Goalie Kristen Campbell dressed as the backup last night against Czechia, but she is putting her full passion into becoming a starter for Canada.
photo: Francois Laplante / IIHF
Hockey is a competitive sport dominated by the most competitive athletes in the world, but even among these elite players there are few who have the laser focus and the long-game determination of Canadian goalie Kristen Campbell. She doesn’t want to win because of a bad loss yesterday or last month or last year—she wants to win because of a loss eight years ago!
Campbell was part of Canada’s U18 team in 2015, and although they made it to the gold-medal game, they came away with silver.
“That was a while ago now!” Campbell recalled. “It was in Buffalo, New York, and a really special experience for me getting to wear the maple leaf for the first time and playing with the top players in the country. It’s indescribable when you get your first chance because, of course, you aspire to play with the senior team one day. We did end up losing in overtime to the U.S., but it left a bad taste in my mouth. From that moment on, I wanted to keep going with the program and win gold.”
Indeed, Campbell, a Brandon, Manitoba native, has been a member of Canada's last three gold-medal wins, but as the team’s third goalie. Satisfying, yes, but not quite enough for the driven and determined 25-year-old. For her, the words gold and starter must be in the same sentence to realize her dreams.
“It’s a process,” she continued. “Nothing comes easily, and nothing is handed to you at this level. Even the goalies before me have had their experiences and their own challenges to overcome. Everyone’s path is different. I still have my sights on that. I did get some international experience playing in the Rivalry Series against the U.S. this past year, got my first win against the U.S. and also played Finland in my first game and we won that. I’ve gotten some experience outside of the Worlds, but what keeps driving me forward is knowing that one day I’ll be in the crease starting for Canada. That’s my ultimate goal, and everything I do revolves around that.”
Campbell’s patience is born of experience. She played five years of college hockey after that U18 loss and went from being low goalie on the ladder, as it were, to NCAA champion. It was an incredible journey, but it wasn’t a straight line and it didn’t happen overnight.
“I played at North Dakota for two years, and then the program was cut," she related. "I actually see my college journey as similar to the journey I’m on now. When I was at North Dakota, I was playing in the third or fourth goalie spot. They had their eyes on me being a starter one day, and I was working my way towards that opportunity. When that program was cut, Mark [Johnson] gave me the opportunity to be a starter at Wisconsin. I think I started in more than 120 games in three years. It was pretty amazing.”
Campbell’s transfer from UND to the Badgers wasn’t just coach Johnson, though; it was serendipity that seems to happen to all champions. “At my first U18s in Buffalo,” Campbell explained, “the assistant coach was Jackie Crum, and she was also the assistant coach with Wisconsin. So when the North Dakota program was cut, she reached out to me, and as soon as she did I knew I was going to take that opportunity. It’s one of the best hockey schools in the U.S., and there are some great players who have gone through there.”
Incredibly, Campbell became the number-one goalie almost immediately, and in 2018-19 she had a year for the history books. She compiled a 35-4-2 record and was a final-10 Patty Kazmaier Award nominee. In the Frozen Four, she became the first goalie in NCAA history to record three straight shutouts, not allowing a single goal all tournament. That worked out to a 4-0 win over Syracuse in the quarter-finals; a 5-0 whitewash of Clarkson in the semis; and, a 2-0 win for all the marbles against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
“All in all, I’ve been in a third role, a backup role, and I’ve been the starter,” Campbell summarized. “No matter what I’m handed, I know how to deal with it. Winning a national championship and all I’ve been through has given me the confidence that I’m on the same path now that I’ve been on before.”
After graduating from Wisconsin, Campbell joined the PWHPA. Additionally, she has been the third goalie at the 2021 and 2022 Women’s Worlds, 2022 Olympics, and now here in Brampton. Her attitude is a key part of her character and popularity in the dressing room.
“The last few tournaments I haven’t been in the net, but I’ve made an impact in ways that aren’t performance based, and I think that will go a long way when I do get my opportunity, knowing that I’ve put everything into this team that I possibly can and evolved into a leader here. Being in a role like this, you really have to embrace it, and you have to be fully on board, bring energy to the girls. At the end of the day, the success of the team is dependent on everyone. Being that eye in the sky and seeing things in the other goalies, I can give the girls some pointers.”
Advice is good, but as Campbell knows, playing hard in practise is the key, both for her and for her teammates. “In practise, I have to play my best and be hard to play against, so when I do get my opportunity I’m ready. And in the meantime, I’m making my teammates better, making them shoot better, not letting in easy goals.”
Of course, players want to play, and Campbell makes no secret of her ambitions, her focus, her confidence, her dreams.
“I know it’s going to come at some point,” she said with friendly but steely resolve. “I’ve trusted the process my whole life, and it’s gotten me to where I am. The coach’s message has been that the growth he’s seen in me since I made the Olympic team has been huge. I’d never played an international game, but I made the roster for the Olympics. They see me moving in a positive direction, and know I can step in and win games. But sometimes it’s not that simple. There are only so many games in a tournament, and there are three of us. He knows my goal is to be a starter for this team, and I have to keep along this journey and put my best foot forward and my opportunity will come.”
It will, and Campbell will be ready. She’s been there and done that. And she’s going to do it again. She's waited eight years; she'll happily wait a little longer, if need be.
Campbell was part of Canada’s U18 team in 2015, and although they made it to the gold-medal game, they came away with silver.
“That was a while ago now!” Campbell recalled. “It was in Buffalo, New York, and a really special experience for me getting to wear the maple leaf for the first time and playing with the top players in the country. It’s indescribable when you get your first chance because, of course, you aspire to play with the senior team one day. We did end up losing in overtime to the U.S., but it left a bad taste in my mouth. From that moment on, I wanted to keep going with the program and win gold.”
Indeed, Campbell, a Brandon, Manitoba native, has been a member of Canada's last three gold-medal wins, but as the team’s third goalie. Satisfying, yes, but not quite enough for the driven and determined 25-year-old. For her, the words gold and starter must be in the same sentence to realize her dreams.
“It’s a process,” she continued. “Nothing comes easily, and nothing is handed to you at this level. Even the goalies before me have had their experiences and their own challenges to overcome. Everyone’s path is different. I still have my sights on that. I did get some international experience playing in the Rivalry Series against the U.S. this past year, got my first win against the U.S. and also played Finland in my first game and we won that. I’ve gotten some experience outside of the Worlds, but what keeps driving me forward is knowing that one day I’ll be in the crease starting for Canada. That’s my ultimate goal, and everything I do revolves around that.”
Campbell’s patience is born of experience. She played five years of college hockey after that U18 loss and went from being low goalie on the ladder, as it were, to NCAA champion. It was an incredible journey, but it wasn’t a straight line and it didn’t happen overnight.
“I played at North Dakota for two years, and then the program was cut," she related. "I actually see my college journey as similar to the journey I’m on now. When I was at North Dakota, I was playing in the third or fourth goalie spot. They had their eyes on me being a starter one day, and I was working my way towards that opportunity. When that program was cut, Mark [Johnson] gave me the opportunity to be a starter at Wisconsin. I think I started in more than 120 games in three years. It was pretty amazing.”
Campbell’s transfer from UND to the Badgers wasn’t just coach Johnson, though; it was serendipity that seems to happen to all champions. “At my first U18s in Buffalo,” Campbell explained, “the assistant coach was Jackie Crum, and she was also the assistant coach with Wisconsin. So when the North Dakota program was cut, she reached out to me, and as soon as she did I knew I was going to take that opportunity. It’s one of the best hockey schools in the U.S., and there are some great players who have gone through there.”
Incredibly, Campbell became the number-one goalie almost immediately, and in 2018-19 she had a year for the history books. She compiled a 35-4-2 record and was a final-10 Patty Kazmaier Award nominee. In the Frozen Four, she became the first goalie in NCAA history to record three straight shutouts, not allowing a single goal all tournament. That worked out to a 4-0 win over Syracuse in the quarter-finals; a 5-0 whitewash of Clarkson in the semis; and, a 2-0 win for all the marbles against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
“All in all, I’ve been in a third role, a backup role, and I’ve been the starter,” Campbell summarized. “No matter what I’m handed, I know how to deal with it. Winning a national championship and all I’ve been through has given me the confidence that I’m on the same path now that I’ve been on before.”
After graduating from Wisconsin, Campbell joined the PWHPA. Additionally, she has been the third goalie at the 2021 and 2022 Women’s Worlds, 2022 Olympics, and now here in Brampton. Her attitude is a key part of her character and popularity in the dressing room.
“The last few tournaments I haven’t been in the net, but I’ve made an impact in ways that aren’t performance based, and I think that will go a long way when I do get my opportunity, knowing that I’ve put everything into this team that I possibly can and evolved into a leader here. Being in a role like this, you really have to embrace it, and you have to be fully on board, bring energy to the girls. At the end of the day, the success of the team is dependent on everyone. Being that eye in the sky and seeing things in the other goalies, I can give the girls some pointers.”
Advice is good, but as Campbell knows, playing hard in practise is the key, both for her and for her teammates. “In practise, I have to play my best and be hard to play against, so when I do get my opportunity I’m ready. And in the meantime, I’m making my teammates better, making them shoot better, not letting in easy goals.”
Of course, players want to play, and Campbell makes no secret of her ambitions, her focus, her confidence, her dreams.
“I know it’s going to come at some point,” she said with friendly but steely resolve. “I’ve trusted the process my whole life, and it’s gotten me to where I am. The coach’s message has been that the growth he’s seen in me since I made the Olympic team has been huge. I’d never played an international game, but I made the roster for the Olympics. They see me moving in a positive direction, and know I can step in and win games. But sometimes it’s not that simple. There are only so many games in a tournament, and there are three of us. He knows my goal is to be a starter for this team, and I have to keep along this journey and put my best foot forward and my opportunity will come.”
It will, and Campbell will be ready. She’s been there and done that. And she’s going to do it again. She's waited eight years; she'll happily wait a little longer, if need be.