This month’s alumni spotlight focuses on Sadie Reid.
Growing up in Calmar, Sadie Reid was born to be a hockey player.
“I started on skates as soon as my feet were big enough to fit in them,” Reid recalled. “My dad had me learning to skate when I was three years old, and as soon as I was old enough to play, I was registered on a team. Hockey has always been a core part of my life – it was on the TV and radio before I was old enough to speak. At that age, I remember how free I felt skating and how much fun I had when I was on the ice – this is really what brought me into the game, just pure love, and excitement when I was on the rink, at the ODR, or on the lake.”
She decided she wanted to become a goaltender, in large part due to the influence of two of her hockey heroes.
“Manon Rheaume and Ed Belfour. I loved them both, but Rheaume was the only female goaltending figure that I had to look up to as a kid,” she said. “I liked the idea of ’Eddy the Eagle’ and thought his helmet was awesome, so I carried a little eagle photo in my hockey bag all the time to remind me to slow down and focus on tracking the puck, seeing through traffic and harnessing more of a mindfulness technique.”
Reid continued her goaltending prowess as she went on to play the position in Leduc with the AAA Oil Kings male team before finishing her minor hockey career with the AAA Spruce Grove Saints and AAA Lloydminster PWM Steelers. She was given opportunities to play at the university level, but she decided to focus on her education.
“I remained in the game as a skating and skills coach with Campus and Community Recreation at the University of Alberta, while working as a coach and Technical Director of Hockey at Free Play for Kids. The connections I made at the time brought me back into the game, by bringing me onto the board with the Edmonton Female Athletic Club. From there, I filled an Assistant Coach role with the EFAC U18AA Pandas and am currently in my third season coaching with this team.”
Reid, who now is the Operations Manager at KidSport Edmonton, said that hockey presented her a lot of great opportunities both inside and outside of the sport.
“I’ve maintained a lot of connections as I’ve moved away from the game and into coaching. Entering coaching felt like coming home – a lot of my former teammates, opponents, and friends are now in the coaching world and we’ve reconnected. Hockey has taught me a lot about who I am and what I value, which has guided me in the adult world to find a career that I’m passionate about and can connect to.”
Reid’s advice for young athletes just starting out in the game of hockey is to try and remember why you started playing in the first place.
“We all started playing hockey because we were little kids that felt happiness, freedom, and connection when we were on the ice and with our friends,” Reid said. “People can get caught up in all the small details and at the end of the day, hockey is a wonderful opportunity to learn big life lessons in a safe environment. When you’re getting caught up in self talk, team dynamics, anxiety, pressure, take a step back and remember the little person who just loved to be there, and stay connected with that person. It will keep your love and passion for the game alive and remind you of why you’re here now.”