Chie Sakuma
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Houston, Texas, United States
| Chie Sakuma 佐久間 千絵 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
1 March 1972 Houston, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 158 cm (5 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb; 9 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Played for |
Iwakura Peregrine Brown Bears | ||
| National team |
 Japan | ||
| Playing career | 1990–c. 1998 | ||
Chie Chie Yard née Sakuma, also known as Chie Sakuma (佐久間 千絵, Sakuma Chie) is a Japanese-American retired ice hockey player, currently serving as the National Hockey League (NHL) Vice President of Events. She represented Japan in the women's tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics.[1]
Sakuma was introduced to hockey by her older brother, Teppei, and began playing as a child in her hometown of Houston, Texas. When she was 10, Sakuma's father, Hajime, coached her on a boys' peewee team. Connections Hajime had forged with the ice hockey community in Japan made it possible for the team to travel from Houston to Hokkaido for a tournament.[2]
Sakuma's college ice hockey career was played with the Brown Bears women's ice hockey program under head coach Digit Murphy during 1990 to 1994.[3]
Several months after graduating from Brown University with a degree in anthropology and management, she moved to Japan. While living in Japan, Sakuma worked as a translator for the owner of a major trucking company, who was also president of the Hokkaido hockey association.[4] She played ice hockey with the company-sponsored Iwakura Peregrine of the All-Japan Women's Ice Hockey Championship and with the fledgling Japanese national team. Born and raised in the United States, Sakuma qualified to play for Japan because of her ancestry.[2]
NHL career
Following the 1998 Olympics, Sakuma joined the NHL as an intern. As of 2021, she is NHL Vice President of Events, with a portfolio that includes such signature events as Kraft Hockeyville, the NHL Winter Classic, the NHL All-Star Game, NHL Awards, outdoor hockey games, and numerous other projects.[5][6]
