Olympian Jocelyne Larocque gives back to Eastman Selects

Eastman hockey players got the chance to pick the brain of one of Canada’s best during Selects Weekend in Steinbach.

Jocelyne Larocque, who boasts two Olympic Gold Medals along with countless other accomplishments in a Team Canada uniform, was at the Southeast Event Centre Oct. 18, as she hosted a question and answer/autograph session with Eastman Selects players.

“(Hockey has) taught me so many life lessons, I made some amazing friends, and has given me so much love and joy,” Larocque said.

Nearly every regional Eastman Selects team was in action this week at the SEC, as the program gathered for what they hope will become an annual event.

Larocque’s sister Chantal currently coaches one of the Selects teams, and her family took in the game at the SEC before meeting the players.

Larocque said her older sister was her hockey role model when asked by a young Selects player during the Q and A.

“(Chantal) was someone I always wanted to be like,” Larocque told the gathered players.

“We played on the outdoor rink together for hours. She was forward, I was defense, so she always tried to get around me. At first she always would, but I made it a little harder on her. She’s always pushed me to be better and she’s made me into the hockey player I am today.”

Chantal has found international success of her own, thriving in the sport of ball hockey. She was selected as Manitoba’s regional recipient for the Tom Longboat award, given to the top Indigenous athlete in the country.

“It’s important for young athletes to see role models like them,” Jocelyne said.

“When you can see someone who has lived similar to you doing what you love, it can definitely give you an extra sense of motivation. I hope I can do that for young players around here and all over the world, but especially around here.”

Larocque is preparing for the start of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s third season. She was the second player selected in the PWHL’s entry draft and was part of the league’s first big trade when Toronto moved her to Ottawa.

The league appears to be a roaring success, and Larocque said the feelings as a player are even better than the public’s.

“How much the support has grown and been, it’s beyond what we thought, and I expected it to be huge,” Larocque said.

“It’s bigger than I even expected. It’s cool to be a part of.”

Action on the ice this year will take on some added meaning, as play in the PWHL will be a key element in determining who will make Canada’s 2026 Olympic team. Larocque will be late to Ottawa’s training camp as she plays for Canada during the team’s Rivalry Series games against the U.S.A.

Those games will take place in Cleveland and Edmonton this year, beginning Nov. 6.

In previous Olympic years, players would all move to Calgary to train together. With new professional obligations, Canada’s structure has changed.

“This is the first of a new Olympic tryout,” Larocque said, noting she’s skated with potential Team Canada teammates throughout the summer.

“It’s all coming soon and it’s very exciting. It’s a big year, but it’s a big year of a lot of fun hockey, so I’m excited and thrilled to be a part of it.”

Fellow Ste Anne player, Raygan Kirk plays goalie in the PWHL for Toronto. It’s an important year for the league, as the inaugural six teams who founded the PWHL will be joined by Vancouver and Seattle.

For more photos from action across the Selects Weekend, check out the Carillon Sports Second Shots, published every Wednesday at www.thecarillon.com/sports.