'A dream come true': Central Saanich hockey player shares gold medal Olympic experience

Micah Zandee-Hart is a defense player with Canada's Women’s National Hockey Team. She was sitting in her mother’s apartment in Victoria on Friday, holding her Beijing Olympics gold medal.

"I think I was sure that I would have this in my hand at one point in my life," said Zandee-Hart.

It’s a career highlight for any athlete, winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

"I was so sure of it as a kid," she said.

For the 25-year-old, it all started when she was four years old, in a quiet cul-de-sac in Central Saanich.

"I was playing street hockey out in front of my house with my brother," said Zandee-Hart.

She then learned to skate and joined a team with the Peninsula Minor Hockey Association.

"I played boys growing up because that was what was offered close to me," said the Olympic medal winner.

She excelled and continued to make rep teams. She was then given the opportunity to play on a few women’s teams on the mainland.

"Now all of sudden I had girls that had the same aspirations as I did," said Zandee-Hart.

Fast forward through a lot of hard work and determination. That’s when the Canadian National Team came calling and that brings us to the gold medal game against the U.S. at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

"It was a nail-biters but they seemed so calm," said Pat Zandee-Hart, Micah’s mother.

Facing a 3-0 deficit, the U.S. began to claw its way back. With just 12 seconds remaining in the game, the U.S. scored to make it 3-2.

"We were all worried but there was some kind of thing that prevailed that thought no, it’s going to be good," said Pat.

Good it was. Beating the U.S. for a gold medal finish.

"It was a dream come true," said Zandee-Hart. "It was my first Olympics and obviously, my entire life since I was four years old, I wanted to be an Olympic gold medalist for the Canadian Women’s National Hockey Team."

It was a surreal moment, completing a childhood dream and becoming the only B.C.-born woman to win Olympic gold in hockey.

"She is a really good role model, absolutely," said Laurie Wishart, BC Hockey female zone-lead for Vancouver Island.

The sport of women’s hockey is growing in the capital region. There are now 17 teams in the league and Zandee-Hart's success shows that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

"It’s a lot of work and a lot of commitment but it shows that it can be done," said Wishart.

From playing street hockey with her brother at four years old to winning Olympic gold in Beijing, Zandee-Hart persevered.

"I think it’s pretty cool to actually have it now and I’m sure that little girl would be pretty stoked about it," she said.