Canadian keeper Labbé exits ‘at the top of her game’

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When Canada’s women’s soccer team takes the field Thursday to kick off the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup in England, they’ll do so without their minister of defence, Stephanie Labbé. She’ll be watching from home, enjoying a few beers, or maybe trying her hand at curling.

“It's time for some other goalkeepers to take the reins and take over,” she said.

Last month, Labbé, 35, announced her retirement after more than a decade with the national team, where she recorded 85 caps and 43 clean sheets (third-most in team history).

She left her club, Paris Saint-Germain, after the winter break, and will officially retire from her national team duties after a sendoff match at home in April.

Labbé will forever be known for her performance at last summer’s Tokyo Games, particularly in penalty kicks against Sweden in the gold-medal match. Armed with her trademark pink hairband and a smile directed at opponents, she made two key saves during penalties to help Canada win a historic gold.

“Selfishly, you want people to stick around forever,” goalkeeper Erin McLeod, Labbé’s teammate since 2008, told TSN. “But at the same time, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Steph… I'm happy for her that she's found that moment, because sometimes people play too long. I think she went out at the right time. She's at the top of her game.”

Other members of Canada’s unofficial goalkeepers’ union can’t sing Labbé’s praises enough.

“She's a legend. She's gonna be a Canadian legend forever,” Kailen Sheridan, who’s been with the senior team since 2016, told TSN. “I've just learned so much from her and I'm really grateful to have that opportunity to work with her.”

Prior to her retirement announce, Labbé was named as runner-up for FIFA