RHEAUME DROPPED FROM NATIONAL TEAM First woman to play goal in NHL game places third in battle for two open spots Wednesday, March 26, 1997 By Robert MacLeod Sport Reporter Goaltender Manon Rhiaume, who played a pivotal role in the growth of women's hockey in Canada, has been released from the Canadian national women's team as it prepares for the world championships next week in Kitchener, Ont. Rhiaume, 25, the only woman to have played in a National Hockey League exhibition game, was given the crushing news yesterday morning by Team Canada coach Shannon Miller. An obviously distraught Rhiaume, who represented Canada on two previous world-champion champion women's teams in 1992 and 1994, met with reporters shortly after she was told of the decision. "When you have a chance to represent your country, it's always a big honour," said the native of Charlesbourg, Que. "To be cut, for sure it's disappointing." For Miller, the decision to cut Rhiaume came down to a numbers game. Along with Danielle Dubi of Vancouver and Lesley Reddon of Fredericton, N.B., Rhiaume was one of three solid goaltenders vying for two openings on the team, which has been holding a pretournament training camp in Barrie, about an hour's drive north of Toronto. Miller said Rhiaume's performance the past four days in Barrie, at a two-week training camp in Quebec in January where the Team Canada roster was essentially selected, and at last October's Three Nations Cup, was not as consistent as the other two goalies. "We have three goaltenders who, without question, can start and play in net for this hockey team," Miller said. "We had to make a decision on two. And when you're looking at three people who can all play for you, you're going to have to go to consistency. And we made a decision that the other two goaltenders were at this point in time, for this event, playing more consistent hockey for us." The roster move is the only one that Miller had to make heading into next week's world tournament. Team Canada is now down to 20 players heading into Monday's first game against Switzerland. For Rhiaume, it is a setback in a hockey career that has had nothing but positive achievements. In 1992, she made hockey history and became a role model for young female players across Canada when she became the first woman to play in a NHL game, seeing action during an exhibition contest with the Tampa Bay Lightning. For the past couple of years, Rhiaume has been playing goal with the Reno Renegades in the West Coast Hockey League. This season, she said her involvement with the Renegades has developed past the curiosity stage to the point where she felt she was a contributing factor to the club. She noted that in the past month and a half, she has started 11 games. "This year, I was really treated like another goaltender, like I was a part of the team," she said. "And I was playing every other game with the other goaltender and I was playing well. I know now I can play at that level, professionally, regularly, like any other goaltender." Despite the disappointment of not making Team Canada, Rhiaume said she is determined to return to Canada next September when tryouts begin for the Canadian team that will compete in the Winter Olympics in Nagano. "I want to be there at the Olympics and I want to be ready in September and give them no choice but to take me for the team," she said. "She's a very, very good person and has been a great ambassador, not only for female hockey but hockey in this country," Miller said. "I hope she comes back with us in September and takes another shot for the Olympic team." In the meantime, Rhiaume said, she will be returning to Sacramento, which she now makes home, and begin training for the professional roller hockey men's team for which she plays. Rhiaume said she usually plays goal, but "for fun" she gets to play forward once in a while. -------------------------- Copyright (c) 1997, The Globe and Mail Company . All rights reserved.