In Hainsight: The Story Behind Melodie Daoust’s Return

For years, fans of women’s hockey eagerly awaited each Olympic tournament to watch the best of the best compete against one another under the spotlights, but now, the cream of the crop plays in the PWHL. After the initial draft, many people wondered what happened to Melodie Daoust. Why wasn’t she drafted? Surely, the talented forward and three-time Olympian had not left the competition for good, had she? Or did the shoulder injury suffered at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing cut her career short? 

It was nothing that dramatic…

If Daoust wasn’t part of any team when the puck dropped on the inaugural season of the PWHL, it’s simply because Melodie Daoust is more than a hockey player. She’s first and foremost a mom, but she’s also a coach. Daoust has a young son named Mateo, who she shares custody of with her former partner. She likely wants to share those precious childhood years with him. She wants to see him grow up. Something Daoust couldn’t have done if she kept playing for Canada and decided to be a full-time player in the PWHL.

Furthermore, on April 11, 2022, Bourget College, a boarding school in Rigaud, Québec, announced it had hired two new coaches for its girls’ hockey program, Melodie Daoust and her partner Hanna Bunton. Since then, they have been coaching both their development program and their U18 prep program. Clearly, Daoust values her family life, and she now gets to spend plenty of time with her partner and son. While Daoust did declare for the draft, the only way we can explain how she wasn’t drafted is to assume she had applied for the compassionate clause and was successful. If that was the case, there was no need for Daniele Sauvageau’s team to draft her, as Montreal would be able to sign her as a free agent after training camp. As for Bunton, she was cut by Montreal at the roster deadline and wasn’t offered a reserve spot.

Around The PWHL

Looking at the calendars of both teams she coaches, it’s easy to see why she was offered a 10-day contract now, it’s because there is absolutely nothing in their calendar and no game scheduled until March 10, which means professionally, she’s free as a bird. Now, I don’t have access to the calendar which indicates when she has her son, but something tells me, it’s not her week. Still, Mateo was in attendance on Saturday to watch fans loudly cheer for his mom. He had the opportunity to understand what she means to both the team and the fans.  When asked how she felt about putting on that kind of performance in front of him, Daoust explained: “I don’t think he realizes, he’s still young, but I’m looking forward…[Changes train of thoughts] Often, we remind him of what has happened in the past, like with the World Championships in Calgary, he was there. I love it, when he’s in the stands, it literally gives me wings and I was so happy to see him in the stands because it keeps me grounded, I can play my role of mother while also playing, it was unbelievable.”

Daoust, who played in three Olympic games tournaments and with the Montreal Canadiennes alongside PWHL Montreal’s captain Marie-Philip Poulin fit right in on the team’s top line completed by Laura Stacey. The three players seemed to know effortlessly exactly where the other two were on the ice and they put all kinds of pressure on Boston all night on what was Daoust’s return to professional hockey Saturday night. In the post-game press conference, when she was asked when was the last time she had played competitively, Daoust said: “Good question, I think I can’t remember [laughs] I think my last game was in our former league [PWHPA showcases] but even then, I didn’t play much during that season because every time I had my son, I didn’t play, once again it was a lot of fun to be back on the ice today.” Still, with all that time off, it looked like she didn’t miss a beat, even with a truckload of ice time, which comes with the territory when you’re playing alongside Poulin.

The timing of the signing is also perfect for Montreal, Claire Dalton is not playing right now for precautionary reasons (which is code for short-term injury in PWHL talk) and the team has a stretch of three games in five days coming up with stops in New York and Toronto before another game in Laval on Sunday night against Ottawa. As the contract was signed on March 2^nd, it runs until March 11^th making Daoust eligible for all three games.

What happens after that? Well, like any reserve player, Daoust could sign another 10-day Standard Player Agreement (SPA), after which she could only be signed to a one-year SPA. Although, once the playoffs starts, she could sign yet another 10-day contract. I get the feeling that if Montreal’s roster circumstances allow them to make space for Daoust, this 10-day contract will not be the last time we see Daoust proudly wearing her PWHL Montreal jersey.