Jayna Hefford is receiving a rare honor this weekend. It’s one reserved for only the best in her sport. She earned her way here by playing on five Olympic teams, including four gold medal winners. She played in twelve World Championships, leading the tournament in scoring twice. The Canadian Women’s Hockey League named the trophy for the best player in its regular season after Hefford. That’s what got her to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the video interview that is the centerpiece of this post was conducted there on the day when Hefford and the other inductees received their Hall of Fame rings.
Less than 300 players have become “honoured members” of the Hall of Fame, located in Toronto. A little over a hundred more have gone in as builders or on-ice officials. Six of them are women. The Hall began inducting female members in 2010, a notable move that indicated how much the women’s game has grown in recent decades. In addition to getting to relive the contributions she made to the sport in the past, Hefford also bears a lot of responsibility for how it might grow in the future. We discussed why in the video, and look forward to seeing how her efforts turn out.
After receiving her ring at the Friday ceremony, Hefford will play in the Legends Classic on Sunday and receive her blazer. Then Monday, she and fellow inductees Gary Bettman, Martin Brodeur, Willie O’Ree, Martin St. Louis, and Alexander Yakushev will get to make their speeches and be officially recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame as its newest class.
