Meaghan Mikkelson (born January 4, 1985) is a Canadian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player, broadcaster, and former member of the Canadian national ice hockey team. She is currently affiliated with the Calgary chapter of the

Professional Women's Hockey Players Association The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the promotion of professional women's ice hockey. It was founded in May 2019 following the dissolution of the Canadian Women's Ho ...

(PWHPA).

Playing career

Mikkelson grew up in

St. Albert, Alberta St. Albert is a List of cities in Canada, city in Alberta, Canada, next to the Sturgeon River (Alberta), Sturgeon River, northwest of the Edmonton, City of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is ...

, and represented Team Alberta at the 2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathurst and Campbellton, New Brunswick, as the Alberta team finished in seventh position.

Wisconsin Badgers

In 2007, Mikkelson tied for 11th in the NCAA with 42 points in 34 games and tied for sixth with 32 assists. Among defencemen, she was second in the country during the regular season with 1.24 points per game and ninth overall with .94 assists per game. During the 2006–07 NCAA season, she was part of the Wisconsin defence that allowed a nation's best 0.94 goals per game and 15 shutouts, a school record. In the WCHA, she led all defencemen with 33 points in 28 league games and was fifth overall. She tied for second in the league with 24 assists.

Hockey Canada

Mikkelson made her Team Canada debut with the National Women's Team at the 2007 Fall Festival. She appeared in her first IIHF World Women's Championship in 2008. In the gold medal game of the 2010 Four Nations Cup, she had a goal and an assist for Canada. With 1:49 left in the third period, she scored to tie the game and force overtime. In a game versus Russia at the

2012 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2012 IIHF World Women's Championships was the 14th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation and took place in Vermont, United States, at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vermont, Burlington, and the Cairns Arena in ...

, she registered three assists in a 14–1 victory. She won a gold medal during the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

and was named to the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

roster for Canada, when she again won a gold medal. She won a silver medal at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

CWHL

Prior to being selected third overall in the 2011 Draft of the

Canadian Women's Hockey League The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; ) was a women's ice hockey league. Established in 2007 as a Canadian women's Senior ice hockey, senior league in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, and Ottawa, the league expanded into Alberta (2011) and ...

, Mikkelson played with the

Edmonton Chimos The Edmonton Chimos were a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL). Founded in 1973, the team closed out its 38-year existence playing its home games at Enoch Cree Nation#Economy, River Cree Twin Arenas in ...

of the

Western Women's Hockey League The Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) was a women's hockey league in Canada. The league was established in 2004, and consisted of teams in Canada (some former National Women's Hockey League teams) and one from the United States. The league offi ...

(WWHL). She was selected by the Alberta Honeybadgers, a team later renamed as Team Alberta CWHL but eventually called the

Calgary Inferno The Calgary Inferno (previously known as Team Alberta, nickname "Honeybadgers", during the 2011–12 season) was a women's ice hockey team that joined the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) for the 2011–12 CWHL season, 2011–12 season. The ...

. Appearing in the 2016

Clarkson Cup The Clarkson Cup () is an ice hockey trophy awarded to Canada's national women's champions. Commissioned by former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the trophy was first unveiled in July 2006 when Clarkson ceremoniously presented it to the Ca ...

, she registered one assist as the Inferno emerged victorious in the 8-3 final game win. She was one of two captains for Team Blue in the

3rd CWHL All-Star Game The 3rd Canadian Women's Hockey League All-Star Game took place on February 12, 2017, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event featured three 20-minute periods, and 34 players were named as participants Jess Jones and Jillian Sau ...

, the first time that one team in the CWHL All-Star Game had two captains.

Awards and honours

*2007, All-WCHA defenceman *2007, All-WCHA First Team *2007, WCHA Defensive Player of the Year *2007, Top 10 candidate for the 2007 Patty Kazmaier Award *Directorate Award, Best Defender,

2011 IIHF Women's World Championship The 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship was the 13th edition of the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was held from April 16 to 25, 2011 in Zürich and Winterthur, Switzerland, and t ...

*Media All-Star team,

Broadcasting career

Mikkelson is currently a commentator on

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

radio game broadcasts after occasionally appearing on televised

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

games on

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...

since 2020 as an analyst on intermission panel discussion segments. Mikkelson has worked as an ice level analyst and reporter for the Stanley Cup Playoffs on TNT in 2022 and 2024.

Personal life

In June 2011, Mikkelson married minor league goaltender Scott Reid. The couple met in 2007 when they worked together at a hockey school in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. Their son was born in September 2015 in Calgary, and their daughter was born four years later. She participated in various festivities commemorating the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario. Said festivities included attendance at

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence of the governor general of Canada, the representative of the monarch of Canada. Located in Ottawa, the Capital city, capital of the country, on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, th ...

for the NHL Hockey is for Everyone event, interviews at the Sirius XM Stage (along with a fan question and answer period) at the Scotiabank NHL Fan Fair. In addition, she participated in the Energizer Night Skate at the Ottawa Rink of Dreams (relocated from the

Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...

), and attended the Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, January 28. In June 2014, Mikkelson and her teammate

Natalie Spooner Natalie Marie Spooner (born October 17, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Sceptres of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and a member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team, Canadian national wo ...

appeared as contestants in the second season of ''

The Amazing Race Canada ''The Amazing Race Canada'' is a Canadian reality competition show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. Following the premise of other versions in the ''Amazing Race'' franchise, the show follows teams of two as they race across C ...

''. They finished the race in 2nd place. At the end of the show, after arriving in first place for seven times in a total of eleven legs, the golden girls got the official second place of the competition, losing to the best buddies, Mickey and Pete. She and Spooner were voted the fan favourite team of the season. Her father,

Bill Mikkelson William Robert Mikkelson (born May 21, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League from 1971 to 1977. Mikkelson is known for posting the worst plus/minus rating in single-season NHL hist ...

, played four seasons in the

in the early 1970s with the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

, the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

and the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

. Her brother, Brendan, was a

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

champion with the WHL's

Vancouver Giants The Vancouver Giants are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team playing based in Langley, British Columbia, and playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Founded in 2001, the Giants won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in 2006 and th ...

, a second round pick, 31st overall, in the

2005 NHL Entry Draft The 2005 NHL entry draft was the 43rd entry draft for the National Hockey League. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, it was postponed to July 30 due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Special procedures were required to determine the order ...

, played five seasons in the NHL and now plays for the

Cardiff Devils The Cardiff Devils () are a Welsh professional ice hockey team who play in the UK-based Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). The team plays at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay, currently known as ''Vindico Arena'' for sponsorship reasons. Cardiff' ...

in the

Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

(EIHL). Her great uncle, Jimmy McFadden, won the

Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving ...

in 1948, and the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

in 1950.Sports Illustrated, Cover Date: July 9–16, 2012, "Hockey’s Minus Man", by Michael Farber, p. 112, Editor in Chief: John Huey, Published by: Time Inc.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikkelson, Meghan 1985 births Living people Calgary Inferno players Canadian women's ice hockey defencemen Canadian people of Danish descent Clarkson Cup champions Edmonton Chimos players Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan Ice hockey people from St. Albert, Alberta Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic silver medalists for Canada Olympic ice hockey players for Canada Olympic medalists in ice hockey Wisconsin Badgers women's ice hockey players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Professional Women's Hockey Players Association players Luleå HF/MSSK players Participants in Canadian reality television series 21st-century Canadian sportswomen