Sarah Nurse proving herself an invaluable leader on Canada's women's hockey team
CBC
Sarah Nurse is showing she can do it all.
In her latest act, she saved Canada from disaster by scoring the overtime winner in a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Sweden on Thursday at the women's hockey world championship in Brampton, Ont.
But heroic goals are just one of the hockey star's many talents.
On the ice, Nurse is one of few Canadians deployed on both the power play and penalty kill. At the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, she broke Canadian great Hayley Wickenheiser's long-time scoring record with 18 points in a single Olympic tournament.
Off the ice, she's been a guest judge on Canada's Drag Race, been selected as a video-game cover athlete and recently started broadcasting with TNT and Sportsnet.
She's also Canada's self-appointed "hype girl," constantly working to keep the energy high in the locker room.
"I compliment people a lot, especially on their pregame outfits. I think that like if you look good, you feel good, you play good," she told CBC Sports this week.
WATCH | Nurse scores OT winner to lead Canada past Sweden:
Nurse has certainly "played good" throughout this world championship, where she's tied for the team lead with four goals in five games and sits second behind linemate Sarah Fillier with seven points.
It's the continuation of a remarkable rise for Nurse, the 28-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., who scored just one goal in her Olympic debut in 2018.
"Being 22 the first time I went to the Olympics, I definitely felt a little more timid playing in a different role," she said. "And so I owe a lot to my teammates and my coaches [who] are really empowering me to play confidently and play freely and be more creative and be willing to try different things on the ice."
Canada head coach Troy Ryan gushed about Nurse after her OT winner, saying she's always striving to improve.
"She's trying to find ways that she can be even better this week and we're thinking she's playing great," he said. "She's constantly trying to improve and grow her game and she's just a two-way, 200-foot, all those typical quotes you can give on players.
"I think she's been outstanding this whole world championship. She's been a key player."
