When a teenaged Chloe Primerano made her debut on the Canadian women’s hockey team last season, Jocelyne Larocque was often the steady force beside her on the blue line.Primerano, who was 17 years old at the time, immediately started to soak up wisdom from then-36-year-old Larocque, who’s been on the senior national team since Primerano was four years old.The first lesson was how dependable Larocque is. She’s built a career doing things right both on and off the ice.“She’s so reliable and just an amazing person, too,” Primerano said in an interview at a Canadian team camp earlier this year.The veteran also saw plenty of great things from the rookie, who has a hockey IQ well beyond her years. Being Primerano’s defensive partner gave Larocque a close-up view of the young player’s skill, from her shot to her stickhandling.But that wasn’t her favourite thing about Primerano.“She’s just eager to get better,” Larocque told CBC Sports. “That’s what I love the most about her is she’s constantly watching, trying to get better, working really hard and giving it all every practice. She’s such an exciting player for Canada and we’re really lucky to have her.”WATCH | The battle for a spot on Canada’s blue line:The battle on Canada’s blue lineJocelyne Larocque, 37, and 18-year-old Chloe Primerano are both fighting for a spot on defence on Canada’s Olympic team. Both Larocque and Primerano are working to make the Canadian Olympic team that will look to defend gold in Italy in February.It would be Primerano’s first Olympics. She would be the youngest to make the team since Marie-Philip Poulin did it in 2010.For Larocque, it would be her fourth Games, and a chance to add a third gold medal in a storied career.Both are part of the pool of players that could compete in one final Rivalry Series game against the United States on Saturday night in Edmonton. It could be the last chance to show Canadian GM Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan that they belong on this team.Both also represent a national team in transition, between a group of veterans who’ve led the team to golden heights and young talent waiting for a chance to shine.Consistent and steadyPoulin doesn’t pause when asked if she’s felt Larocque has been underrated throughout her career.“One hundred per cent,” the captain said.Larocque, pictured here at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, has been a steady force for the Canadian team for years. (Matt Slocum/The Associated Press)The defender from Ste. Anne, Man., has never been a flashy player. But she’s been reliable. She has been the kind of player you can put on the ice with a one-goal lead against the United States and everything on the line.“She’s always ready to deliver,” Poulin said. “She’s always ready to make a difference no matter what, and that’s why we love her so much. She’s always going to show up for her teammates and that’s what the most important thing is.”Larocque’s career has spanned more than two decades and three professional leagues. She’s witnessed stops and starts in women’s professional hockey, and in 2023, a draft she thought she’d never see.She was taken second overall in that first PWHL draft to Toronto. After being traded to the Ottawa Charge last year, she was a big part of the team’s run to the Walter Cup final.On the national team, Larocque has been a staple of Team Canada’s defence through two Olympic gold medals and four world championship titles.Behind the scenes, she’s also been the player to help a new teammate feel comfortable, whether it’s leaving a note of encouragement for a young and nervous Renata Fast, or being the safety net on the ice beside a player making their national team debut.WATCH | Fast shares story of meeting Larocque:Renata Fast shares heartfelt story of meeting Jocelyn LarocqueToronto defender describes her first interaction with current PWHL teammate Jocelyne Larocque at a Team Canada camp back in 2015.“She’s so consistent with how she plays the game and she’s so predictable in a good way to her teammates,” Ryan said.“You just know where she’s going to be. Even off ice, on the bench when she comes off in a line change, you know exactly what you’re getting from her. It’s that kind of calming influence, slash leadership, slash ability that just makes her a great partner for anybody that’s probably trying to step into a new group, and is maybe unsure where they’re going to fit in these dynamics.”Blayre Turnbull, who’s been Larocque’s teammate on the national team and in the PWHL, described her as the backbone of the program, on the ice and off.”She’s the kindest, most sincere teammate that we have, and she means so much to this group.”‘A ton of gratitude’On her way to the Canadian national team’s first camp in Calgary this summer, Larocque felt grateful for the opportunity to be in the mix again. She also found herself reminiscing. She thought about 2010, when she was cut from the Olympic team that won gold in Vancouver. She thought about her first gold medal in 2014, and then more disappointment four years later, when Canada fell in a shootout to the United States.Larocque, pictured here at the world championship in April 2025, owns two Olympic gold medals and four world championships. (Petr David Josek/The Associated Press)Then there was the rollercoaster of 2022, when it felt at times like the Games might not happen at all, thanks to a global pandemic.“I still am able to play at the highest level playing the sport that I love with players that are phenomenal athletes, but more importantly, phenomenal people, everybody here,” Larocque said.“It sounds so cheesy, but it’s true. These people are just great, great humans. So to be able to play with them, practise with them, be a part of something really special, I just feel a ton of gratitude.”Two decades into her career, Larocque still has the hunger to get better, something Poulin pointed to as a reason for Larocque’s longevity. She’s played through seismic changes in women’s hockey, all the way to where the game is now: faster and more professional than ever.Larocque thinks back to the 10-year-old kid, who watched women’s hockey’s debut at the Winter Olympics in 1998. That was where her dream started, and it came true.She also thinks about the people along the way who’ve become like family.“It would mean the world,” Larocque said about the prospect of winning one more Olympic gold medal.A star in the makingWhile Larocque has played through just about everything you can imagine in women’s hockey, the professionalism of the PWHL will be all that Primerano knows in her playing career. For Larocque and the other women who pushed for the league’s creation, players like Primerano were the reason for it all.Like Larocque, Primerano’s hockey dreams started when she watched Team Canada at the Olympics. Ten-year-old Larocque had the 1998 team. Fifteen-year-old Primerano had the 2022 gold medal-winning team, which included Larocque.Young Chloe Primerano grew up playing hockey with boys in North Vancouver, B.C. (Submitted by the Primerano family)Primerano would record the games in 2022 and watch them when she came from school, making sure no one spoiled the outcome for her.“I always wanted to go to the Olympics, but seeing that made me really want to actually get there one day,” Primerano said.Growing up in North Vancouver, B.C., she played hockey with boys until she was a teenager. It was when she switched over to playing with girls that her ability stood out even more.On Canada’s Under-18 team, Primerano is the highest-scoring defender in program history. Last winter, she captained that team to a gold medal, showing leadership and maturity that caught the eye of the Canadian senior program. Her skating and hockey IQ make her a defender with the potential to become the face of the program in the future. She made her senior national team debut last fall, at age 17, at the Rivalry Series against the United States. In a shootout in one of those games, Ryan turned to Primerano, who delivered the game winner.“I think she’s deserving of it and will do great things with us here this year, but also for many years to come with the national team,” Kingsbury said when Primerano made her first world championship team this past spring.Primerano graduated from high school a year early. Looking for a bigger challenge, she made the jump to college hockey at the University of Minnesota.Primerano graduated high school a year early to go to college at the University of Minnesota. (Jerod Ringwald/University of Minnesota)Now 18 years old and in her second year, it’s been a seamless transition for the defender, according to Primerano’s coach at the University of Minnesota, Brad Frost.Primerano racked up huge numbers at the RINK Hockey Academy program in Kelowna, B.C. before going to college. Her shot and how she sees the ice are still elite, but Frost has also watched her defensive abilities improve since coming to college.“If you’re going to make an Olympic team, you can’t just be offensive,” Frost said. “You have to be able to defend. She’s been able to just learn some different things, some nuances in regards to stick detail and body positioning and how to play rushes and things like that, that will hopefully help her make this [Olympic] team.”A predictionAt nine years old, Primerano wrote a list of goals for herself 10 years in the future. One was to play hockey in the Olympics.The next step toward that journey began in the summer, when Primerano was one of the players chosen to attend several training blocks ahead of the Olympics.At one training camp, she lived with Poulin, who got the chance to know the rookie off the ice.”She’s a great kid,” the captain said. “She’s fun.”On the ice, Poulin said the way Primerano plays says it all.Primerano scored a shootout game-winning goal for the Canadians at the Rivalry Series last season. (Melissa Majchrzak/The Associated Press)“She’s so skilled at the way she moves that puck, the way she shoots, the way she skates with it,” Poulin said. “It’s quite impressive to see. The future is quite bright for her, and I’m very excited to see what’s ahead.”Primerano faces steep competition, and will need to perform well in the final Rivalry Series game to snag a spot, assuming she is in the lineup for that game. She was scratched for Game 3’s blowout 10-4 loss against the United States on Thursday. “It would be such an honour to represent my country and be able to play in the Olympics,” Primerano said in September.Beyond what she brings on the ice, it’s her joy and passion for the game that stands out to her college coach. This year, she’s balanced national team camps along with playing at Minnesota and juggling school. You’ll still find her working on the ice long after practice has ended. That workload, plus the pressure that comes with being a highly touted prospect, is something she’s handled well, Frost said.“Is she somebody that is exceptionally special and has the opportunity to help lead Hockey Canada for the next 10, 15 years? I think she absolutely does.”
The prospect and the vet: Primerano, Larocque battle for spots on Canada’s Olympic blue line
