Vicky Sunohara
A dominant force on ice who helped define women's hockey in Canada, winning Olympic gold with a relentless, physical style.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Canadian ice hockey player and coach·Birthday: May 18·Generation X
Biography
Long before women's hockey had a permanent spot in the Olympic program, Vicky Sunohara was bulldozing a path. Growing up in Scarborough, Ontario, she was a prodigy who often played on boys' teams, developing a powerful, fearless game that would become her trademark. As a cornerstone of the Canadian national team throughout the 1990s and 2000s, her strength as a center was unmatched, making her essential in the fierce battles against the rival Americans. Her leadership and scoring touch were instrumental in securing back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2006. After hanging up her skates, she transitioned seamlessly into coaching at the University of Toronto, nurturing the next wave of talent for the sport she helped build.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Vicky was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Vicky Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Vicky's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two Olympic gold medals (2002, 2006) and one silver medal (1998) as a member of the Canadian women's hockey team.
- Captained the University of Toronto women's hockey team to multiple national championships as head coach.
- Inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in 2025.
- Named to TSN Hockey’s All-Time Women’s Team Canada in 2020.
Did You Know?
She is of Japanese and Ukrainian descent.
She was the first woman to be signed to a hockey scholarship at Northeastern University in Boston.
She played professional hockey in Switzerland during the off-seasons from the Canadian national team.
Her nickname, 'Sunny,' contrasts with her physically imposing style of play on the ice.
“You have to be willing to go into the corners and get the puck.”
