EDMONTON - As if combining education and athletics were not tough enough, Alberta Pandas forward Lindsay McAlpine was thrown a curve as she was set to start her Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey career back in October 2001.
Young, athletic and about to join Head Coach Howie Draper’s squad at the U of A, her life changed forever.
“I was diagnosed with Addison’s disease,” she begins. “It’s an auto immune disease that caused my adrenal glands to shut down. I was hospitalized for a few weeks while they worked on finding the right dose of medication for my body.”
While missing her intended first season of university hockey and watching in person as Alberta won a CIS national championship in Regina, she instead worked on balancing meds, rebuilding strength and better understanding what will be a life-long disease.
In fall 2002 she decided to give it another go. In her freshman year McAlpine picked up 15 points, played all 20 conference games and experienced the thrill of traveling to Regina again as the Pandas attempted to defend their national title. Despite waltzing through the preliminary round, Alberta met up with 2001 champion Toronto in what would be a classic, nail-biting final.
A back-and-forth game went to extra time tied at four. With McAlpine skating close by, linemate Taryn Fjeld scored the winning goal in a thrilling 5-4 double-overtime win, and she finally got to celebrate as a contributing member of the team. Her whole family witnessed the event and was there to support her.
“From the very first Nationals in Regina I have been lucky to have my dad at all of the championships, and my mom, sister, nanny and gramps, as well as my other grandma have been to most of them.”
Not only was McAlpine successful on the ice, but the Education student was also recognized as an Academic All-Canadian for the first time (GPA of 80% or higher). “Academics have always been a priority for me, and time management has been the most significant contributor to success.”
The following year McAlpine progressed further into a solid offensive threat for the defending champs, while maintaining her academic numbers. She picked up 13 goals, 24 points and once again played every conference game. At Nationals, hosted by Montreal’s McGill University, McAlpine opened the event by scoring a hat-trick, including the game-winner, in a 10-0 win over Atlantic champion Saint Mary’s. The Pandas won out the rest of the way, claiming a third straight national title and making McAlpine two-for-two.
Things, however, changed slightly for the following campaign, with the advent of a new CIS drug policy that went into effect in June 2004.
The right medication means taking steroids, now deemed illegal by the nation’s governing university body. “The medication (steroids) I am on is considered an illegal substance by CIS, and therefore I am required to apply yearly to the committee that reviews special circumstances to get permission to use them.”
While still serious in her life, with proper application McAlpine has never had to worry about her eligibility being in jeopardy. She is still subject to surprise, random testing like all other CIS athletes, but her meds do not raise a red flag with the league.
Having overcome many challenges, she emerged as a leader, on and off the ice, providing inspiration and energy to those around her. With two gold medals in two years, the young star had never really tasted defeat at this high level of competition, but that would change. After another solid offensive season, one that saw her pick up 22 points, she and the Pandas made the national final again. Despite riding a 110-game overall undefeated streak going back more than three years, Alberta came up short in the final against Laurier, settling for a silver medal. Not that second is bad, it’s just not the ultimate goal for a team that expects to win every time it hits the ice.
Heading into the off-season McAlpine knew she would be back for another crack at the title, but her off-season turned into another time of questions after she developed a stress fracture in her femur in late August, just before training camp. For the first time since she started her Canada West hockey career, she had to sit and watch hockey, just as she did back in ’01-02.
“The injury was a result of combined intense off-ice training and calcium depletion from the steroids that I had to take daily. I was on crutches for three months and returned to the ice in December,” she said.
“It was a slow and frustrating rehab process, but one that again made me step back and realize that life can always be worse,” McAlpine added.
Looking back, Coach Draper remembers just how much his 5’8’’ forward was determined to come back. “She literally had to be ordered to stay off it and made an unbelievably quick recovery from an injury that might have had other athletes out for a much greater period of time.”
While she did play 13 regular season games, McAlpine failed to score even a single goal, something that was unusual after finding the twine 32 times the previous 60 conference contests.
She did, however, take part in the 2006 playoff march to another national championship tournament, hosted by St. Francis Xavier University out in Antigonish, N.S. She scored a huge short-handed goal in the semifinal against host St. FX, a game that Alberta eventually won by shootout in front of a packed Keating Centre crowd.
So on to the final and a re-match with Wilfrid Laurier, right? While people say that things come in threes, it isn’t necessarily so, and aside from her Addison’s, McAlpine had been stuck at two – losing 2005 Nationals and the stress fracture – since recovering in December, but lady luck went against her again.
“I finished the season as I started… watching my team capture the gold medal, as I dislocated my shoulder with two minutes left in overtime of the semifinal game.”
Unlike a year earlier, the Pandas played a flawless defensive system against the Golden Hawks, winning the final 2-1.
So far in 2006-07, things have gone terrific for McAlpine and the Pandas. The team is 11-1-0, dominant in the conference again and ranked No. 2 by CIS pollsters. In this, her senior year that may never have been except for her health battle, she has gone on a tear, picking up 14 goals and 36 points in the first 12 league games, tops in the nation. She has never been so much as a conference All-Star, but she is good enough to be considered for Player of the Year.
Update March 15, 2007: Alberta went 21-3-0, won Canada West for a ninth time and a trip to Nationals in Ottawa, with McAlpine picking up a career high 27 goals, 30 assists and a CIS single-season record-tying 57 points (breaks Canada West record of 54 points by former teammate Danielle Bourgeois) to win the conference MVP award and CIS Player of the Year.
“I guess everything happens for a reason because I was lucky enough to have a sixth season with the Pandas.”
McAlpine is humble about her on-ice abilities, instead speaking positively about her linemates and attributing some numbers to luck. “Tarin Podloski is one of the most potent offensive threats that I have every played with and Jenna Barber adds structure and speed to the line. Though my role this season has changed, I don’t feel I have significantly changed as a player, besides maybe getting a little luckier with bounces and pucks going in the net.”
Of all the people in the world to attribute something to luck, she seems an unlikely candidate. With more than her fare share of bad luck out of the way, the only thing she really wants is another shot at gold when the University of Ottawa hosts the women’s hockey championship in March 2007.
Despite a constant barrage of adversity, Lindsay McAlpine feels blessed with all that life has given her.
“I have been extremely lucky to have supportive people in my life. My family has always been there for me in both my athletic and academic endeavours. Support is often overlooked by athletes and I often catch myself taking my family’s support for granted.”
Draper, one of the most successful coaches in modern sports, is proud of the chance to know and work with her. “Lindsay is one of the strongest people I know. She’s got a natural desire to excel that isn’t motivated by awards, accolades or peer approval. She loves to compete and brings that quality to every class, practice, workout session and game.”
Of her hockey family, the four-time Academic All-Canadian and three-time gold medallist says, “Howie has always stressed balance in life, with not just school and hockey, but family and social life as well. That has helped me to develop what I believe is a strong balance in my life. The various relationships that I have developed through my participation on this team are life-lasting, as well as life-changing.”