Patty Kazmaier '86
The recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is chosen by an 11-member selection committee comprised of women's college hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media and a representative of USA Hockey.
Candidates for the award must compete on a women's intercollegiate varsity hockey team at an NCAA-member institution. Other selection criteria include outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the "clutch," personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration also will be given to academic achievement and civic involvement.
The first Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award was presented March 20, 1998, at Boston's Madison Square Garden Club. The winner was New Hampshire's Brandy Fisher. Six Princetonians have been candidates for the award. Ali Coughlin (1998-99) and Andrea Kilbourne (2001, 2003) were both two-time nominees, while Gretchen Anderson was a candidate in 2004, Kim Pearce was a candidate in 2006, Kelsey Koelzer was a two-time candidate in 2016 and 2017, and Sarah Fillier was a three-time candidate, in 2019, 2020 and 2024.
Each year, 10 candidates for the award are announced near the end of the season before the list is trimmed to three and then the winner is announced in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four.
The award was custom designed and crafted for the USA Hockey Foundation by Tiffany & Co. Tiffany's heritage of marking excellence in sports dates back more than a century, when the firm created exceptional trophies for prestigious yachting and equestrian events. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award joins some of the world's most coveted symbols of athletic achievement, including the National Football League's Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy, the National Basketball Association's Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, the WNBA Championship Trophy and the trophies for the United States Open Tennis Championship as unique Tiffany & Co. designs.
"It is truly an honor for the USA Hockey Foundation to recognize the best overall women's college ice hockey player for years to come, in tribute to the wonderful achievements and resolve of Patty Kazmaier," then-USA Hockey president Walter L. Bush Jr., said at the honor's creation. Bush, who passed away in 2016, served as USA Hockey president from 1986-2003.
An accomplished athlete who excelled in hockey, field hockey and lacrosse, Patty Kazmaier was a four-year letterwinner for the Princeton University women's hockey team from 1981-82 through 1985-86. She helped lead Princeton to the Ivy League title in three consecutive seasons (1981-82 through 1983-84) while anchoring the team's defense.
Kazmaier earned honorable mention All-Ivy League honors as a freshman and was named second-team All-Ivy in both her sophomore and junior seasons. Following a leave of absence from Princeton in 1984-85, Kazmaier was named first-team All-Ivy and first-team All-ECAC as a senior in 1985-86. She was also honored as the Ivy League Most Valuable Player. Kazmaier graduated from Princeton in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in religion.
Prior to enrolling at Princeton, Kazmaier attended the Middlesex School in Concord, Mass., where she distinguished herself as the prep school's most outstanding female athlete. She excelled in ice hockey, was co-captain of the field hockey team and was named to the New England All-Star lacrosse team.
Following a long struggle with a rare blood disease, Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28. She was survived by her husband, Mark J. Sandt; a daughter, Serena K.; her parents, Richard W. and Patricia H. Kazmaier; and her sisters, Michele Kazmaier, Kimberly Eakin, Susan Kazmaier, Kathy Donnelly and Kristen Kazmaier.
Athletic excellence ran in the Kazmaier family, as her sister Kathy played college hockey at New Hampshire and her father, Dick Kazmaier, also a graduate of Princeton, won the Heisman Trophy in 1951 after quarterbacking the Princeton football team to back-to-back undefeated seasons. Instead of pursuing a pro football career, Mr. Kazmaier, who passed away in 2013, earned an MBA degree from Harvard and went on to become president of a marketing and financial services company in Massachusetts.
"This is a wonderful award for women's college hockey, and our family is deeply honored to know that Patty will be remembered in this manner," said Dick Kazmaier. "Hockey took on a special meaning for our family when our three youngest daughters, including Patty, all began to play. Throughout her playing career - from the time she first stepped on the ice until she played her final game for Princeton - Patty remained dedicated to a sport that she loved."
A truly exceptional individual, Patty Kazmaier's achievements in life and in sport will serve as an inspiration for all women who play intercollegiate hockey now and in the future.