A. Danielle Bourgeois, ’05 BA, ’09 LLB Then & now: Played left wing for five years. Currently a lawyer with Field LLP in Edmonton. When did you start playing hockey? I started playing hockey unofficially when I was three and taught myself to skate while watching my brother’s outdoor practices. My parents gave me a hockey stick to help with balance and a pair of elbow pads to cushion the blow when I fell. I started playing hockey officially when I was five years old. What’s your best memory from the 1999–2000 team? My best memory happened when we landed at the Edmonton Airport after defeating the McGill University Martlets for the CIAU championship. We came down to the baggage area, and as we rounded the corner there were (what seemed like) hundreds of people jammed in the baggage area cheering for us! It was an unreal feeling and a moment I will never forget. What did you feel upon learning you were being inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame? I felt instantly honoured to have been part of Alberta sport history. We were the first university women’s hockey team from the west to win a CIAU national championship. I’m also excited to have a chance to reunite with the 1999-2000 team and hope that other alumni come out as well. What was it like to play for coach Howie Draper? Playing for Howie Draper was a great experience. During my five years on the team, Howie and I learned how to bring out the best in each other and how to work together at our weaknesses. Howie taught me so many invaluable lessons about hockey and life, and I am proud to say we still are, and will always be, great friends.
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new trail
Spring 2011
Photos by Richard Siemens/U of A Marketing Services
Hometown: Edmonton, AB