Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser made a (surprise) virtual visit to Toronto this month

Hayley Wickenheiser, one of Team Canada’s most dedicated Olympians, gave Torontonians a surprise virtual visit from PyeongChang on Valentine’s Day.

You’re probably wondering how exactly that happened.

Local favourites, the hockey-playing Azmi sisters – known for breaking down stereotypes by playing and helping grow the sport of ball hockey in their Muslim community – were connected with Wickenheiser, a pioneer in women’s hockey and their idol, at the Toronto’s Eaton Centre’s CF Brighter Lounge through Canadian Tire’s Red Door.

Azmi sisters/Canadian Tire Red Door

And what better way to celebrate the Azmi sisters’ dedication to their community and sport than by surprising them with Wickenheiser, a six-time Olympian, four-time Olympic gold medallist, and recipient of the Order of Canada for her role in the growth of women’s hockey?

The Red Door is a life-sized, physical door that enables a real-time, live-stream interaction between families, friends, and fans of Team Canada with Olympians and Paralympians in PyeongChang – across a distance of thousands of kilometers.

This program is part of Canadian Tire’s We All Play for Canada Olympic campaign, encouraging Canadians to show their support for our athletes. Because no matter who we are or where we come from, Canadians play for something greater than themselves: #WeAllPlayForCanada.