BIOGRAPHY

It was Danièle Sauvageau’s passion, instinct and leadership that led the Canadian women’s field hockey team to a historic victory at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. She turned the fear of losing into an absolute desire to triumph. By turning the tide, she and the players on her team were able to realize their Olympic dream.

Danièle was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contribution to the advancement and development of women’s field hockey in Quebec and Canada.

Danièle has participated in ten Olympic Games as a women’s field hockey coach, general manager and coaching consultant. She contributed greatly to the women’s team’s victories at seven consecutive World Championships and the silver medal won at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games in field hockey and more than twenty multisport world championships.

Danièle Sauvageau was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Montreal Police Department for 33 years.

A graduate in social work, she later graduated from the RCMP academy. Danièle obtained a Master’s Certificate in Coaching from the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), and a Certificate in Management from the École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal (HEC).

Through her dedication, her involvement in the development of her sport and her winning record, she has certainly become the guru of women’s field hockey in Canada.

Her expertise crosses sectors. She has contributed to the success of several national programs at the sport level as well as in the business and public sectors.

She is now an associate professor at HEC Montreal, president of the 21.02 High Performance Hockey Centre and a field hockey analyst.

Daniele Sauvageau biographie

Danièle Sauvageau has been a member of the RCMP and the Montreal Police Service for 24 years, where she worked in the narcotics division. She is currently an advisor in the Strategic Development Department.

She has a degree in Social Work and is a graduate of the RCMP Academy. Danièle obtained a Master’s Certificate in Coaching from the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), and a Certificate in Management from Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC).

In January 2008, she was given carte blanche by the Université de Montréal to set up the Carabins’ first women’s field hockey team.

Her expertise crosses the seasons! She has contributed to the success of several national programs, including the National Synchronized Swimming Team and the Women’s Water Polo Team. She is working closely with the Canadian Olympic Committee in preparation for the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games as a coaching and performance consultant. Danièle is closely involved in the success of Canadian short track speed skating athletes and figure skater Joanie Rochette.

Her expertise in human resources management, coaching, leadership, situational assessment, communication, and building winning teams allows her to speak on many performance-related topics.

In 2003, Danièle began coaching managers in companies. As an executive coaching consultant, Danièle Sauvageau has led and helped many clients in the public and private sectors to build new visions and manage change in order to create a competitive advantage.

She has many accomplishments in the field, including:

  • Developed tools and methods to evaluate Olympic athletes, coaches and athlete specialists.
  • Organizational review of the Women’s Olympic Water Polo Team and the Canadian Synchronized Swimming Program.
    Canadian Synchronized Swimming Program.
  • Advised and mentored the women’s water polo coaching team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
  • Coached coaches and managers in the development of competency profiles since 2003.

 

A well-known media figure, Danièle is often solicited to comment on current events in field hockey and high-level sports in general. During her career, she has been the subject of several reports on Canadian networks, such as CBC, Radio-Canada, TSN, as well as in the United States on NBC. She has also been featured in several Canadian and American publications. She is also the co-author of the book: “The golden tears, the journey to the Olympics”.

Over the years, Danièle Sauvageau’s work has often been rewarded:

  • Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, 2004.
  • Quebec Coach of the Year (team sports) in 1995-1999-2002.
  • Recipient of the 3M Coaching Award in Canada in 1999–2001–2003.
  • Woman of the Year, Montreal YMCA 2000.
  • Director’s Medal, Montreal Police, 2002.
  • Grace Under Pressure Award, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity, 2002
  • House of Commons Medal, 1998-2002
  • Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002.
  • Member of the 50 Nation Builders, 2002.

 

Danièle has been a spokesperson for the Coaching Association of Canada, a member of the Canadian Professional Coaches Association and a member of the Board of Directors for the development of Vancouver’s bid for the 2010 Olympic Games.