Daniele Sauvageau named GM of Canadian women’s team
A legendary figure in women’s hockey is set to lead her country once again.
On Wednesday, Hockey Canada announced that Danièle Sauvageau has been named the general manager for the Canadian Women’s National Team. Sauvageau, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year in the builder’s category, will hold her position through the 2030 Winter Olympics.
On top of her new position, Sauvageau will remain as GM of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire, a position she has held since the league’s inception in 2023. She has put together a unit that has qualified for the postseason all three years, including winning the franchise’s first Walter Cup this past year. The expectation is that the 2026-27 campaign will be her final year with the club, before becoming the full-time vice president and GM of Canada’s women’s national programs.
This isn’t the first time Sauvageau has been part of Team Canada. She was an assistant coach under Shannon Miller in 1996-97, before taking over as head coach in 2000. In that role, she led Canada to the gold medal at the 2001 IIHF Women’s World Championship and 2002 Winter Olympics, marking the country’s first ice hockey gold at the Olympics in 52 years.
Sauvageau admits that returning to Hockey Canada as the team’s new GM “is a privilege.”
“Working alongside the country’s best women’s hockey players and staff as we prepare for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games is an incredible opportunity, and we have our sights set on showing the very best performance at every opportunity along the way,” Sauvageau said in a release. “I have incredible memories of representing Team Canada and understand the preparation and collaboration required to achieve success at the international level.”
While it has been over two decades since she’s worked for Hockey Canada, Sauvageau hasn’t been away from the international game. She has been the GM of the French Women’s National Team, helping the program qualify for the 2026 Olympics.
Sauvageau takes the position formerly held by Toronto Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury. Following the disappointing silver medal finish at the Winter Games this past February, both Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan stepped away from the national team. Sauvageau is tasked with bringing Canada back to the top of the international podium, as the team lost both the 2025 Women’s Worlds and 2026 Olympic finals to the rival United States. On top of getting embarrassed in the 2025-26 Rivalry Series, Canada has lost eight consecutive games to the Americans.
She doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get her affairs in order, as she has to prep her roster for the 2026 WWC, which is set to take place in November. The coaching staff for the squad will be announced in the coming weeks.