Manon Rhéaume remains the only woman to appear in an NHL game, 34 years after her 1992 Tampa Bay Lightning preseason appearance. The 20-year-old goalie stopped seven of nine shots and became the first woman to sign a professional contract with an NHL team.
Rhéaume also played a second Tampa Bay preseason game in 1993. Lightning founder Phil Esposito said he invited her to training camp as the team prepared for its first season, and Rhéaume acknowledged the invitation was partly a publicity stunt. She later joined Canada’s national women’s team, won Olympic silver in 1998 and became general manager of the PWHL’s Detroit team in May.
