Natalie Spooner, forward with the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL.CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV/The Canadian Press
In high school, the Scarborough native and hockey star was named—all four years—”most likely to become a professional athlete.” Two Olympic golds, one silver and multiple world championships later, the 34-year-old forward with the Toronto Sceptres, part of the six-team Professional Women’s Hockey League, has already achieved legend status. Season two starts on Nov. 30.
Attitude is everything
One of Spooner’s favourite quotes comes from former college football coach Lou Holtz: “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” She seems to have been born with the ability—she started playing at age four on her family’s backyard rink—and the motivation, which early on was to kick her three brothers’ butts on the ice. As for attitude, Spooner is known for being a ray of pure sunshine. That doesn’t mean she’s not competitive as hell. But she’s been a bubbly ambassador for the women’s game for well over a decade. As one teammate-turned-rival has said: “She brings the vibe up wherever she goes.”
Get uncomfortable
In 2019, Spooner traded in her hockey skates for toe picks to compete on Battle of the Blades, which paired hockey players with top figure skaters. Spooner was terrified—grace isn’t a critical hockey skill—but she was determined to be a positive role model. “If girls see someone like me who’s five-foot-10 and 180 pounds figure skating, there’s hope for anyone,” she said. “It’s important to see female role models who are strong and powerful...It’s okay to be strong.” Spooner and her skating partner, three-time ice-dance world medallist Andrew Poje, ultimately came in second, but Spooner’s grit and joy made her the undeniable star of the show.
Find the right backers
When the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded, Spooner and a handful of players went looking for someone willing to invest in the women’s game. They found tennis legend Billie Jean King, and the PWHL was born. All six teams are owned by King’s company, along with Dodgers owner Mark Walter, with funding reportedly in place for 10 years. In the inaugural 2023 season, Toronto sold out every game. For season two, the teams will play 30 games apiece, up from 24, and the Sceptres—which will now play at a larger, 8,000-seat venue—have already sold out all their season tickets.
Be unstoppable
That’s a mantra for Spooner. Just four months after her son, Rory, was born in late 2022, she scored six points in seven games at the World Championships—while breastfeeding. Eight months later, the puck dropped on season one of the PWHL. Spooner led the league in goals scored: 20 in 24 games, on par with the NHL’s top scorer last season, Connor McDavid. In game three of the playoffs, she tore her ACL after a brutal hit that had her crawling to the bench and into surgery. Despite sitting out the final two games (which Toronto lost to Minnesota), she won the league’s inaugural Billie Jean King MVP Award.
Have fun
As a kid sneaking every second she could on that backyard rink, Spooner never dreamed she’d one day make a living doing the thing she loved best. “I still remind myself every day to go back to thinking like that little girl who had so much fun playing hockey,” she has said. “As long as you love what you’re doing and having fun, it doesn’t feel like work.”
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