SURREY — Jenn Gardiner still can’t quite believe she’s an Olympian. The Vancouver Goldeneyes forward often finds herself scrolling through photos from her time in Italy, a reminder that she was really there, fulfilling a lifelong dream of playing for Canada’s women’s hockey team on the sport’s biggest stage. “Just being there is so surreal,” Gardiner said. ”You think of the Olympics as just this crazy experience of everything, and it totally was. But at the same time, I feel like our nerves calm down because we’re just playing hockey. Like, at the end of the day, it’s just the game that we all have grown up playing.” It’s been six months since she and her teammates had silver medals hung around their necks in Milan, a bittersweet moment for a group that had set its sights on defending gold. The excitement and heartbreak were part of an intense year for Gardiner. As she pushed for a spot on the Olympic squad, she made a massive move, crossing the country to play her second PWHL season for the upstart Goldeneyes in her hometown. “I think just last year was a very loaded year in the best way possible,” Gardiner said. “I think it was probably the best year of my life, but, yeah, just a lot of stress too.” A long off-season has given the 24-year-old star from Surrey, B.C., some time to recover and reflect — and help grow the game she loves. Gardiner has spent much of her summer at rinks around Metro Vancouver not only training but coaching and mentoring future hockey stars. At a Goldeneyes camp last week, she was quick to offer hugs and hellos to each of the wide-eyed girls who approached. Many she’d met before, and seemed to seamlessly recall details about their training or families. “She’s always out in the community, being involved, going out with young teams for practices,” said Goldeneyes captain Ashton Bell. “So she’s such a role model for them here. You can see it here in the rink today, just how excited girls are when they see Jenn Gardiner show up.” The desire to pave the path others comes from Gardiner’s gratitude for all the people who supported her hockey journey. It doesn’t take a lot to ignite a kids’ love for the sport, she said. “Looking at these little girls, it’s so special because I see how they look at us all bright-eyed and just so excited to learn from us,” she said. ”And what’s five minutes of my time that could inspire their entire life? … It just brings me so much joy to get on the ice, and I just truly love the game so much. And any time I can share my passion with other people who love it just as much as me, it just makes me so happy.” A love of hockey took Gardiner from suburban Vancouver to Ohio State in 2019. Over the next five years, she put up 71 goals and 100 assists over 176 career games. In 2023, she was named a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier award — handed out annually to the NCAA women’s hockey player — and the following season she was named team captain. The Montreal Victoire selected her 11th overall in the 2024 PWHL draft and she was shortlisted for rookie of the year honours after putting up five goals and 13 assists in the 2024-25 campaign. Gardiner signed with the expansion Goldeneyes in June 2025, eager for the chance to play at home. “There was so much excitement around the team here in Vancouver, the roster that we had, just bringing hockey and excitement to our city,” she said. ”And getting to be part of that and growing it in Vancouver was crucial for me to be part of the inaugural team here.” After her rookie campaign, Gardiner took a single week off the ice before returning to training, fuelled by a desire not only to be a better PWHL player, but to make the Olympic team. She finished the 2025-26 season with nine goals and 10 assists, second on the Goldeneyes in scoring behind defender Sophie Jacques. Throughout the season, Gardiner was trying to find her niche, said Vancouver’s head coach Cara Gardner Morey. “I think that when she was in Montreal playing with (Marie-Philip) Poulin, there was a lot of points put up. And then when she’s on the national team, it’s more of a defensive role,” said Gardner Morey, who was the Goldeneyes’ first general manager before transitioning to head coach this off-season. “So, I think for Jenn, it’s figuring out how she fits in our (system) and what role that is. And it’s kind of a combo of both, right?” To get the most out of Gardiner, the Goldeneyes need to make sure she’s empowered to both take the puck to the net and be responsible in the defensive zone, she added. “It’s putting the right people around her and letting her have the confidence to play the type of game she wants to play,” the coach said. “I think that people want to put themselves in a box of like, ‘Oh, I’m a scorer or I’m just a grinder.’ But truthfully, we should have our players at this level be able to do anything so they can go up and down the lineup. So her versatility is awesome. It’s the standard of what we’ll want.” Vancouver ended its inaugural season out of the playoffs but with a solid performance down the stretch it earned enough “gold points” to pick first in June’s draft. The Goldeneyes selected American defender Caroline Harvey, a three-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medallist. Finishing the season in late April gave Gardiner ample time to rest and recover from a wild year. She tried to stay away from the rink but it wasn’t long before she felt compelled to put her skates back on. “My body kind of told me when I was ready to get back into it,” she said. “And I can only be off the ice for so long because I miss it too much.” Gardiner’s also mixed different modes of training into her routine this summer, including hikes in and around Vancouver. Her favourite was a trek up Wedge Mountain near Whistler. Even after the eight-hour, 15-kilometre journey, she was back on the ice the next morning. “I was very sore for about four days, though,” she said with a grin. ”(Hiking) definitely kind of just brings a different element into (training) … There’s no better place to be than B.C., so I like to mix in a little bit of outdoor stuff along with the gym and the ice. It’s fun.” Gardiner documents many of her adventures on social media, sharing the beauty of her city and the busy life of a hockey player with more than 26,000 fans on Instagram. Recent posts show her and her teammates out whale watching and sitting courtside at a Toronto Tempo game at Rogers Arena. Gardner Morey describes Gardiner as being “obsessed” with Vancouver. “She wants to be a Goldeneye for as long as she possibly can be one,” she said. ”She cares so much about the team, and she cares so much about being a good role model for the young girls in this community so that she inspires them to follow in her footsteps. And you can see it in everything she does. She doesn’t take it lightly.” This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2026.
