Teammate support keeps Raphaelle Tousignant on ice during cancer treatment

Photos: Ellen Bond

OTTAWA – At the just completed Frontier Series between Canada and the USA held in Ottawa, the most striking sight may have been Raphaelle Tousignant playing for the Canadians, just two weeks before a major surgery.

She was even named Canada’s Player of the Game in the third encounter between the sport’s two superpowers.

Tousignant, 23, was diagnosed with breast cancer last October and completed her chemotherapy last month. She is scheduled for an operation on April 28.

‘’There are days when hockey gives me something to hold onto,’’ said Tousignant to CPC after a team’s practice last Thursday. ‘’Just being around the team, even in small ways, reminds me who I am beyond everything happening medically.’’

It is the second time the Terrebonne, Que. resident has been embroiled in a cancer battle. At 10 years old she was diagnosed with bone cancer which resulted in her right leg and part of her hip being amputated. 

Tousignant returned to sport and worked her way to becoming one of the best female players in the world. She was invited to Hockey Canada’s national Para team camp and made the cut for the 2022-23 squad competing at the 2023 Para ice hockey world championships.

She was on a mission this past season to earn a spot on the 2026 Paralympic Games team before the cancer diagnosis threw a wrench in her plans. 

Tousignant is a big component on the women’s national squad not only on the ice but as an advocate for the sport and its battle for a women’s event in the Paralympic Games. Para ice hockey is considered a mixed sport at the Paralympic level but there was only one female player at the recent Paralympic Winter Games.

Therefore, it’s been a great boost for the squad to see one of its star players on the ice for games and practices during this turbulent time in her life.

Tousignant (left) with Aubree Clements

‘’We want her to know she’s supported first as a person,’’ said Canada’s head coach Tara Chisholm, also a cancer survivor. ‘’Hockey matters, but her health and her peace of mind come first.

‘’The team has really rallied around her.’’

Team captain Christina Picton said Tousignant’s courage has given the team perspective.

‘’She provides so much positivity,’’ said Picton, also a two-time Paralympian in Para nordic skiing including last month’s Games in Milano Cortina. ‘’Even on the days that have to be hard, she still finds a way to lift other people.

‘’That says everything about who she is.’’

Picton says the team is determined to be present during the tough times for Tousignant.

‘’We all know how much the sport means to her,’’ Picton said. ‘’If being around the team can give her even a few hours where she feels the joy, then that’s what we want to give.’’

For Tousignant, the support has reinforced that the women’s Para hockey community is about far more than the competition.

‘’It’s bigger than the sport,’’ she told CPC. ‘’They’ve shown up for me in every way possible and I’ll never forget that.’’

As she approaches the most stressful step in her treatment, Tousignant remains determined to stay involved in the sport she loves, knowing her teammates will ensure she never has to fight alone.

‘’When I’m with the team, I’m a hockey player again.’’