MONTREAL – Danièle Sauvageau knows a thing or two about defying the odds.
As head coach, the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee led the Canadian women’s hockey team to their first Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, despite Team USA being heavily favored.
She’s been told “no” more times than it’s worth counting, and yet each time, Sauvageau has stood firm, looking instead for ways to make women’s hockey better and more sustainable at all levels. From creating the Universite de Montreal Carabins women’s hockey program – the first among francophone universities in the province – to establishing the Centre 21.02 training facility, it comes as no surprise that the general manager of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire enters the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder, alongside former Boston University Terriers’ head coach Jack Parker.
The Canadiens content team spoke to Sauvageau about this accomplishment ahead of Induction Weekend. Sauvageau and Francois Gagnon, who will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism, will be honored at the Bell Centre prior to Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars.
Please note questions and answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
What does it mean to you to be inducted as a builder?
It means a lot to me based on the emotions I felt when I got the call. It’s as if, within just a few seconds, every time I was told, “You can’t coach, you can’t analyze,” or “No, it’s not possible,” it’s as if all of that disappeared to make way for the good memories and moments. I was so excited to tell my parents, they were the first people I wanted to call immediately. My mom became emotional and didn’t really understand what I was saying. I told her, “We need to keep this under wraps for another 45 minutes until they announce it.” Within three or four minutes, I got texts from my brothers and sister. I was like, “So much for keeping a secret.” At the same time though, we were able to share this moment together, which is such a big privilege, to be born into a family that’s so close. That was such a huge moment for me.
What makes you the most proud?
What makes me proud from an individual standpoint is to still be here. When I thought that I had maybe done enough and wanted to do something else, I had people in my life who told me, “You always said that your boss was the sport of hockey and it still exists. You can still have an impact.” After 40 years, it’s still my biggest source of pride, and I thank those who encouraged me throughout my career to still be here today.
How does it feel to be considered a “builder?”
To be considered as someone who has built things, I come back to my mother again. She lost her own mother when she was just five years old. From a young age, I can remember her always asking, “How can I help?” And every time I’ve been told “no,” well, my response was exactly that: “How can I help?” It’s a new opportunity. I have a passion for hockey and I have these opportunities to have an impact and help build things that have never existed before. If you go back 40 years, there were possibilities. Whether it was CEGEP programs or the program at the Université de Montréal, there weren’t opportunities on the francophone side. And then even this facility we’re at today, at Centre 21.02, which is named 21.02 in honor of the date Canada won its first gold medal in women’s hockey on 21/02 [February, 21, 2002] and the people who championed that. Geoff Molson has been part of building this. Barry Lorenzetti has been part of it. For me, it’s about having been there in the moments where hockey really needed it. To build places where the Marie-Philip Poulins of this world can train for free in the summer, to have a place to call their own. Those are the moments – and they’re not built by a single person along – but those are moments built in the name of building the game of hockey, and in particular, they were built for the women who represent us so well at the highest level.
Do you have a message for young girls who are growing up, watching the Marie-Philip Poulins of the world?
The message I have for young girls – and young boys – who watch women’s hockey is to keep watching for years to come. Keep playing hockey, keep having fun, and dream of playing or working in hockey professionally.
For tickets to the Victoire’s home opener on November 25 against the New York Sirens at Place Bell, click here.
