By Veronica An
Manon Rheaume became the first woman play in a National Hockey League exhibition game. Rheaume played goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues in 1992. According to the NHL website, team founder and general manager Phil Esposito allowed Rheaume to play the first ever training camp game for media attention which earned the team international press. Rheaume played for about 20 minutes and was lifted in the first quarter, after allowing 2 goals on 9 shots. She made her second and last appearance in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lighting in 1993. Rheaume later played goalie for Team Canada in the 1994 Women’s World Hockey Championships where they won gold.