Eve Gascon is set to become the third goaltender to play in a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game when she takes to the ice on Saturday for the Gatineau Olympiques against the Rimouski Oceanic.
The 18-year-old Gascon, from Laval, Quebec, will join Manon Rheaume and Charline Labonte as the only women to see action in a QMJHL regular season game.
The first player to play midget triple-A hockey in Quebec, Gascon was called up by the Olympiques last week from the Patriotes de St-Laurent of the Cégep men’s league. She replaces Rémi Poirier, leaving injured from Gatineau.
“We’re all excited and know we’re part of something special, but at the end of the day there’s fairness in the sport right now and we’re really grateful for that,” the coach and general manager said. of the Louis Robitaille Olympics. “She deserves this shot, not because she is a woman, but because she is a very, very good goalkeeper.
Gascon attended training camp for the Olympiques and made 34 saves in a 12-1 win over the Victoriaville Tigres. With the Patriotes, she posted a 10-5-0 record with a 2.81 goals-against average.
“She had an exceptional training camp, she performed, she grew thanks to this camp,” Robitaille said. “We knew when we let her go at the end of camp it might just be a matter of time to see her back in uniform.”