France Saint-Louis (born October 17, 1958) is a Canadian
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
coach and retired player. She was a member of the
Canadian women's national ice hockey team
The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada in women's hockey. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and participates in international competitions ...
for nearly a decade, winning gold medals at five
IIHF Women's World Championships
The IIHF World Women's Championship (WW or WWC), officially the IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship, is the premier international tournament in women's ice hockey. It is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The offi ...
and a silver medal at the
inaugural women's ice hockey tournament at the
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...
. At the age of 40, she retired from the Canadian Olympic Program to launch her own hockey school. She served as a consultant to the
Montreal Carabins women's ice hockey
The Montreal Carabins women's ice hockey team defend the colors of the Université de Montréal and are members of the Quebec Student Sports Federation (RSEQ), and compete for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey championship. One ...
program from 2008 to 2016 and currently teaches at the
Cégep du Vieux Montréal
Cégep du Vieux Montréal is a CEGEP (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, or College of General and Vocational Education) located at 255 Ontario Street East, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The College of General and Vocational Edu ...
.
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. 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. 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.
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
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.
As of 2010, St. Louis was a consultant to the Montreal Carabins women's ice hockey program.
Awards and honours
* Inducted into the Panthéon des sports du Québec Sports Hall of Fame (2003)
* 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)
* Named Most Valuable Player on her team at the Canadian Championships (1998, 1997, 1991, 1990, 1988)
* Nominated for Teammate Award of Excellence by the Quebec Hockey Federation (1994 and 1990)
* 2014 recipient of the
Order of Hockey in Canada
The Order of Hockey in Canada is an award given out annually by Hockey Canada. It honours Canadian ice hockey players, coaches and executives and recognizes their contributions to the game. The first group of honourees was announced on April 10 ...
References
External links
France St-Louis – Biography* (French
Coach profileon Carabins Website 2010–11
* (French
Tellement sportreport on Radio-Canada.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Louis, France
1958 births
Living people
Canadian women's ice hockey forwards
Ice hockey people from Laval, Quebec
Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players for Canada
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Olympic silver medalists for Canada
Order of Hockey in Canada recipients