Sarah Nurse proving herself an invaluable leader on Canada's women's hockey team
Scoring prowess just 1 of many talents lifting team at world championship
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."
WATCH | Canada-U.S. rivalry could be renewed Sunday:
Nurse emerged from the 2022 Olympics with not only a record, but a best friend in forward Jill Saulnier. Nurse and Saulnier were randomly placed at lockers next to one another.
"I joke with her and tell her it was a forced friendship by the equipment manager by putting us together. But in all honesty, it just gave us an opportunity to lean on each other," Saulnier said. "I just found a best friend and we've been pretty much like sisters ever since."
Asked to describe Nurse in one word, Saulnier chose "loyal."
"Obviously you see her on social media, she's in one country one day and my apartment couch the next day. I think, at the end of the day, probably one of the busiest female athletes in the world," she said.
'Role model'
About an hour before puck drop of most games, Nurse tends to pull up a stool and just look out at the empty ice. Sometimes a teammate joins her, sometimes it's a solo mission.
But Nurse always makes sure to greet a section of fans sitting in the corner of arena before heading back to the locker room. One girl, after getting Nurse's autograph, literally jumped for joy.
Nurse's popularity makes her a natural choice to be one of the faces of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association's (PWHPA) professional league it is reported to be developing.
"She's a staple in these new franchises that are going to get going here and she's a role model to little girls," Saulnier said. "It's so cool to see little girls look up to her and want her autograph and just believe they can do it because she does."
WATCH | How hate fuelled 2002 women's hockey gold-medal game:
Family of Canadian sports royalty
Nurse, of course, comes from a family of Canadian sports royalty. Two of her cousins are pro athletes, with WNBA veteran Kia Nurse now playing for the Seattle Storm ,and Darnell Nurse a defenceman on the Edmonton Oilers.
Her grandmother, Marge, has been at games during these worlds, able to see Sarah play live for the first time in years because of pandemic restrictions.
Her brother, Isaac, plays hockey at the University of New Brunswick. Another cousin, Tamika, played basketball at Oregon and now works in broadcast, as Kia does in her off-season too.
Sarah said she could see that being part of her future as well.
For now, though, she has a gold medal to win on home ice. Her line, along with Fillier and Natalie Spooner, has provided the bulk of Canada's offence, including Nurse's OT winner that was set up by a cross-ice pass from Fillier.
At the moment, there isn't much time for Nurse to think about her post-playing career.
"It's something that I don't consciously think about. But it's funny, just obviously Spooner being here with her son Rory, having just given birth to him, it's funny because sometimes you get so focused on the hockey world, but understanding that there's so much more to life than hockey."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
