A simple message on Twitter yesterday announced the retirement of arguably the greatest female hockey player in the game’s history. Hayley Wickenheiser wrote, “Dear Canada. It has been the great honour of my life to play for you. Time to hang ‘em up!! Thank you!”

And with those words “Wick” leaves the game to finish her medical school studies. She leaves behind a legacy that is long and rich. The numbers are great; the records are noted; and, her influence on the game will be felt for generations. Indeed, her career almost parallels the full history of women’s hockey in the IIHF tournament calendar.

Wickenhieser joined Canada’s national team in 1994 at the age of 15, an unimaginable leap of skill in today’s game where 15-year-olds even at the U18 level are rare.

Over the next 23 years, she led the way, on ice and off, and became a hero to young girls. The numbers speak for themselves: five Olympics, and a record-tying four Olympic gold medals. Some 13 Women’s World Championships, including seven gold and six silver. Olympics MVP twice (2002, 2006) and WW all-star team member seven times.

The scoring records might never be broken. She has 51 points at the Olympics, nearly double the total of the next player on the list (Jenny Potter, 32). She also has more goals and assists than any other woman in Olympic competition (18 and 33, respectively).

At the Women’s World Championships, the same. Her 86 career points tops the list, as does her assists total of 49. Wickenheiser missed two WW during her career: 2001 (knee injury), and last year (foot surgery).

But it wasn’t the numbers for which she will best be remembered. Wickenheiser dedicated her every day to the game. She took training and diet seriously year ‘round, developing a body off ice that could perform on ice like no teammate or opponent had ever seen.

Her strength was unmatched, and her slapshot the most powerful. Physically she was hard as rock and tough as nails.

Her skating produced a powerful stride that was fast and quick. She could create massive bursts of speed to blow by defenders, and muscle her way outside or inside a defenceman, depending on her mood.

Wickenheiser captained Team Canada for seven years starting in 2007, replacing Cassie Campbell, and continuing through the 2013 WW.

Most famously, Wickenheiser played in the second and third division men’s league in Finland for two years, becoming the first woman to score a goal for Kirkkonummi Salamat on 31 January 2003. In 2008/2009 she played for Linden Hockey in Sweden’s third-tier league.

But most significant, she was the face of the game. She promoted it on ice with her dedication and superior play, and she promoted it off ice through her training, her personal appearances, and her love of country. She inspired girls to play the game, without shame or embarrassment, and she helped make it cool for girls to take up the sport.

Wickenheiser also was a world-class softball player and played on Canada’s Olympic softball team in 2000, becoming a rare athlete to have appeared in both Summer and Winter Games.

In 2010, it was she who recited the athletes’ Olympic Oath during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Games in Vancouver. In 2014, she was named to the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission. Starting in 2011 she mentored and inspired European girls to develop and maintain an interest in the game.

Her annual Wickenheiser Women’s Hockey International Festival has attracted thousands of young girls the world over and will continue to do so in the future.

Wickenheiser graduated from the University of Calgary in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and has been wanting to use this to pursue a medical degree. Hockey has been in the way, but that is no longer the case. The Wick is gone from the game, but she will never be forgotten.

ANDREW PODNIEKS