Hefford led by example to make Hockey Hall of Fame, says Campbell-Pascall

Cassie Campbell-Pascall played with Jayna Hefford for Canada on three Olympic women's hockey teams and six IIHF World Championship teams. They won two gold medals and one silver medal together at the Olympics and five golds and one silver together at the worlds. The forward was Canada's captain for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2006 Turin Olympics and ran a leg in the torch relay for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Here, Campbell-Pascall shares her thoughts on Hefford, who will go into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 12, in a special testimonial for NHL.com.

Jayna Hefford was the type of player who was under the radar, a humble superstar in the public's view, but never inside our room. She was kind of in the shadows, if you will, of the Hayley Wickenheisers and Danielle Goyettes. But she could play on any line and make anyone better. For her to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was a no brainer.
Jayna was just a superstar who was willing to do whatever it took for the team to be successful. If that meant being sort of backseat to a certain degree, or not being first line, it didn't even faze her. Technically it wasn't, but every line she played on, she made it a first line. She was just quiet and humble and didn't want any of the spotlight.
She provided so much leadership, but she wasn't "rah-rah." That's something I'd get on to her about. I'd tell her, 'When you speak, it'll be impactful. So feel free.' But as a captain, I never had to worry about her. I knew she'd perform. If something bothered her personally, you'd never know. You just never had to worry about her. For the young kids who still play now and played with Jayna, she probably was the most respected player on the team.
I think our first year together was the 1997 World Championships, and she was just this young kid coming in to eventually play in the 1998 Olympics. You didn't know much about her, she was so quiet and went about her business. After the '98 Olympics we became great friends and then she played with my hometown team [Brampton (Ontario) Thunder]. Basically, we played together my entire career, with the exception of one World Championship. In our club system we played against each other, and that was never a lot of fun.

Facing Jayna was tough because she could change speed so quickly, and that's what was so effective. I had a chance to talk to some of the U.S. players and they said the two who were the toughest players to stop were Hefford and former Canadian forward Caroline Ouellette. That's a constant theme because she was just such an explosive skater. Jayna just had the knack of being able to break out of the zone and get a puck with perfect timing. And she was a threat no matter which side she shot; her backhand was as good as her forehand.
But Jayna really changed her game the last two Olympics. She wasn't just a player who could use her speed; she got stronger and she changed her skill set a little to where she could also beat you out of the corners. She became a dual offensive threat because she was willing to change her game. That said a lot about a player who was considered older at the time. She did penalty killing, she was on the power play. Honestly, whatever you asked her to do, she was willing to do it, and she was always great at it.
She lived with me and my husband in the 2010 Olympic year; she lived in our basement. I think living with her was kind of cool. I wasn't part of the program anymore, so when she came home, she didn't have to talk hockey, and it was a great eight months to have her around.
Jayna wasn't making millions of dollars, but it didn't matter. She was a professional every day, and around kids nowadays, that's her presence. She's held herself to that standard. I believe she grew up playing boys hockey in Kingston and moved to the girls' association, which was always pretty strong, but it took off because of Jayna Hefford. She's had the girls' hockey school with Lori Dupuis in Kingston for more than 20 years. She's always giving back.
She has done it at all levels. Everything she does in life, she's so detailed, driven and so good to people. That's why I'm so happy Jayna has gotten this Hall of Fame opportunity and, let's face it, she should have got in her first year of eligibility.