Melodie Daoust is very busy. Jan. 8, half a day removed from captaining the Canadian Women’s Development team to a gold in Germany, the Senior physical education major stepped onto the ice in Martlet uniform to face Concordia.
“It is a lot of organization when you play for two teams, especially when you play for a team and you go to a school like McGill,” Doust said. “You try to balance your schoolwork with your hockey. It is possible for whoever wants to do it and put [their] heart into it.”
Daoust’s passion for hockey has driven her distinguished career. Her defining moment was making Team Canada Women’s that won gold in women’s hockey at the Sochi Olympics; she also represented Canada at the Under 18 (U18) level. Daoust has dominated as a Martlet—winning titles in both the CIS and RSEQ league, as well as CIS Rookie-of-the-Year and MVP awards. In her childhood, she played multiple sports until deciding to follow in her family’s footsteps and play hockey.
“Basically, I was five years old and my brother and my father were playing hockey,” Daoust recounted. “I was doing figure skating at the time and I wanted to just be like them. So I [asked] my parents to put me into hockey.”
Daoust was heavily recruited, but turned down multiple scholarships by American universities to play at McGill instead, which she described as a “perfect fit.” However, Daoust did take a sabbatical from the Martlet team in the 2013-14 season to successfully pursue her dream of representing Canada at the Olympics.
“It was either you are going to stay in school and play hockey, or go live your dreams for the first time and experience it,” Daoust said. “It was not a tough choice.”
She has always relished the opportunity to put on the red-and-white uniform.
“The first time I received a call from the U18 program, that was a dream come true at that point,” Daoust said. “Just wearing the Team Canada jersey […] was just the best experience of my life[….] I don’t regret anything. It was a lot of work to get there, but once you are at that level, it is just an amazing experience overall.”
Daoust and the CIS no.3 ranked Martlets now have their focus on the CIS Nationals. They lost the RSEQ finals in a 4-3 Game 2 thriller against the Montreal Carabins, but still have the national title to play for. Daoust was struck by the strength of play in the RSEQ.
“The RSEQ is probably the best league in Canada to play in,” Daoust explained. “All the teams in the conference are getting better. It’s awesome—the goaltenders in our league seem to have made a huge difference this year, because there are not a lot of goals in comparison to other years. You can see that women’s game has really grown over the years.”
Daoust still has a year left of eligibility in her McGill career. As for her studies, which she described as “number one,” Daoust particularly prized the fieldwork aspect of her physical education degree.
“It made me know what I am going to do when I have graduated,” Daoust elaborated. “And I really enjoy teaching and sharing my experience with the kids.”
As for her future in hockey, Daoust wants to play professionally in the CWHL. She is definitely one to watch out for in the future.
McGill Tribune (MT): What is your favourite show?
Melodie Daoust (MD): The Bachelor.
MT: Which street do you prefer, Rue Sainte-Catherine’s or Rue Saint-Laurent?
MD: Rue Sainte-Catherine’s.
MT: Who is your favourite superhero?
MD: Spiderman, because he’s flying around.
MT: What is your favourite meal to cook?
MD: Tartar.
