Jocelyne Larocque

Jocelyne Dawn Marie Larocque (born May 19, 1988) is a Canadian ice hockey player for PWHL Toronto of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She previously played in the PWHPA, with the Calgary Inferno and Markham Thunder of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), the Calgary Oval X-Treme and Manitoba Maple Leafs of the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL), and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).[1] With the Bulldogs, she was a two-time NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Tournament champion (2008, 2010). Larocque is of Métis heritage and was the first indigenous athlete to participate in the women's ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics.[2]

Jocelyne Larocque
Larocque with PWHL Toronto in 2024
Born (1988-05-19) May 19, 1988 (age 36)
Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Canada
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight146 lb (66 kg; 10 st 6 lb)
PositionDefence
ShootsLeft
PWHL team
Former teams
PWHL Toronto
National team Canada
Playing career2004–present
Medal record

Early life edit

Larocque played hockey and basketball from 2002 to 2004 at College Lorette Collegiate in Manitoba. During the 2003–04 season, she became the first female player to appear in the Winnipeg High School Boys League. Larocque attended the Hockey Manitoba Program of Excellence Camp from June 25 to 27, 2004.[3] Larocque competed for Manitoba at the 2003 Esso Women's Nationals in Saskatoon as the Manitoba team finished eighth. In January 2005, she was a member of the Manitoba team that participated in the Canadian National Women's Under-18 Championship in Salmon Arm, BC. Manitoba finished fifth, but Larocque was honoured as Top Defenceman. She won the WWHL championship with the Calgary Oval X-Treme in 2005.[4]

College career edit

In March 2008, Larocque had one assist as UMD won their fourth NCAA national championship in a 4–0 win over the University of Wisconsin.[5] She competed along with two other players from her hometown of Ste. Anne, Manitoba (population 1,500), Minnesota Golden Gophers senior captain Melanie Gagnon and Mercyhurst forward Bailey Bram. The three were known colloquially as the “Ste. Anne Three.”[6] Also in 2009, Larocque was the first Bulldog defenceman to be named to the All-American first team.[7]

After being cut from Team Canada's Olympic roster in December 2009, Larocque elected to return to UMD for the second half of the 2009–10 season, forfeiting half a season of NCAA eligibility.[8] On March 22, 2010, Larocque and the Bulldogs earned their fifth NCAA national championship with a 3–2 triple overtime victory over Cornell University.[9]

Larocque with UMD in 2011

In a February 12, 2011 game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Larocque had a goal and three assists as the Bulldogs defeated Ohio State by a 5–1 mark.[10] Already the all-time top-scoring defenceman in UMD history, she became UMD's 14th player and first defenceman to score 100 career points.[11] Larocque's assist on a power play goal with 40 seconds remaining was her second career four-point game. Larocque was the top-scoring defenceman in the WCHA for the 2010–11 season, with six goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 26 league contests.[12]

In post-season league honours,[13] Larocque was named to the All-WCHA first team; was voted the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches; was the top-scoring defenceman in the league with six goals, 18 assists and 24 points in 26 league contests; was named the WCHA Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year; and was named to the 2010–11 All-WCHA Academic Team.

She graduated with honours from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2011 with a Bachelor of Accountancy. She ended her college hockey career as the Bulldogs' all-time leader in scoring for defencemen with 105 points on 19 goals and 86 assists in 127 games.[14]

Professional career edit

Larocque first played for the Team Alberta franchise and remained with them after a rebranding that saw them renamed the Calgary Inferno. In August 2013, she was traded to the Brampton Thunder for fellow Manitoban Bailey Bram.[15] Of note, she served as the final team captain in the history of the Brampton Thunder. When the franchise relocated to Markham, Ontario, she continued as team captain. Of note, she served in the capacity when the Thunder captured the 2018 Clarkson Cup, a franchise first.

On September 18, 2023, Larocque was drafted second overall by PWHL Toronto in the 2023 PWHL Draft.[16]

International play edit

She participated in the Canadian National Team Fall Festival from August 31 to September 9, 2007. She was an Air Canada Cup women's champion in 2005–06 and 2006–07. On November 27, 2009, Larocque and Brianne Jenner were released from Hockey Canada's centralized roster to determine the roster for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.[17]

Despite not qualifying for the roster competing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she was named to the final roster for the 2010 MLP Nations Cup.[18] Larocque had an assist in the semi-final of the 2010 MLP Cup.[19] In addition, she attended the Hockey Canada Strength and Conditioning Camp in Calgary from May 25 to 30, 2010.[20] In addition, Larocque competed with Canada at the 2010 Four Nations Cup and won a gold medal.[21]

Her Olympic debut with the national team came at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Team Canada won the gold medal. She played in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, winning a silver medal with Team Canada.[22] She received attention following the gold medal game for removing her silver medal immediately after it was presented to her, prompting a later reproach from an IIHF official.[23] She issued an apology the following day, saying in part, "In the moment, I was disappointed with the outcome of the game, and my emotions got the better of me. I meant no disrespect. It has been an honour to represent my country and win a medal for Canada. I'm proud of our team and proud to be counted among the Canadian athletes who have won medals at these games."[24]

On January 11, 2022, Larocque was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team.[25][26][27]

Personal life edit

Former Gophers player and captain Melanie Gagnon is Larocque's cousin.[28] A team was named after her at the 2007 Female Atom Hockey Festival presented by the Manitoba Moose on December 29, at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.[29]

Larocque's sister, Chantal, has competed for Canada at the ISBHF World Championships. Both were also teammates on the now-defunct Calgary Oval X-Treme.

Career statistics edit

Career statistics are from USCHO.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database, or NCAA or the Team Canada Media Guide for 2022.[30]

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2004–05Calgary Oval X-TremeWWHL172681830002
2005–06Calgary Oval X-TremeWWHL2128106630448
2006–07Calgary Oval X-TremeWWHL21315184330006
2007–08Univ. of Minnesota DuluthWCHA39422266030116
2008–09Univ. of Minnesota DuluthWCHA374333710820114
2009–10Univ. of Minnesota DuluthWCHA19310135031124
2010–11Univ. of Minnesota DuluthWCHA32821296010000
2011–12Manitoba Maple LeafsWWHL3214354922
2012–13Alberta HoneybadgersCWHL2312344
2013–14CanadaAMHL1700016
2014–15Brampton ThunderCWHL2432538
2015–16Brampton ThunderCWHL242573220114
2016–17Brampton ThunderCWHL2004438
2017–18CanadaAMHL110336
2017–18Markham ThunderCWHL4112230002
2018–19Markham ThunderCWHL2328102830224
2019–20GTA EastPWHPA
2020–21TorontoPWHPA40332
2022–23Team AdidasPWHPA2002220
CWHL totals11892231182803310

International edit

YearTeamEventResult GPGAPtsPIM
2006Canada U22ACC 41016
2007Canada U22ACC 50002
2008Canada U22ACC 40338
2008Canada4 Nations Cup 31016
2009Canada U22MLP 51012
2009Canada4 Nations Cup 20000
2010Canada U22MLP 50228
2010Canada4 Nations Cup 40332
2011CanadaWC 50226
2011Canada4 Nations Cup 40114
2012CanadaWC 50116
2013CanadaWC 50228
2013Canada4 Nations Cup 40004
2014CanadaOG 51122
2014Canada4 Nations Cup 40006
2015CanadaWC 50004
2016CanadaWC 40004
2016Canada4 Nations Cup 30000
2017CanadaWC 50224
2017Canada4 Nations Cup 30008
2018CanadaOG 50112
2018Canada4 Nations Cup 40006
2019CanadaWC 70332
2021CanadaWC 70448
2022CanadaOG 702210
2022CanadaWC 71562
2024CanadaWC 714512
U22 totals3536944
Senior totals10543135106

Awards and honours edit

NCAA edit

  • 2009 First Team All-America selection[31]
  • WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (Week of February 16, 2011)[32]
  • 2011 Patty Kazmaier Award Nominee[33]
  • 2011 WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
  • 2011 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
  • 2011 All-WCHA First Team
  • 2011 First Team All-America selection[34]

International edit

  • 2014 Sochi Olympic Women's Hockey Gold Medal[35]
  • 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics Women's Silver Medal[36]
  • 2022 Beijing Olympics Women's Gold Medal[37]

CWHL edit

Other edit

References edit

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  2. ^ "Indigenous athletes help Team Canada win silver medal in women's hockey | CBC News". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "Hockey Manitoba | MANITOba's TOP PROSPECTS DESCEND ON BRANDON". Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
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  5. ^ "Welcome to collegehockeystats.net". Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
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  33. ^ "WCHA.com – WCHA Press Releases". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
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  35. ^ "Ste. Anne's Jocelyne Larocque strikes gold". February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  36. ^ "Ice Hockey – Athlete Profile: Jocelyne LAROCQUE". Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. February 22, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
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External links edit