Canadian goaltender Shannon Szabados announces she’s expecting a baby

LORAIN, Ohio — Canadian women’s hockey team goaltender Shannon Szabados has announced she’s pregnant.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist from Edmonton posted “Excited to announce our little family will be growing by one this summer!” on her Twitter account Monday.

Szabados indicated in the post she’s due in August.

The 33-year-old did not play for Canada in this season’s Rivalry Series or exhibition games against the United States.

Hockey Canada is expected to announce its roster soon for the upcoming women’s world championship March 31 to April 10 in Halifax and Truro, N.S.

Szabados married Carl Nielsen, a former college and minor pro defenceman, in September.

She was Canada’s starting goaltender in the last three women’s Olympic hockey finals winning gold in 2010 and 2014 and silver in 2018.

Szabados was named the tournament’s top goaltender in both 2010 and 2018.

With 68 career starts for the Canadian women, Szabados ranks second behind Kim St. Pierre (83) and carries an all-time record of 51-13, a goals-against average of 1.46 and a save percentage .938.

But Szabados spent the majority of her club career competing with and against men in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and the Southern Professional Hockey League.

She became the first woman to play in the Western Hockey League at age 16, attending a Tri-City Americans training camp.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2020.

The Canadian Press