3-time Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Johnston retires from international competition

Rebecca Johnston, who helped lead Canada to three Olympic gold medals and three World Hockey Championship titles, announced her retirement from the national team on Thursday.

Johnston, 36, represented Canada in four Olympic winter games, winning gold medals in 2010, 2014 and 2022, as well as earning a silver medal in 2018. She also competed in 12 World Championships, winning gold three times in 2007, 2012 and 2021, along with eight silver medals and one bronze.

“After more than 15 years with Hockey Canada, it’s hard to put into words what this game and this journey have meant to me,” Johnston said in a press release. “From the first time I wore the Maple Leaf, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and responsibility to represent my country, and that feeling never faded.

“My ultimate dream was to play on the Olympic stage and to bring home medals for Canada, achievements that will always stand as the greatest honours of my career,” she added.

Making her Hockey Canada debut in 2007 at the age of 18, Johnston ended her career seventh all-time in games with 182, ninth in goals with 63, eighth in assists with 79 and eighth in points with 142.

Taken No. 2 overall by the Toronto Furies in the 2012 CWHL Draft, Johnston spent one season with the team before spending four years with the Calgary Inferno. She was the CWHL’s Most Valuable Player in 2014-15 and won the Clarkson Cup twice in 2016 and 2019.

“Hockey has given me more than I could have ever imagined: lifelong friendships, lessons in resilience and teamwork, and moments that will stay with me forever,” Johnston said. “What I will miss most are the little things: the locker room laughs, the feeling of stepping on the ice with my teammates and the unshakable bond of chasing a common goal together.”

Johnston currently works in player development with the NHL’s Calgary Flames, as well as a grassroots hockey coordinator, working with prospects on and off the ice.

“Deemed one of Canada’s best skaters ever, Rebecca brought a tremendous amount of skill to the teams she proudly represented,” said Gina Kingsbury, general manager of Canada’s National Women’s Team. “Her contributions on the ice helped shape some of this country’s most memorable moments. On behalf of Hockey Canada, we thank Rebecca for her outstanding career and everything she has given to our program and the game.”