Sami Jo Small

Sami Jo Small (born March 25, 1976) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender. As a member of the Canadian national team, she was a three-time Olympic medalist and four-time World Championship medalist. One of the founders of the now defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), she served in the role of vice-chair during the league's inaugural season and went on to play ten seasons in the league.

Sami Jo Small
Born Samantha Small
(1976-03-25) March 25, 1976
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for
National team  Canada
Playing career 1997–2018
Website www.samijosmall.ca
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Women's ice hockey
Olympic Games
2002 Salt Lake City Tournament
2006 Turin Tournament
1998 Nagano Tournament
World Championship
1999 Finland Tournament
2000 Canada Tournament
2001 United States Tournament
2004 Canada Tournament
Small with the Toronto Furies in 2012

Playing career

Small competed for Team Manitoba at the 1991 Canada Winter Games.[1]

Stanford University

Small is a graduate of Collège Jeanne-Sauvé and attended Stanford University on a track and field scholarship for the discus throw, hammer throw, and javelin throw events. While at Stanford, she also played on the Cardinal men's club hockey team.[2] At the 1997 Pacific-10 Track and Field championships, held May 24–25, 1997, Small finished in fifth place in the hammer throw with a distance of 161.5 ft (49.2 m) and placed seventh in discus throw with a distance of 158.8 ft (48.4 m).[3][4]

CWHL

Small was a goaltender for the Mississauga Chiefs of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. After the CWHL contracted in 2010, she was claimed by the Toronto Furies. With Toronto, Small participated in the championship game of the 2011 Clarkson Cup. Despite losing to the Montreal Stars by a 5-0 tally, Small accumulated 46 saves in the championship.[5] On February 9, 2014, in a victory against the defending Clarkson Cup champion Boston Blades, Small achieved her the 60th victory of her CWHL career, the first CWHL goaltender to reach the 60-win plateau.[6] In that same season, Small would win the 2014 Clarkson Cup, making her the third women's ice hockey goaltender to have won Winter Games gold, IIHF gold and the Clarkson.

International play

Small is a three time Olympian, and five-time world champion goalie for the Canadian national women’s ice hockey team.[7] Acting as a third goaltender on the Canadian women's hockey team at Turin and Nagano, she served as a backup to Kim St. Pierre at the Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament, which saw Canada win its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's ice hockey.

Management

On June 11, 2018, Small was named General Manager of the Toronto Furies.[8] One of her first moves in the position was signing Courtney Kessel (née Birchard) as their new head coach and appointing long-time coach Ken Dufton as an advisor to the organization.[9]

Among the free agents signed by Small leading into her first season as GM included goaltender Elaine Chuli and forward Shiann Darkangelo to contracts in August 2018.[10] With the second overall pick at the 2018 CWHL Draft, her first draft as general manager, Small selected forward Sarah Nurse. Four spots later, she would claim goaltender Shea Tiley, who led the Clarkson Golden Knights women's ice hockey program to a pair of NCAA Frozen Four championships.

Personal

Small graduated from Stanford University in 1999, with a degree in mechanical engineering sub-specializing in product design.

She is involved with several advocacy organizations and has been an Athlete Ambassador with Right To Play since 2006.[11]

Small is married to Billy Bridges, a fifteen-year veteran forward on the Canadian men's national ice sledge hockey team and three time Winter Paralympic Games medalist.[12][13] They have a daughter named Kensi.[14]

Small published her autobiography, titled "The Role I Played: Canada’s Greatest Olympic Hockey Team," with ECW Press in September 2020.[15][16]

Awards and honours
Small in net for the Furies in a match against Les Canadiennes de Montréal, January 2011

References
  1. Ferguson, Bob (2005). Who's Who in Canadian Sport, Volume 5. Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside. p. 409. ISBN 1550418556.
  2. "Sami Jo Small Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. April 18, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. http://www.gostanford.com/sports/w-track/archive/stan-w-track-97bests.html%5B%5D
  4. "Women's Track - 1997 Women's Best Times & Marks". Stanford University Athletics. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2011/03/28/17779016.html
  6. Syrén, Johan. "CWHL & Canadian Women's Hockey: The History of Famous Awards, League and Championship". CWHL.ca. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  7. "Speakers: Sami Jo Small". National Speakers Bureau. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  8. Spencer, Donna (June 11, 2018). "Sami Jo Small named GM of CWHL's Toronto Furies". The Toronto Star. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  9. "Kessel New Head Coach, Dufton New Advisor". Toronto Furies (Press release). July 31, 2018. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  10. "Toronto Adds Free Agent Goaltender Elaine Chuli". Toronto Furies (Press release). August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  11. http://righttoplay.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=2971&mid=9&Lang=en-CA&pid=247614
  12. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/small-stands-tall-with-her-protege/article1668569/%5B%5D
  13. Graves, Wendy (March 6, 2014). "Billy Bridges, Sami Jo Small: A match made in hockey heaven". The Guardian. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  14. "About Me". BillyBridges.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  15. "Books – The Role I Played: Canada's Greatest Olympic Hockey Team". ECW Press. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  16. Jay, Michelle (October 2, 2020). "Q&A with Sami Jo Small on 'The Role I Played'". The Ice Garden. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  17. http://righttoplay.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=2971&mid=9&Lang=en-CA&pid=247614
  18. "BSHOF Inductee: Sami Jo Small". City of Brampton. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  19. "Brampton Sports Hall of Fame – Inductee Biographies by Year: 2002" (PDF). City of Brampton. June 12, 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  20. Podnieks, Andrew (2009). Hockey Facts And Stats 2009-2010. Toronto: HarperCollins. p. 542. ISBN 9781554686216.
  21. "Norberry-Glenlee Community Centre (NGCC)". www.norberry-glenlee.ca. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  22. Fuller, Simon (January 16, 2017). "Sami Jo Small Hockey Facility open at NGCC". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
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