Jocelyne Larocque remembers Game No. 1.
It was Nov. 4, 2008, in Lake Placid, New York, and a 20-year-old
Larocque was in the lineup for Canada’s National Women’s Team for the
first time
as it opened up the 4 Nations Cup against Finland.
“I remember being extremely nervous, but really grateful for the
opportunity to play on the national team,” Larocque says. “Just thinking
every day, be a sponge, absorb as much as you can, watch what other players
do and try to do what they do.”
Her debut was a successful one, both individually and as a team; Canada
blanked Finland 6-0 and Larocque chipped in the sixth goal in the final
minute, jumping in off the blue line to stuff in a Sarah Vaillancourt
rebound.
Sixteen-and-a-half years later, Larocque is on the cusp of history. When
she steps onto the ice Sunday for the gold medal game at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship, the Ste. Anne, Manitoba, product will become
just the fifth player in Team Canada history – and the first defender – to
appear in 200 international games.
She will join Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford, Caroline Ouellette and
Marie-Philip Poulin, who reached the milestone in Canada’s quarterfinal win
over Japan on Thursday.
“When I reflect on my history with Team Canada, I just feel a lot of
gratitude,” says Larocque, who plies her trade professionally with the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). “I don't
think it’s common for people to be able to do what they love at the highest
level on so many occasions. I reflect on when I first came on the team to
where my journey has gone, and what really stands out to me is the people,
the staff and players that I've been able to play with.”
She is a four-time world champion (2012, 2021, 2022, 2024) and a two-time
Olympic gold medallist (2014, 2022) whose hockey résumé is as impressive as
they come.
Twice an NCAA national champion (2008, 2010) and twice a First Team
All-American (2008-09, 2010-11) at the University of Minnesota Duluth,
Larocque also won a trio of Western Women’s Hockey League titles with the
Calgary Oval X-Treme from 2005-07 and a Clarkson Cup with the Markham
Thunder in 2018, and she was the first Canadian selected in the inaugural
PWHL Draft in 2023, going second overall to Toronto.
And yet she still finds herself as one of the most underrated players in
the women’s game. Perhaps it’s her lack of offensive numbers – that goal in
her debut all the way back in 2008 is one of just nine she has scored
wearing the Maple Leaf.
But what she brings to the team, and to the defensive group in particular,
is so much more valuable.
“She hasn't been in a position to produce offensively because of that
really important [shutdown] role that she's been given,” says Renata Fast,
a teammate since 2015 and frequent blue-line partner. “She owns it, and
she's so good at it. She loves shutting down other teams, and a lot of the
time, a player like her, who's very defensive-minded, doesn't get the credit
they deserve. I think for years, she's been the hardest player in the world
to play against, and she's been a huge part of the success this program has
had because just of her steadiness back there.
“In my time in the program, she's been the person that's changed the
culture, allowing players to play their game right away, because she wants
people to come in and be themselves, and you can sense that from just being
around her. She’s just such an incredible teammate and one of the greatest
leaders.”
As a leader, Larocque learned from the best. At that 2008 4 Nations Cup,
she remembers the generosity of veterans Becky Kellar and Cheryl Pounder,
providing an opportunity to pick their brains about all things Team Canada.
She also mentions Wickenheiser and Colleen Sostorics as role models.
Now it’s her turn to be that role model for a young defensive group that in
Ceske Budejovice includes 24-year-old Sophie Jaques and 18-year-old Chloe
Primerano, two players with a combined six games of senior team experience
coming into the tournament.
But for Larocque, it’s not about experience. It’s about having fun, playing
relaxed and simply just enjoying the time you have with the Maple Leaf on
your chest. That’s where success begins.
“I'm extremely competitive,” she says. “Everybody in this [Women’s Worlds]
is, but you do have to remember that you're having a lot of fun. And I find
when I'm playing light and free and fun, that's when I'm playing my best.
Our D corps for many years now, things are very light and fun, but also
very focused and detailed. I feel really proud that we've created that.
“What I like to remind younger players is that this is the highest level,
so there are going to be mistakes, but to not let the mistakes define you
or hurt your confidence. You can learn from them but still be confident in
yourself and your abilities and to not let that snowball.”
Born May 19, 1988, Larocque has been the elder stateswoman with Team Canada
for a number of years now, but the soon-to-be 37-year-old admits it wasn’t
until Sarah Fillier joined the team as its first player born in the 2000s a
few seasons ago that she really started to think about age.
Not surprisingly, they were thoughts of gratitude.
“The longer you play, obviously [younger] people are going to be coming
up,” she says. “It’s kind of inevitable, but it's also something where you
do take a second and you're like, ‘Wow, I am grateful that I'm still able
to play at this level, doing what I love,’ because hockey brings me so much
joy.”
“You have someone at this world championship like Chloe, who's quite a bit
younger than her, and I know Chloe is so comfortable to go up to Joce and
ask her for advice and spend time with her,” Fast adds. “And I know when I
joined the program, Joce is someone that I migrated towards right away,
just because of the quality she exudes, just so comforting and such a
positive person in our locker room.”
But don’t let all this talk about age give the wrong impression. In her
12th Women’s Worlds and with a potential fourth Olympic Winter Games less
than a year away, Larocque isn’t going anywhere.
“I've never let age dictate or hold me back,” she says. “I still think that
I'm getting better and better every year, but [playing 200 games] also
comes with a lot of discipline, where you do need to stay on top of your
fitness. And I think that what has helped me stay on this team for so many
years is making sure that I'm always ready – physically, mentally and
emotionally.”
