While hockey has long been considered a man’s sport, talented female athletes have not been completely excluded from the sport on a professional level.  In the early 1990s, Canadian goalie Manon Rheaume set out on a mission to be the first female to take the ice on an NHL roster.

On this day, September 23rd, in 1992, Manon Rheaume became the first female to play an exhibition game in the National Hockey League.  Rheaume earned a spot on the Tampa Bay Lightning after being the first women to try out for an NHL team.  Rheaume played one period in the game against the St. Louis Blues and allowed two goals.

Rheaume was on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster, but played in only one additional exhibition game.  She was eventually signed by the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League, where she played on seven different teams for five seasons.