One of hockey’s greatest icons has been given one of Canada’s highest civilian honors.
The Governor-General of Canada announced on Wednesday morning that international hockey superstar Angela James has been named to the Order of Canada as part of a group of 85 appointees.
James is one of Canada’s greatest athletes — regardless of sport. Considered to be the first female hockey superstar, James led Canada to four World Championship gold medals over her distinguished career, racking up 26 goals and 46 points in 35 games at the international level across numerous tournaments.
James also put together one of the greatest tenures in Canadian collegiate sports history throughout her career, as well. In three years at Seneca College, James compiled an astonishing 128 points in just 32 games, including a 1984-85 season during which she annihilated opponents to the tune of 50 goals and 23 assists for 73 points in a mere 14 games. James would then go on to play in the first incarnation of the NWHL, achieving historic success once again by compiling 58 goals and 99 points in 58 games over two seasons with the Beatrice Aeros.
In 2010, James joined Cammi Granato as the first two women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. She’s also been inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, the Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
James hasn’t let retirement stop her from achieving great things, either. After hanging up her skates, James has stepped into the coaching and management side of the game in her post-playing days, having been just named GM of the Premier Hockey Federation’s Toronto Six after serving as an assistant coach for the 2021-22 season.
With the Order of Canada now on her mantle, it begs the question: What else is left for James to possibly accomplish?
No matter how many heights she’s reached, James will undoubtedly find more to conquer.
