Campbell-Pascall's Reflective Hockey Memoir
Cassie Campbell-Pascall Reflects on Life and Women's Hockey Evolution in New Memoir 'Just a Girl'
Cassie Campbell-Pascall, one of Canada's most decorated hockey players, is releasing a memoir called *Just a Girl* on October 6, 2026, published by McClelland & Stewart Calgary Herald. The book goes beyond gold medals. It covers concussions, infertility, and the long fight to make women's hockey a serious professional sport.
Campbell-Pascall won two Olympic gold medals as captain — in Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin in 2006 — making her the only captain of any gender to lead Canada to back-to-back Olympic hockey golds Ottawa Citizen. After retiring in 2006, she became the first woman to work as a colour analyst on *Hockey Night in Canada*. She is now a special advisor to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
A Book 24 Years in the Making Finally Arrives
Journalist Sean Fitz-Gerald first pitched the book idea to Campbell-Pascall around 2002, shortly after she captained Canada to Olympic gold Calgary Herald. It took roughly 24 years for the memoir to reach publication. Fitz-Gerald, a Postmedia journalist, co-wrote the book with her. He helped shape it into something far more personal than a trophy catalogue.
Campbell-Pascall has always been reluctant to talk about herself, according to sports journalist Todd Saelhof Calgary Herald. The book flips that script. It is written in the present tense, so readers experience her doubts and decisions as they happen — not wrapped neatly in hindsight. Sidney Crosby, who endorsed the book, said: "She was generous and she was authentic, and over all these years since, neither of those things has changed."
From Pink Jerseys to the PWHL: Fighting for Women's Hockey
When Campbell-Pascall broke into international hockey in the 1990s, administrators thought it was acceptable to dress world-class athletes in pink uniforms Ottawa Citizen. She and her teammates pushed back hard. That generation's fight for respect laid the groundwork for what followed.
Campbell-Pascall later served as a governor for the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) but resigned in 2018, frustrated by the lack of a sustainable structure Calgary Herald. Her advocacy helped bring about the PWHL, which launched its first season on January 1, 2024. The league has since expanded to include teams in Seattle and Vancouver. Jessica Campbell, the NHL's first female coach, reviewed the memoir and called it "a reflection of the kind of lasting legacy Cassie continues to build."
Concussions, Infertility, and the Costs Nobody Talks About
The memoir does not shy away from pain. Campbell-Pascall describes the long-term weight of multiple concussions as a "ticking time-bomb" Ottawa Citizen. She also opens up about her personal struggle with infertility — a topic rarely discussed openly in professional sports.
Sports literature experts note that most athlete memoirs focus on triumph Calgary Herald. This one does not. By putting hard health topics front and centre, Campbell-Pascall is pushing these issues into mainstream sports conversation. Kevin Bieksa, her former broadcast colleague, called her "a gold-medal standard for women in sports and media."
A Career in Numbers and a Legacy Beyond the Ice
Campbell-Pascall won 21 international medals total — 17 gold and 4 silver — including six IIHF Women's World Championship gold medals Calgary Herald. She raised over $3.5 million for Ronald McDonald House through her annual street hockey tournament. In May 2026, she was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in Zurich alongside Patrice Bergeron.
*Just a Girl* runs 328 pages and is priced at $38 Canadian and $28 US Ottawa Citizen. It is currently available for pre-order. PWHL captain Blayre Turnbull, who reviewed the book, said it "will give readers a true sense of why we admire her work so deeply, both on and off the ice."
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