Laura Quesnel (Submitted photo/ Laura Quesnel)

By Ian Gustafson

Honoured for Work

Laura Quesnel to be inducted into P.A. Women’s Hall of Fame

Feb 27, 2020 | 11:49 AM

The Prince Albert Council of Women announced Laura Quesnel will be inducted into the Prince Albert Women’s Hall of Fame.

Quesnel is the President of the Prince Albert Northern Bears and has worked to bring success to female hockey in Prince Albert.

She was told about the news at her workplace by the council’s President Patricia Leson.

“I was first of all absolutely shocked, humbled, to even be nominated and then to be told that I had won was really unbelievable,” Quesnel told paNOW.

Quesnel said making sure female players have access to high level hockey in the community is the engine behind why she does it.

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“I don’t volunteer to get recognized,” Quesnel said. “I’m very humbled that it happened, I do it because I love what I do. The Bears, especially the Bears team, I’ve been with them for 14 years and they’ve become a huge part of my family, so I do it for them and I do it for the program.”

She added she has seen the women’s hockey game grow tremendously in Prince Albert. For years she said there were people who have never watched a female hockey game.

“Now the female league has been recognized throughout the province, throughout Canada,” she said. “It’s wonderful that it’s grown so much over the years and it continues to grow.”

Quesnel also had a hand in bringing the 2020 Esso Cup National Female Midget Championship tournament to Prince Albert. The Prince Albert Northern Bears will play and host the tournament in April showcasing the female game to the community.

“I’m very excited about that, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Prince Albert and especially our team to be the host for this upcoming Esso Cup. We’re all pretty excited about it and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

She is proud of what she has contributed to the game and is also proud of those she works with who help her within the organization.

“There’s a lot of volunteer work that goes on behind the scenes to make this possible for these girls to play in Prince Albert and I’m proud of every one of them,” she said.

Quesnel does a lot of volunteering with several organizations and events including the SaskTel Pioneers, as well as at Raiders games, the Prince Albert Exhibition parade, Highway Clean Up and Christmas Angels.

She will be inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame on March 10, at the Wildlife Federation Hall at 5:30 p.m. There will be a ceremony and dinner and the ceremony coincides each year with International Women’s Day on March 8.

She said she doesn’t like to boast her own achievements, so in turn, hasn’t told many people she will be inducted.

As stated in a release from The Prince Albert Council of Women, President Patricia Leson said this will be the first time they will honour a woman with her background and it fits well with the diversity they look for in their inductees.

Leson said Quesnel’s contributions embrace the Government of Canada’s and UN themes for International Women’s Day.

“Because of Laura’s contributions, female hockey is vibrant and alive in our community. Laura has shown a generation of girls that they are equal and are capable of playing any sport and receiving quality coaching with a strong organization working for them,” Leson said.

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12