When Kayle Osborne thinks back to where it all started, her thoughts are a long way from an Olympic or PWHL arena.
They take her instead to a chilly outdoor rink in Munster, a village in Ottawa, just down the street from her childhood home.
“My brother, sister and I would walk to the rink together,” Osborne recalls. “We spent countless hours there, and it’s also where I learned to skate.”
Those early days in Munster laid the foundation for a fine pro hockey career that’s just getting started, something she never would have dreamed of back then.
“I think I would have said there’s no way,” Osborne admitted.
But after her brilliant career at Colgate University, pro hockey is exactly where she is. She spent her first two PWHL seasons with the New York Sirens, eventually evolving into their starter and one of the very best goalies in the world.
And as a cherry on top this season, she enjoyed a quick Olympic stop in Milan with Team Canada.
That’s quite a contrast to the ol’ Munster outdoor rink days.
Osborne will begin a new hockey chapter this fall as the starting goalie for the new PWHL expansion team in Hamilton. She’s been signed to a three-year deal and becomes the second of five players to be added to the team during Phase 2 of the league’s Expansion Draft.
But long before she was representing Canada at the Olympics or establishing herself as a PWHL star, Osborne was simply a sports-crazy kid growing up in a family that seemed to be constantly on the move.
“I describe my childhood as fun, exciting and very active,” she says. “I was constantly playing outside and grew up playing many different sports alongside my brother and sister (Collin and Amanda).
“I played lacrosse primarily growing up, it was the first sport I really got into and played competitively even before hockey. I played volleyball and basketball growing up as well in school and throughout my childhood.”
When it came to hockey, her sister was a goalie, so Kayle wanted to play goalie too. Her mother, meanwhile, became the family’s transportation department, driving countless hours to practices, games and tournaments.
“Whatever time it was, my mom was getting up and driving me without a single complaint. She was my rock growing up. She was there for every high and every low I experienced in my career,” Osborne recalled.
A lot has changed since those days. FACES caught up with Osborne to discuss her career, life at the Olympics, and what’s coming next.
Where do you consider home these days? I know you have ties to Munster, Barrhaven, and Westport.
I consider home for the past few years to be Westport, Ontario. Growing up, home was Munster. I attended high school in Barrhaven and lived there for a few years in my teenage years before moving out to Westport.
You played boys hockey coming up until you joined the Lady Senators. How did you enjoy boys hockey?
I loved playing boys hockey, it was such a competitive environment and a battle, especially being, typically, the only girl on the team. I was fortunate enough to play with great guys, and to this day, I still remain friends with a lot of them. The boys’ teams I played on were very inclusive and welcoming.
Were there any goaltenders you tried to model your game after growing up?
Honestly, no. I didn’t watch a ton of hockey and still don’t. As soon as I saw Shannon Szabados play in the 2010 Olympics, that was when I realized I wanted to go to the Olympics one day.
When did you first start to think that you could play this game at a level like the NCAA or PWHL?
When I was playing boys hockey, I didn’t know that girls could go play NCAA on a scholarship or anything like that. When I first switched over to girls, I started to understand the whole recruiting process. The PWHL’s first year was not until my junior year of college and to that point I was not sure if I was going to continue after college, because before my junior year there was really no pro league.
Fondest memory with the Lady Senators?
My final season was cut short due to COVID but that was my favourite year. We had a great group of girls that went on to play Division 1. We spent a lot of time together away from the rink and I think that was what made the year so special.
Fondest memory at Colgate?
Winning the ECAC at home in my senior year was, by far, my best memory. We were able to celebrate at our home rink one last time with friends and family. It made it extra special that the win was against Clarkson, our longtime rivals.
Tell us, in your words, about leaving New York and joining Hamilton and how that came together?
I think leaving New York was bittersweet. They took a chance on having me as their starter this past season and I will always be grateful for that. My goalie coach there, Gord Woodhall, did
an amazing job in developing me into a starter and that made it extremely hard to leave New York. I think joining Hamilton was an Incredible opportunity, and being a lot closer to home, on top of being back in Canada, was something I couldn’t pass up.
Can you tell us about the phone call when you found out that you had made the Olympic team?
It was a regular day for me. I had to skate and lift in the morning, but my call wasn’t until 5 PM, so I had to get through the whole day. I was quite anxious, and I really had no idea if I was going to make it. Once I got on the call, it was honestly a blur. I was so in shock that I was going to my first Olympics, but I was so excited.
What are a couple of highlights from your Olympic experience on the ice?
Being able to play on the international stage was incredible. Playing in front of the fans and having such a great crowd was an incredible feeling. I think just being able to wear the Maple Leaf is something you never take for granted.
How about off the ice in Milan?
Definitely the opening ceremonies. It was a surreal feeling walking in and seeing the rings above you and everyone cheering. As well as staying in the village with the girls, it was kinda like a college dorm room vibe that was a lot of fun.
How long did it take to get over the tough loss in the final?
I’m not sure you ever really get over it. I think there is always a part of you that thinks about it and knows we didn’t come home with gold.
Okay. Let’s counter that with some fun questions. What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you away from the rink?
I think people would be surprised to know that I am actually a very social person, I know some goalies can be introverts but I’m actually the opposite.
Favourite thing to do in Ottawa?
My favourite thing to do in Ottawa is walk around Lansdowne. They have a little restaurant called The Rowan around there, a great flea market, and some amazing patios in the summer.
Goaltenders are often described as being a little different or quirky. Do you embrace that or reject it?
I definitely understand the stereotype, but personally, I like to keep it pretty light before games and crack some jokes. I’m not really one to get too serious.
If you weren’t playing professional hockey, what job would you like to be doing?
I think I would be a police officer or teacher. I majored in education at Colgate.
Who is the funniest teammate you’ve ever had?
That would be my old goalie partner, Abbey Levy.
What’s your pet peeve about anything hockey-related? In regular life?
Pet peeve in hockey would be when players don’t wear sock tape. I just hate the look. In regular life, probably when someone keeps snoozing their alarm clock.
What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?
Has to be Love Island or any reality TV.
It’s easy to see why Kayle Osborne has become one of the rising stars in women’s hockey. The same passion for the game that carried her from the Munster outdoor rink to success in the NCAA, the PWHL and the Olympic stage will serve her well in her move to southern Ontario this season.
And there’s absolutely no question that Hamilton is getting a good one, right out of the gate.
