Portrait of Hayley Wickenheiser

Birthday profile

Hayley Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player

Born
August 12, 1978
Age in 2026
48
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1978

About Hayley Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser is a Canadian former ice hockey player, physician and assistant general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs. She was the first woman to play full-time professional men’s hockey in a position other than goalie. Wickenheiser was a member of Canada women's national ice hockey team for 23 years, from 1994 until announcing her retirement on January 13, 2017, and is the team's career points leader with 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games. She represented Canada at the Winter Olympics five times, capturing four gold and one silver medal and twice being named tournament MVP, and one time at the Summer Olympics in softball, and is a seven-time winner of the world championships. She is tied with teammates Caroline Ouellette and Jayna Hefford for the record for the most gold medals of any Canadian Olympian, and is widely considered to be the greatest women's ice hockey player of all time. On February 20, 2014, Wickenheiser was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission. In 2019, she was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, in her first year of eligibility. She was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. At the age of 15 (1994), Wickenheiser was named to the Canada women's national team for the first time and remained a member until her retirement in 2017.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Hayley Wickenheiser timeline

  1. At the age of 15 (1994), Wickenheiser was named to the Canada women's national team for the first time and remained a member until her retirement in 2017.
  2. Wickenheiser was a member of Canada women's national ice hockey team for 23 years, from 1994 until announcing her retirement on January 13, 2017, and is the team's career points leader with 168 goals and 211 assists in 276 games.
  3. On February 20, 2014, Wickenheiser was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission.

The world when Hayley Wickenheiser was born

Hayley Wickenheiser was born in 1978. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1978

  • #1 song"Shadow Dancing" – Andy Gibb
  • Top movieThe Deer Hunter
  • Top TV showLaverne & Shirley
  • Best-selling bookThe World According to Garp – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMuhammad Ali wins heavyweight title for the third time
  • Top headlineCamp David Accords — Egypt and Israel sign peace agreement
  • Technology milestoneFirst spam email sent
  • Defining fadDisco and Saturday Night Fever
  • Notable inventionGarfield comic strip debuts
  • World population4.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonWashington Bullets (NBA)
  • U.S. population222.6M

1978 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Hayley Wickenheiser's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19782026
Gas$0.63$3.45/gal
Average home$55,700$435,000
Average income$17,730$67,500
Minimum wage$2.65$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.34$11.95
Postage stamp$0.15$0.73
Population222.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Elite Prospects. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.