Jennifer Botterill’s athletic DNA comes to her naturally. Born May 1, 1979 in Ottawa, Ontario, although raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jennifer’s mother, Doreen McCannell, competed for Canada in speed skating at the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics. Her father, Cal Botterill, is a sports psychologist who has worked with National Hockey League (NHL) teams as well as Olympic athletes. While we’re at it, Jennifer's brother, Jason Botterill, played six NHL seasons and currently is General Manager of the Seattle Kraken after serving executive stints with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres.

Ringette was Jennifer’s game from the age of five, and as a teenager, she competed for Team Manitoba at the 1995 Canada Winter Games. By the time Botterill had turned 13, she turned her sights to hockey.

An outstanding student, Jennifer attended Harvard University in Boston where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2003. While there, she played four seasons with the Harvard University Crimson from 1998-99 to 2002-03. As a freshman, Botterill and the Crimson won the AWCHA Championship while she was selected as a First Team All-Star. She captained the squad in 2000-01 and 2002-03, missing the 2001-02 season while participating in the Winter Olympics. Jennifer was a four-time First Team All-ECAC and First Team All-American while at Harvard, earning 340 points – 157 goals and 183 assists in her 113 career NCAA games. Her collegiate career high was 47 goals and 112 points in 2002-03, including a 10-point game on January 28, 2003 against Boston College. Although not recognized, Botterill holds the NCAA women’s career scoring record of 340 points and is the only two-time recipient of the Patty Kazmaier as the top women’s college hockey player.

Jennifer Botterill gives Canada a 1-0 lead. (Matthew Manor/HHOF-IIHF)

Jennifer Botterill, Delaney Collins, and Sami Jo Small celebrate their gold win over the U.S. at the 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championship. (Matthew Manor/HHOF-IIHF)

Following graduation, Botterill joined the Toronto Aeros of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) for two seasons. In the first of the two seasons, she scored 30 goals and 61 points, and in the second, she contributed significantly to the Aeros winning the NWHL championship. After spending 2006-07 with the Mississauga Aeros, Jennifer played two seasons with the Mississauga Chiefs of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and led the league in scoring with 56 points in 2007-08, earning the Angela James Bowl as the CWHL’s Most Valuable Player as well as a berth on the Central All-Star squad. In 2008-09, she was again voted as a First Team All-Star after finishing third in CWHL scoring with 55 points. While playing for Toronto in the CWHL, Botterill collected 44 points, which placed her third in league scoring during the 2010-11 season. She retired from playing at the conclusion of that season, finishing as the second leading scorer in league history with 160 points.

Jennifer Botterill represented Canada at several international tournaments. She was a member of Team Canada at four Winter Olympic Games, winning three Gold Medals and one Silver Medal. With Team Canada at eight World Championship tournaments, Jennifer and her teammates won five Gold Medals and three Silver Medals. She was named Most Valuable Player and led the tournament with 8 goals in 2001 and was Most Valuable Player and led the 2004 World Championship with 11 points. Botterill finished third all-time in Team Canada women’s players with 184 games played and fifth all-time with 174 points.

Jennifer announced her retirement on March 14, 2011. She was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 and into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2018. Earlier, she was named Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year in 2001 and received the Order of Manitoba in 2006.

Today, Jennifer serves as a studio analyst for Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada in Canada and as a colour commentator and studio analyst for TNT in the United States. She is also CEO and President of Excel In Life Inc. and Journey To Excel Inc.

In 2025, Jennifer Botterill’s body of work was recognized with induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Player Category.