Martlets Artistic Swimming: A+ The Martlets delivered a historic 2025–2026 campaign, establishing themselves as the undisputed top program in the country. They swept every event they entered at the Canadian University Artistic Swimming League (CUASL) National Championships, finishing first among 16 teams and capturing all six gold medals across both[Read More…]
Articles by Jenna Payette
McGill artistic swimming stays in perfect sync to sweep CUASL nationals
Martlets Artistic Swimming left the University of Laval’s Aquatic Centre on March 22 as the undisputed 2026 champions of the Canadian University Artistic Swimming League (CUASL), sweeping every event they entered across three days of competition. This marked the program’s eighth championship in the past 12 seasons, and its 18th[Read More…]
RSEQ basketball champion Martlets return to national stage
The McGill Women’s Basketball Team capped their 2025-26 season with a return to the national spotlight, winning the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Championship before finishing fourth at the U SPORTS Final 8 in Quebec City. The run combined defensive grit, timely performances, and a young core that[Read More…]
The price of daring to be great: What Lindsey Vonn’s crash says about elite sport’s hardest decision
13 seconds. That is all it took for an iconic Olympic comeback to collapse into chaos. One moment, Lindsey Vonn was charging down the Olimpia delle Tofane at highway speeds. The next, she was tumbling violently down the hill, skis dangerously strapped in as her body crumbled. A stunned silence[Read More…]
Team Canada’s medal makers: Five stories to watch in Milano-Cortina
From frozen rinks to mountain peaks, Team Canada’s brightest stars are preparing for their biggest stage yet. At Milano-Cortina 2026, these five athletes and teams carry not only medal hopes, but years of sacrifice, resilience, and pride. Connor McDavid and Men’s Hockey For more than a decade, Olympic men’s hockey[Read More…]
Taking the NHL by storm: The habits behind 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini’s breakout
Before Macklin Celebrini became one of the National Hockey League (NHL)’s most electric young phenoms, he was a kid running up a hill. Not a metaphorical hill—an actual one. At the end of workouts in their North Vancouver neighbourhood, Celebrini and his brother Aiden would finish with a routine: Sprint[Read More…]
The fights that made hockey: Revisiting the NHL’s most legendary brawls
In the final seconds of a tight National Hockey League (NHL) game between the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers, Detroit’s Mason Appleton shot the puck near centre ice a half-second after the game’s final buzzer blared. Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick instigated a fight in retaliation; within moments,[Read More…]
Martlets Hockey push league-leading Stingers to brink in gritty OT loss
On Nov. 14, McGill’s Martlets Hockey took to the ice at McConnell Arena and showcased a full-team effort, pushing the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)–leading Concordia Stingers to overtime in a hard-fought 2-1 loss. The effort marked a sharp turnaround from the Martlets’ earlier meetings with the Stingers[Read More…]
From Canada, with love: A letter to the Toronto Blue Jays
Dear Toronto Blue Jays, You did it. You reminded us what it feels like to fall in love. Not just with a team or a sport, but with something much bigger: With the idea that hope can be shared, that joy can ripple from ballparks to basements, that a country[Read More…]
Kelsey Mitchell’s collapse sparks reflection on what happens when “The Fever” burns too hot
In the third quarter of Game 5 of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) semi-finals against the Las Vegas Aces, Kelsey Mitchell’s legs locked mid-stride. The Indiana Fever guard suddenly slowed, freezing in pain as her body began to betray her. In an instant, a highly-anticipated playoff game became a[Read More…]
McGill Redbirds triumph in Legacy Game, honouring Indigenous roots of lacrosse
The McGill Redbirds lacrosse team claimed their fourth consecutive win in the annual Legacy Game series, defeating the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 13-9 on the evening of Sept. 30. Nearly 600 fans stood witness to the highly entertaining match-up at Percival Molson Stadium. While the scoreboard reflected another strong Redbirds[Read More…]
Remembering Ken Dryden: Canadiens legend and McGill alum
Ken Dryden, the towering goaltender who backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cups and became the calm heart of a dynasty, died on Sept. 5 at 78 following a battle with cancer. More than a hockey player, Dryden was a symbol of Montreal’s golden age. An athlete, intellectual, and[Read More…]
Redbirds rugby opens 2025 season with 28-14 win over Dartmouth
On Aug. 30, the Redbirds rugby team kicked off their 2025–2026 campaign with a convincing 28-14 preseason victory over Dartmouth’s Big Green at Percival Molson Stadium. The team bounced back from their 17-26 preseason loss of Fall 2024, setting an early tone of discipline and intensity heading into league play[Read More…]
Moments of brilliance in the Red and White’s pursuit of the RSEQ and U SPORTS podiums
At a university where academic rigour sets a high bar, McGill’s varsity athletes continue to raise it even higher—smashing school records and bringing home hardware to cap off a season to remember. Between early morning practices and late-night study sessions, McGill’s track and field, badminton, and swimming teams have exceeded[Read More…]
From Gretzky’s legacy to Ovechkin’s triumph
In the grand theatre of hockey history, few stories have captivated fans quite like Alexander Ovechkin’s relentless pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record—a chase that feels like a question not of ‘if’ but ‘when.’ As the torch prepares to pass from the Great One to the Great Eight, it[Read More…]
To all the sports I’ve loved before
Jenna Payette, Contributor Dear Ice Hockey, “Anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” This quote from Steve Prefontaine hung in my brother’s room growing up and became the silent force that subtly shaped me. As the baby of my family, I was pushed to challenge my limits[Read More…]
Golden glory for McGill stars as Canada triumphs at FISU Games
From Jan. 13 to 23, Torino, Italy, hosted the 2025 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) World University Games: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for exceptional collegiate student-athletes to compete in a ‘mini-Olympics’ of winter sports. Three of McGill’s own were called up to the big stage. Mathieu Gagnon, U3 Management, William[Read More…]
To all the sports I’ve loved before
Jenna Payette: Field Hockey When I was little, my parents put my brothers and me in every single sport they could find. From ice rinks to soccer fields, I was able to find myself a home wherever I was comfortable, driven, and resilient. Playing competitive ice hockey with boys, I[Read More…]