Lesley Reddon began playing ice hockey at the age of six and started off as a forward, but changed her position to goaltender at the peewee level. She played for four years on the University of Toronto women’s hockey team, winning provincial titles every season while working towards her bachelor’s degree in business. In 1993 she began pursuing a master’s degree in physical education from the University of New Brunswick and tried out for the men’s hockey team, the UNB Reds. She made the cut for the 1994-1995 season and became the first female goaltender to play in the Atlantic Universities’ Hockey Conference. She also minded the net for two games at the 1994 World Championships, where Canada took home the gold medal in women’s hockey. During the winter prior to her 1997 graduation she worked as an intern with the Fredericton Canadiens of the American Hockey League in marketing and promotions. That same year she played on the national team once more and acquired a second world championship gold medal.
Reddon was chosen as a goaltender for Canada’s women’s ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics. She played in four matches and took home a silver medal with her teammates. After these Games she retired from international play, but has continued to maintain a presence at the national level. She served as a staff member with the Canadian women’s delegation to the 2006 Winter Olympics, where the team took home a gold medal. She also served as a goaltender with the Strathmore Rockies of the Western Women’s Hockey League for the 2008-2009 season and, as of 2009, she was the general manager of the Reddon Red Devils, a junior level hockey team from Calgary, Alberta. In 2006 she made a member of the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame.
Canada