Sarah Nurse
Celebrating Wisconsin's Black History
One of most decorated women’s hockey players in Wisconsin history, All-American Sarah Nurse created quite a legacy at Wisconsin and beyond.
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Nurse starred on the ice for Wisconsin from 2014-17 before rising to international fame as an Olympian with Team Canada.
During her collegiate career, Nurse led the Badgers to three straight WCHA championships, highlighted by her performance in the 2015 Final Faceoff. In that title game, Nurse scored twice – including the game-winning goal – to knock off Bemidji State and earn Most Outstanding Player honors.
In 2016, Nurse made Badger history, against archrival Minnesota. Playing in front of a capacity crowd at LaBahn Arena, Nurse scored three goals, becoming the first player in program history to score a hat-trick against the Golden Gophers.
Following her career at Wisconsin, Nurse was drafted second overall by the Toronto Furies in the 2018 CWHL Draft and became one of Team Canada’s top players. In her Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018, Nurse helped Canada win a silver medal, scoring the game-winning goal during Canada’s 2-1 round robin victory over the United States.
In November 2020, Mattel and Tim Hortons collaborated on two limited-edition Barbie dolls based on Nurse and fellow hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin. The dolls were created as part of Barbie’s You Can Be Anything program, which aims to inspire “girls to reach their limitless potential through imaginative play and engaging with meaningful role models.”
