“You can achieve anything that you set yourmind to. It doesn't matter where you come from… If you want to do something, doit and do everything you can to achieve it.”

Great advice from women’s hockey silvermedal Olympian, Brigette Lacquette who is currently serving as a member of thecoaching staff at the 2026 Manitoba Winter Games in Thompson.  

It wasn’t always easy for Lacquette, who recalleda time when she struggled in the sport. “I had just gotten cut from TeamManitoba. I tried out as an under-ager, and I didn't make it. And that was kindof the turning point … Where do I go from here?”

Laquette hails from Mallard, a smallManitoban community with less than 100 people. With few resources, Laquette didn’t give up on her hockey dreams.  She worked to improve her skills, with thehelp of her father and brother.

“I was rollerblading on the highway as mydad was blowing the whistle, [skating] from hydro pole to hydro pole… Mybrother got looped in because he was also a defenseman.”

That work ethic and perseverance paidoff.  Brigitte Lacquette was the firstFirst-Nations woman to play on Canada’s National Woman’s Hockey Team.  She played hockey in the Dauphin area andrepresented Parkland in the Manitoba Winter Games in Beausejour in 2006.  She played at the UAT National level beforeattending college, competing for the University of Minnesota Duluth’s hockeyteam.  Lacquette was a member of TeamManitoba for several years before achieving her spot on the Canadian Women’s HockeyTeam.  Her team won the silver medal inthe Pyeongchang Olympics, in 2018.  

Yesterday, Laquette travelled to Thompsonto coach the next generation of female hockey players at the Manitoba WinterGames.

“I think it's cool. I've always wanted togive back once I was done playing. Now that I have the opportunity and the freetime, and now that I'm actually in Manitoba, I think [coaching] is definitelya cool experience… I would rather be doing this than anything else.”

Laquette sees the Manitoba Winter Games asakin to a miniature Olympics.  “To playat the winter games, it's so cool.” Especially, “being exposed to players [from] around the province, Ithink that's super special.”  Shedescribes competing at the Manitoba Winter Games as being “a very, very fullexperience.”

Her advice for girls wanting to continue inthe sport of hockey is to set goals and continue to persevere, much like shedid.  “Go through the adversity… falldown and get back up. It definitely builds character.”