Many refer to two-time Olympic silver medalists Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux as just "The Twins." They seem to be okay with that even though they are both married now. They realize people will group the Team USA hockey players together for obvious reasons, especially since they've been teammates all their lives. The twins from Grand Forks, North Dakota joined Hilary Knight and Meghan Duggan on a recent promotional tour of New York City.
Sports has already been a big part of the twins family. Their father, Jean-Pierre Lamoureux played goalie for the University of North Dakota from 1979-82. They have two brothers who have played professional hockey. Their mother ran the Boston Marathon.
Jocelyne Lamoureux says her parents have always been a positive influence on all the siblings:
“I think our parents always said, whatever you want to do work your hardest. I know it’s cliché but we took that to heart. They pushed us to always work our hardest. It was just an environment that always bred work ethic.”
But Jocelyne says that parental support didn't always revolve around hockey:
“We’re very fortunate. My parents never said no to trying new things. If we wanted to try something we always had an opportunity to try it. They have supported us every step of the way, and I know they want nothing more than for us to be successful in a year. I want to show them that everything they have provided for us has paid off.”
Monique Lamoureux says she and her sister tried all kinds of sports:
“Growing up, whatever sport it was, we were always playing with the boys. Hockey it was usually more fun for us to play with the boys. Whatever sport it was though we were usually at the top tier in town. It wasn’t until some time in middle school when we started playing in girl’s tournaments, that kind of when we realized we were really good.”
After winning silver medals in the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, both Monique an Jocelyne have trained with a single goal in mind, to take home the Gold Medal in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Monique says that's now a realistic goal:
“I think that the leadership group that we have on our team, there’s a really good core of us, and I think there’s this innate instinct that some of us have that we’re internally motivated. We don’t need someone to tell us to get up in the morning and to go work and put our time in. It’s hard to put into words, but I think our team brings it to a whole new level when it comes to people being motivated.”
Monique says she and her sister are extremely proud to represent USA Hockey:
“For Jocelyne and I, it’s something we don’t take lightly,” said Monique Lamourex. “We understand that we’re apart of something bigger than ourselves. We represent the players that have come before us and that will come after us.”
Next step for the Lamoureux twins is the 2017 Women’s World Hockey Championships that will take place, for the first time ever, at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.
Click above to hear the SportsJam with Doug Doyle edition featuring Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux.
