followed all the Hockey Quebec camps, but once I arrived at the Midget AAA level camp, there was no way I was going to lead a team, even if it was just a practice. The famous word… NO still appears in my life! Hockey Quebec informed me that I could not, because I was a girl.
-You worked at the Saint-Eustache arena.
I had no choice then, I wanted to be close to hockey. I became a nanny for young players, responsible for various team activities, but never as a coach.
You wanted to study law.
The famous word… NO still appears in my life! They advised me to make another career choice. So, I opted for a career in law. For the first time, I was accepted despite being a girl. The RCMP even invited me to join them after an investigation.
Two guys from the RCMP met your parents.
However, small problem, I had forgotten to notify my parents of my choice. I see two RCMP guys leaving my house and, as I enter the house, to this day I see my father drying the dishes and my mother saying to me: “You could have told us that you wanted become a police officer. » And my father who adds: “You always tell us that you are not accepted because you are a girl and you want to join a police force that is dominated by men. » I ultimately had a career in the RCMP and SPVM police force for 33 years.
You didn’t need mentors.
My parents always told me that I didn’t need mentors to succeed. I listened to them, but I must say that I will always be grateful to Serge Savard, who gave me the chance to be the first female assistant coach on a QMJHL team. The head coach was Gaston Therrien and his assistant, Gilbert Delorme.
How was this first experience in the QMJHL?
During the season, I found myself behind the players’ bench as an assistant. At the end of the season, Serge told me that he had hired me because he knew me and now he recognized my talent.
Has hockey remained important in your life?
Hockey has always had an important place in my life. The decisions I made were always based on my possibilities to play hockey.
How do you feel today with the role you play with Victory?
I never had a chance in the NHL because I was a woman. I will always remember Ken Dryden telling me that one day women would have a place in the NHL. My dream has been realized. And today, I am experiencing the magic with the formation of the Victoire de Montréal.
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