Twenty-seven-year-old Hamilton native Sarah Nurse is a stand-out forward and a University of Wisconsin alum, who will be joining the Olympic roster for the second time. Athleticism runs in the family: her cousins are Phoenix Mercury point guard Kia Nurse and Darnell Nurse, a defenseman for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, while her uncle Donovan McNabb is a former NFL quarterback and another uncle, Richard Nurse, played in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger Cats for five years. Here is what you need to know:
Hometown: Hamilton
Sport: Hockey
Position: Forward
Member: Canadian National Team, Professional Women’s Hockey Player Association (PWHPA)
Background: Nurse began playing hockey when she was five and found success early on, winning a silver medal with the Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres at the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) provincials, and going on to break the league record for most goals in the season. She spent her college career with the Wisconsin Badgers as an alternate captain, and in 2018, was drafted second overall by the Toronto Furies until they subsequently folded in 2019. Heading into her second Olympic games, Nurse continues to show her strength on the ice, and brings both skill and experience to the team.
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Career Highlights: In her Olympic debut in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, Nurse earned a silver medal with Team Canada and scored her first Olympic goal in a 2-1 win over their biggest rivals, the United States.
During the 2021 World Championships, Nurse had a goal and two assists to lead Team Canada to a 3-2 overtime win against the U.S. – their first world title in nine years.
What you need to know: Nurse graduated from the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business in 2018, and has gone on to become a role model for young women across Canada. In 2020, Tim Hortons and Mattel partnered with Hockey Canada and released two limited-edition Barbie dolls based on Nurse and fellow hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin as part of Barbie’s You Can Be Anything program. All proceeds were donated to the Hockey Canada Foundation to support girls’ hockey.
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Fun Fact: In 2018, Drake took to Instagram to give a shout-out to Nurse who had scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win over the U.S. during the Pyeongchang games. “Only in Canada would you find a sweeter ting that’s going top cheese for a Gino,” he captioned the story.
Olympic Event Date: Preliminary against Switzerland, Feb. 2; Preliminary against Finland, Feb. 4; Preliminary against Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Feb. 6; Preliminary against United States, Feb. 7.
Social feeds: Instagram Tiktok
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