Fiona Lesley Smith (born October 31, 1973, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and raised in Edam, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian women's Olympic ice hockey player. She was affiliated with Edmonton Chimos. In 1998 she helped Team Canada win the silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano.[1]

Fiona Smith-Bell
Born (1973-10-31) October 31, 1973 (age 51)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Weight 123 lb (56 kg; 8 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
National team  Canada
Playing career 1996–1999
Medal record
Women's ice hockey
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1998 Nagano Tournament
IIHF World Women's Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Canada Tournament
Gold medal – first place 1999 Finland Tournament

Career

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Smith was originally a figure skater, as there were no opportunities for girls to play hockey.[2] She captained the boys youth hockey team in North Battleford before joining the first Saskatchewan women's hockey team to compete at the Canada Winter Games at the age of 14.[3][4]

In 1999, she was nominated for the Saskatchewan Female Athlete of the Year award. In 2002, she would retire from international hockey. She was one of the torch bearers for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In 2012, she was named to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Post-playing Career

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As part of the IIHF Ambassador and Mentor Program, Smith was a Hockey Canada athlete ambassador that travelled to Bratislava, Slovakia to participate in the 2011 IIHF High Performance Women's Camp from July 4–12.[5] She would then work with the German national women's hockey team for two and a half years as an IIHF ambassador.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Fiona Smith". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Cey, Trent (May 11, 2012). "Fiona Smith-Bell among Saskatchewan's best". Battlefords News-Optimist. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "Fiona Smith-Bell". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Lang, Brady (January 31, 2019). "An Olympic medalist's view on growing women's hockey in wake of skills competition". SaskNow. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "Sixteen National Women's Program Candidates To Take Part In Iihf High Performance Women's Camp In Slovakia". Hockey Canada (Press release). June 23, 2011. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011.
  6. ^ Cey, Trent (July 15, 2011). "Edam hockey star ready to impact German hockey program". Battlefords News-Optimist. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
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