Color of Hockey: Gao relishes role as mentor at Canadiens camps

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles University of Windsor forward/defenseman Phoebe Gao.

Hockey has come full circle for Phoebe Gao.

The 21-year-old forward/defenseman for the University of Windsor used to be a youngster darting around the ice at Montreal Canadiens youth summer camps.

Now she’s a Canadian college player and volunteer giving instructions to youngsters at events like the Scotia Girls HockeyFest at Bell Centre in April.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to participate in a lot of events the Canadiens have hosted,” Gao said. “So being able to be the one to help the kids and give back to the community is, like, how I was raised.”

Part of that giving for Gao is trying to attract more Canadians of Asian heritage to hockey, following the inspirational paths of Julie Chu and Vicky Sunohara, her role models.

Chu, a four-time Olympian who won silver medals with the U.S. women's teams at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics and a bronze medal in the 2006 Torino Olympics, coaches the women’s hockey team at Montreal’s Concordia University.

Sunohara, coach of the University of Toronto’s women’s hockey team, is one of Canada's most decorated players and coaches: a three-time Olympic medalist (gold in 2002 and 2006, silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics) and seven IIHF Women's World Championship titles.

“There wasn’t a lot of Asian representation," Gao said, "but when I was growing up, and I had the chance to watch Team USA when they had Julie Chu, and a little before I started playing, I noticed Vicky Sunohara.

"If you can see, you believe it. When you see people who look like you who are able to make it that far it’s, like, ‘So can I.’”

Stephane Verret, director of hockey development for the Canadiens, said Gao has been helpful in making hockey welcoming for Chinese Canadian youth and their families because she’s trilingual, fluent in English, French and Mandarin.

“We have a lot of kids whose parents speak Mandarin,” Verret said. “Every time they see Phoebe, she’s the go-to girl and they feel at home and comfortable because they know if they have any questions, that Phoebe’s there to answer.”

Gao said she got hooked on hockey when her family lived in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and she and her brother passionately followed goalie Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

She became a regular at Canadiens youth camps and events when her family moved to the Montreal area.

“From 7, 8 years old, she did all of our youth clinics, our summer camps, Spring Break camps,” Stephane Verret, the Canadiens’ director of hockey development. “She played high level hockey.”

Gao participated in an Asian youth hockey clinic the Canadiens hosted at Bell Centre when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Montreal in 2016 along with a talented young boy named Kevin He.

He, selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fourth round (No. 109) of the 2024 NHL Draft, made history on Dec. 17 when the Jets signed him to an entry-level contract, making him the first player born in China to sign a pro deal.

Verret shared a photo of Gao standing near Li and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the right side of the player’s bench and He, not wearing a helmet, standing at the other end.

“When he was in Montreal before he moved to Toronto, he was, like, one of the only Asian kids who played AAA,” Gao said. “He’s opening doors for other kids who are Chinese that the NHL is a dream you can dream of.”

Gao is a trailblazer as well; she was chosen to play for the first all-girls team that competed in the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament in 2016, led by Canadian Olympic gold medalists Caroline Ouellette, Marie-Philip Poulin and Kim St-Pierre.

“Being part of the first team selected by Caroline Ouellette was super exciting," Gao said, "and it was an incredible experience receiving mentorship from the best hockey players. It's still one of my favorite memories.

“To this day, I feel like they still genuinely care about us, as hockey players and as a person, that speaks volume to the kind of person they are.”

Gao went on to play girls hockey for Richelieu of the Quebec development league from 2017-20 and juniors for Saint-Laurent of the Quebec Hockey League from 2020-24.

She signed with the University of Windsor, a Canadian U Sport program, in April. She has four points (three goals, one assist) in 13 games this season.

“Her IQ, and her ability to read the game is far above her peers,” Windsor coach Deanna Iwanicka said. “She's not a player with size or quickness, but what she does bring is just an IQ level and an ability to put herself in places that are impactful. She’s a bit of a Swiss army knife in that she can play forward and defense based on her IQ more than anything else.”

Gao said she continues to try to give back to the community when her hockey and rowing schedule permit. She’s a member of the Montreal Rowing Club and represented Quebec at the 2022 Canada Summer Games.

“Every year around Christmas time, Caroline (Ouellette) hosts a tournament to celebrate women’s hockey, and I try to volunteer every year,” Gao said. "For the past three editions, she’s been hosting the finals at the Bell Centre, and I’ve been fortunate enough to help with the Montreal Canadiens.”