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Home , 2010 Winter Olympics, 2014 CIS University Cup, 2015 CIS University Cup, Angela James, Angela Ruggiero, Bailey Bram

Univerzita Palackého

Filozofická fakulta

Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky

Women’s Hockey in

(Master Thesis)

Eliška Martin číková

(Anglická filologie)

Supervisor: Mgr. Ji ří Flajšar, Ph.D.

Olomouc, 2014

Filozofická fakulta Univerzity Palackého Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky

Women’s Hockey in Canada (Diplomová práce) Autor: Eliška Martin číková Studijní obor: Anglická filologie Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Ji ří Flajšar, Ph.D. Po čet stran: 78 Po čet znak ů: 108 448 Olomouc 2014

Prohlašuji, že jsem tuto diplomovou práci vypracovala samostatn ě a uvedla úplný seznam citované a použité literatury.

V Poole, the United Kingdom, dne 18. 2. 2014 Eliška Martin číková

Děkuji vedoucímu mé diplomové práce Mgr. Ji římu Flajšarovi, Ph.D. za užite čné rady, připomínky a trp ělivost. Mé pod ěkování pat ří také celé mé rodin ě, která mi poskytla materiální i psychickou podporu b ěhem studia, protože bez jejich pomoci bych studium nikdy nemohla uskute čnit. Velké pod ěkování pat ří i všem mým p řátel ům, kte ří mi byli oporou.

V Poole, Dorset, The United Kingdom Eliška Martin číková dne 18.2.2014

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to cover the era of women’s hockey in Canada from its beginning and also examine the influence of hockey on Canadian culture and national identity in general. The major focus will be placed on the historical background of women’s hockey and also various aspects which were important for its development. It is presumed that the particular chapters will reveal the reasons of popularity of women’s Canadian hockey and its success. The findings will be summarized in the conclusion.

Key Words

Hockey, Canadian culture, Canadian identity, Women’s National Hockey team in Canada, women’s hockey legends, , Winter .

Anotace

Cílem této práce je popsat vznik ženského kanadského hokeje a prozkoumat vliv tohoto sportu na kanadskou kulturu a národní identitu všeobecn ě. Pozornost bude zam ěř ena nejen na vznik, ale i na okolnosti, které byly d ůležité pro vývoj tohoto sportu v Kanad ě. Předpokládá se, že jednotlivé kapitoly objasní důvody popularity ženského kanadského hokeje a nastíní úsp ěchy s ní spojené. Zjišt ění budou shrnuta v záv ěru práce.

Klí čová slova

Hokej, kanadská kultura, kanadská identita, ženský kanadský národní hokejový tým, legendy ženského hokeje, Angela James, zimní olympijské hry

Content:

1 Introduction ...... 1 2 Hockey as Part of National Culture in Canada ...... 3 2.1 Popularization of Hockey ...... 4 2.2 Hockey Books ...... 5 2.3 Films About Hockey ...... 6 2.4 Summary ...... 8 3 Canadian Hockey and National Identity ...... 9 3.1 ...... 11 3.2 ...... 12 3.3 Poems on Hockey ...... 12 3.3.1 John B. Lee “Hockey Heart” ...... 13 3.3.2 Gerald Hill “Anecdote of the Hockey Game” ...... 13 3.3.3 Michael Ondaatje “To A Sad Daughter” ...... 15 3.3.4 Al Purdy “Hockey Players” ...... 19 4 Women’s Hockey History in Canada ...... 24 4.1 Women’s Hockey Back Then ...... 24 4.1.1 The Amazons ...... 26 4.1.2 Preston Rivulettes ...... 27 4.2 Women’s Hockey Today ...... 29 4.2.1 The Canadian ...... 32 4.2.2 The Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA)...... 32 4.2.3 The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) ...... 32 4.2.4. Lipstick tournament ...... 32 5 Women’s National Hockey Team ...... 34 5.1 2013 Women’s World Championship ...... 35 5.2 (Women) ...... 35 5.2.1 () ...... 36 5.2.2 () ...... 37 5.2.3 () ...... 39 5.2.4 () ...... 40 5.2.5 () ...... 42 5.3 Summary ...... 45 6 Women’s University Hockey ...... 46

6.1 Grassroots Hockey ...... 46 6.2 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) ...... 47 6.3 Summary ...... 54 7 Winning Women ...... 56 7.1 Danielle Dubé ...... 56 7.2 Jane Robinson ...... 56 7.3 Shirley Cameron ...... 57 7.4 Dawn McGuire ...... 57 7.5 Judy Diduck ...... 58 7.6 Sarah Couch ...... 58 7.7 Andria Hunter ...... 59 7.8 Nancy Scholz ...... 59 7.9 Cathy Phillips ...... 59 7.10 ...... 59 7.11 France St.Louis ...... 60 7.12 -Marciano ...... 60 7.13 Caroline Oullette ...... 61 7.14 ...... 61 7.15 ...... 61 7.16 ...... 61 7.17 ...... 62 8 Women’s Hockey Legends ...... 63 8.1 Hilda Ranscombe ...... 63 8.2 Angela James ...... 63 8.3 Manon Rheaume ...... 65 8.4 ...... 66 8.5 ...... 67 8.6 Summary ...... 69 8.7 Awards...... 69 8.7.1 Abby Hoffman Cup ...... 69 8.7.2 Angela James Bowl ...... 70 8.7.3 Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award ...... 70 9 Conclusion ...... 71 10 Resumé ...... 73

11 Bibliography ...... 75

1 Introduction

The aim of the thesis is to examine the development of women’s hockey in Canada and its various aspects. In order to do so, it is important to start with hockey in general. The influence of hockey on national culture and forming Canadian national identity will be inspected, too. Therefore, the thesis will begin with the chapter introducing hockey as part of Canadian national culture. The origins of the game and its role in people’s everyday lives will be briefly described, together with a few books and films with hockey theme which have become popular.

The following chapter will provide the reasons why has always been a perfect expression of Canadian identity. The subchapters will involve two famous Canadian players, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, who became Canadian icons of this sport. Thereafter, four poems and its analyses will follow to reflect the Canadian passion for this national sport. The analyses will mainly contain my own ideas and interpretation.

The fourth chapter will be concerned with the history of women’s hockey and up to date game. The two most famous teams, the Preston Rivulettes and the Amazons, and their achievements will be presented, too. Moreover, a comparison of men’s and women’s opportunities in this game will be given.

The fifth chapter will be dedicated to women’s national hockey team and its achievements in the Women’s World Championship and the Winter Olympic Games. These achievements are great, since Canada has been an undeniable leader in this field.

The sixth chapter will concentrate on women’s university hockey and a list of selected university teams will be provided. One of the subchapters will clarify the term grassroots hockey and its meaning. Grassroots hockey is very important because hockey will not survive without the involvement of young children.

The last two chapters will be dealing with the most outstanding female players. One of these two chapters will focus on female hockey players who were born n the period from 1950s to 1980s. Some of them do not play hockey anymore, some of them still do. Either way, whether their career is over or not, they became famous Canadian hockey

1 players and their achievements are described, as well. The other chapter will present five women who contributed greatly to women’s hockey in Canada with a more detailed account of their personal life as well as career.

Lastly, the findings and the interesting facts will be recapitulated in the conclusion.

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2 Hockey as Part of National Culture in Canada

Ice hockey has been the most popular sport in Canada for dozens of years. Almost every Canadian considers himself/herself a big hockey fan and ice hockey is an important and integral part of their lives. Ice hockey is considered the national winter sport of Canada and it was the Parliament of Canada which declared ice hockey as the national winter sport. It probably originated in Canada from older team games like shinny and hurly played long ago in many different countries. Hockey requires certain climatic conditions which Canada has always had. It is a Canadian tradition and one of the Canadian symbols, too. Hockey has been a source of inspiration for numerous films, television episodes and songs in North American popular culture.

A few centuries ago hockey was only an ordinary and simple game and no one would have probably thought that it would become a part of national Canadian culture. The players wore skates which were attached to their boots. Their sticks were made from wood, like nowadays, but they were not that perfect and developed. Judging from pictures from the past their uniforms were rugby jerseys, shorts and long woolen stockings. Moreover, they wore no protective padding at all, which was not that necessary as the game was not such a contact sport as it is now. Not even goalies wore padding or a goalie mask which is usually made from transparent plastic or metal wire attached to their helmet that protects their face during play. It is doubtful whether there were any written rules or any organization, at all. If so, it must have been totally different from the rules and organization we know now. Considering the playing area, hockey used to be played at the outdoor rinks and frozen lakes, ponds or rivers. “The first recorded indoor exhibition of took place at ’s Victoria Skating Rink in March 1875.”1 It is clear that certain features of play were modified to the limitations of the indoor ice surface. Judging from the photos of that time, there were no boards and the fans stood right at the edge of the ice to enjoy the game. This was possible mainly because there was no body-checking in the sense that we know today and also the game was much slower and less tough. Lines for face-offs and off-sides did not exist yet.

It is not surprising that it was Montreal which had a foundational role in the development of hockey. Montreal had long been the financial and trading centre of the

1 Richard Gruneau, (: Garamond Press, 1994), 37. 3

Canadian colonies and it had become an industrial centre as well. “By the early 1890s, hockey teams were being formed in cities and towns across the country, although they were not always playing by the same rules. In addition, new associations were being formed to organize and regulate the game.” 2 Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, the game spread not only geographically but also across the classes. In most Canadian communities there was at least one ice arena where games were played in winter. Organized hockey teams expanded in Canada from the end of the nineteenth century. Moreover, new teams, leagues and divisions were established. Women also played early organized hockey, forming their own leagues by the turn of the century.

2.1 Popularization of Hockey At the beginning of hockey history people played hockey only for entertainment. Playing for money was considered immoral . “Amateur sport became more widely understood as something that promoted the “civilizing” values of hygiene, fairness, emotional control and respectability.” 3 Later on, amateur teams also wanted to be involved in league and major challenge contests. Hockey had started to expand. Ordinary men were shown as heroes and their popularity started to grow.

Hockey is now much more than a popular tradition and it simply cannot be ignored in Canada. The game has been transformed into a highly organized modern sport played with similar rules and equipment not just through Canada but around the world. It gained greater support as a socially useful activity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. At the beginning of the twentieth century culture of hockey started to change. In 1917 (NHL) was formed and it consisted of five teams: , Montreal Wanderers, Senators, Bulldogs and the .

“With the advent of national radio broadcasts began to follow NHL hockey with an almost religious fervor, and from the 1930s through the 1960s there was simply nothing in Canadian life that regularly brought so many Canadians from different parts of the country together to share the same cultural experience.” 4

2 Gruneau 45. 3 Gruneau 17. 4 Gruneau 275. 4

Until that hockey did not really play an important role in Canadian culture. The NHL is considered one of the major professional sports leagues in the and Canada. Twenty-three clubs are currently situated in the United States and seven in Canada. The league is divided into two conferences with 15 teams each and three divisions of five teams each. The fact that hockey is the sport one in Canada is undeniable. Hockey is played all across Canada from the smallest towns to the biggest cities and it is popular at all levels, not just the NHL.

Professional hockey has developed as a form of job over the last century. On one hand it can be compared with other occupations since the professional hockey players earn money as if they had an ordinary job. On the other hand playing hockey is not only a job but it is a hobby at the same time and making a hobby into a career is probably everyone’s wish. Moreover, young boys often dream of being paid to play a game they love.

Over the past fifteen years, the sport has grown tremendously in Canada and the United States. In Canada, girl’s and women’s hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The number of girls playing hockey in Canada has risen, although boys still outnumber girls. Canadians have embraced the women’s game as part of hockey culture and as a crucial component to the continuing growth and development of the sport.

2.2 Hockey Books Hockey has even become a recurring subject in . Hockey has proven to be a rich source of inspiration for some of Canada’s best writers of fiction and poetry. There are many hockey-centered novels and stories published in Canada.

Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems 5 by Randall Maggs are conversational poems that follows the tragic trajectory of the life and work of Terry Sawchuk. Terry Sawchuk was a Ukrainian-Canadian professional ice hockey who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Wings, Bruins, , and Rangers. The Terry Sawchuk Arena in his hometown of is named in his honour.

5 Randall Mags, Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems (London, Ontario: Brick Books, 2008). 5

Twenty Miles 6 is a book by Cara Hedley, a woman author. After playing three seasons with the University of Bison womens hockey team, she moved to , where she completed an MA in English literature and creative writing. Twenty Miles asks the fundamental question: what does it mean to be a woman hockey player? All the girls are playing their fathers' game, and the challenge is to claim hockey as their sport, and stake their rightful place at centre ice.

King Leary 7 is the novel was published in 1987 by Paul Quarrington. His novel is innovative in the way that it is narrated by an old man remembering his hockey-legend status. Leary, unsurprisingly, lives more in the past than in the present, and his past consists almost entirely of hockey memories.

Hero of the Play 8 was written by Richard Harrison. Richard Harrison is a Canadian poet and essayist, and winner of the City of Calgary Book Prize. This book of poems on hockey was the first book of poetry launched at the Hockey Hall of Fame. In his introduction to the tenth-anniversary edition of Hero of the Play , poet Richard Harrison discusses the origins of hockey.

2.3 Films About claims to be the “first nation of hockey”, to quote the rant from Joe Canadian in the 2000 beer commercial from Molson’s “I Am Canadian” campaign. A lot of films about hockey have been filmed. Unfortunately, not all of them are good or worth watching, though.

The Sweater 9 was first published in 1979 and it was based on a real experience of . The main theme of the story is the strained relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, told through an allegory:

6 Cara Hedley, Twenty Miles (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2004). 7 Paul Quarrington, King Leary (Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2007). 8 Richard Harrison, Hero of the Play (Hamilton, Ontario: Wolsak & Wynn Pub, 2004). 9 Roch Carrier, The Hockey Sweater (Toronto: Tundra Books, 1985). 6

“On the surface, it’s a hockey story based on the game’s greatest rivalry, Toronto versus Montreal. It’s about the division of language and culture as well, Toronto representing the centre of English Canada, Montreal the heart of Quebec culture.” 10

The story conveys the dreams of every child who's ever wanted to become a professional hockey player. Set in 1950s Quebec, the story is centered on a young Montreal Canadiens fan who, to his horror, is mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater. His mother forced him to wear it which was very uncomfortable and humiliating for him, as he admired Montreal Canadiens’ player . Maurice Richard was a Canadian hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1942 to 1960. He was famous for his fifty goals in one season and he scored five hundred goals altogether in his whole career: “Richard was more than a hockey player. His talent, his passion, and his refusal to bend to authority made him, in the words of one writer, a flag for a people.” 11 The Maurice Richard Trophy is awarded annually to the leading scorer in the National Hockey League. It was first awarded at the end of the 1998–99 season. The winners of this trophy were, for instance, Teemu Selanne, Pavel Bure, , Hejduk, Ilja Kovalchuk, or, most recently, (Washington Capitals) in season 2012-2013, Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) in season 2011- 2012 or (Anaheim Ducks) in season 2010-2011. Maurice Richard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961.

The Rocket 12 is a film, again about Maurice Richard and it was released in 2005, five years after Richard’s death in 2000. This movie is a great tribute to one of the best hockey players ever. The story is about Richard’s life, from his teenage years up to the year before Richard brought Montréal to the record of five Championships in a row. Maurice Richard is played by Roy Dupuis. Other hockey players in the film include Ian Laperriere, Vincent Lacavalier, Stephane Quintal and Mike Ricci.

Face-Off 13 is a 1971 Canadian feature film produced by John F. Bassett starring Art Hindle, Trudy Young and John Vernon. The story line concerns a rookie Toronto Maple

10 Andrew Podnieks, A Canadian Saturday Night (Vancouver: Greystone Books, 2006), 56. 11 Michael McKinley, Ice Time – The Story of Hockey (Toronto: Tundra Books, 2006), 35.

12 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460505/ (accessed March 2, 2014). 13 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068564/ (accessed March 2, 2014). 7

Leafs ice hockey player and his romance with a musician. Several National Hockey League players also appeared in the film. The film is written by Scott Young, who knew a lot about hockey players and pop stars. He was one of Canada's most respected sportswriters, too.

2.4 Summary

Hockey has not been the only element that has influenced Canadian culture but it was definitely one of the most important ones. Of all the sports played in Canada hockey has been celebrated as something unique. Millions of Canadians play or watch this sport and it is very difficult to escape it. It is everywhere. People and media talk about it every day. The Canadian news media play a much more direct and important role in narrating and popularizing high-level sport than in the past. Hockey for Canadians is usually more than just a sport. Unfortunately, it became a business, too, which is not such surprising fact in these days. The extensive connections between hockey and Canada’s national identity are reflected in every aspect of Canadians’ everyday lives.

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3 Canadian Hockey and National Identity

There are many reasons why the Canadians are proud to live in Canada. Among cultural diversity, the natural beauty of landscape or the fact that Canada is one of the world's most committed peacekeeping nations, there is hockey: “Hockey’s contemporary symbolic power places it alongside such other national institutions as the federal government, the public health-care system, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.” 14 Andrew Podnieks explains and comments on Canadian attitude to hockey in the introduction of his book: “… the game is every bit as much of our cultural fabric as the , Parliament Hill, the Laurentians, the toque, poutine, Peggy’s cove, Smarties or letter zed.” 15 As for the toque, it is a type of knitted hat used while playing hockey. Americans often refer to these hats as beanies:

“In the 1920s, there was a Montreal Canadiens player, Aurel Joliat, who wore a toque during games (he was not the only one, but he was the best player of those who did.). He wore it because he was self-conscious about his thinning hair…” 16

Canadian nationalism has long been associated with hockey. In many ways, hockey is the way of life for Canadians. In fact, a lot of immigrants embrace this sport, too. For them, it is a way to fit in as a Canadian. When talking about hockey, it is one of the things that Canadians can agree upon. For instance, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics have arguably unified Canadians like no other event in history. At these Olympics Canada won both the men’s and women’s hockey events.

Dryden's book Home Game: Hockey and Life in Canada describes various ways hockey is intertwined into Canadian culture: “Hockey is part sport and recreation, part entertainment, part business, part community-builder, social connector, and fantasy- builder. It is played in every province and territory and in every part of every province and territory in this country.” 17 Concerning hockey in the provinces, there are five teams in the

14 Alan Bairner, Sport, Nationalism, and Globalization: European and North American Perspectives (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001), 124. 15 Podnieks 3. 16 Podnieks 115. 17 Ken Dryden and Roy MacGregor, Home Game: Hockey and Life in Canada (Toronto, Ontario: McClelland &Stewart, 1989), 85. 9

Canadian women’s hockey league: Boston Blades, Thunder, , Montreal Stars and .

Ice hockey has always been a perfect expression of Canadian identity. First, Canadians invented hockey. Second, the Canadian climate was absolutely perfect for such sport. Moreover, Canada was always close to sports like and old-world ball and stick games such as shinty, bandy and hurley:

“Ice hockey was, however, the modern indigenous sport. Its organized form was the invention of Canadian-born colonists – the new native Canadians. After the first recorded ‘modern’ game played in Montreal in 1875, it quickly found the church and school support which eluded lacrosse.” 18

Ice hockey has definitely changed through time. Later on, international matches became a very important part of playing hockey. Considering international game, the first hockey international championship was held in Antwerp Winter Olympics in 1920.

“During the 1950s Canadians had become used to the idea that hockey was “our game”, and when Canadian teams began to lose in international competition – especially to the Soviet Union – enough popular concern was created that some politics began to take an interest.” 19

The 1972 Canada – Soviet Challenge series was perceived as an event that mobilized patriotic interest among Canadians like no other culture event before. It was Canada’s success and “it provided the opportunity for many pundits and politicians to celebrate the result as a triumph not only for “Canadian virtues” but also for capitalist liberal democracy.” 20 The series offered fans some of the most exciting hockey ever played. Undoubtedly, great moments and famous triumphs in sport become a part of the collective memory.

18 Andrew Ritchie, Ethnicity, Sport, Identity. (Great Britain: Frank Cass Publishers, 2004), 252. 19 Gruneau 248. 20 Gruneau 253. 10

The following subchapters are concerned with two great hockey players, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, who contributed greatly to Canadian hockey and who both serve as symbols for Canadians.

3.1 Wayne Gretzky “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”21 Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky definitely serves as a symbol of Canadian identity. Many Canadians look to Gretzky even after retiring from hockey. His father loved hockey and he invented drills for his son. He even made a backyard rink for Wayne. There are plenty of them in Canada: “The backyard rink is a great place to perfect the fundamentals of hockey – turning, stopping, accelerating, passing, shooting. There are no bench-clearing brawls in the backyard game, no slashing and hooking.” 22 Children have fun and enjoy the game.

Young Wayne learned a lot of things from his father. When he was six, he started to play organized hockey. Gretzky started his professional career with the Indianapolis Racers of the World Hockey Association. Then he moved to the Oilers. In 1979, he signed a contract with them and it was the richest contract in the history of sport at that time. His game was amazing:

“His famous ability to see the whole of the ice was something people had to learn how to watch. It sometimes seemed that Gretzky was skating into empty space. And then the puck would appear where Gretzky knew it would be. And then it was in the opposing net.” 23

Gretzky broke plenty records, for instance, ’s record of 152 points, or ’s record of 102 assists, and many more. He was such an amazing and outstanding player that the Oilers promised him to be an Oiler for the rest of his hockey career. In 1984, Wayne Gretzky won Stanley Cup with the Oilers. In 1988, Gretzky

21 http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/waynegretz131510.html , (accessed October 21, 2013). 22 Podnieks 95. 23 McKinley 58. 11 announced that he had agreed to be traded to the Los Angeles Kings. It was a shock to Canada. However, he helped to make NHL hockey more popular in the United States. Gretzky retired in 1999.

3.2 Sidney Crosby “I'm most comfortable definitely when I'm on the ice. I love to play. It's something that I just love to do.” 24 Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby (Sid the Kid) was drafted in 2005 by the troubled and he has been playing with them ever since. Crosby, as well as Gretzky, became a current day Canadian icon. Crosby was born in 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Sidney, similarly to Gretzky, was taught to play hockey by his father. He began skating at the age of three. During his career in NHL he has won several awards, such as Hart Memorial Trophy (2007), Leadership Award, Stanley Cup (2009) and Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy (2010).

3.3 Poems on Hockey

A lot of poems, stories, essays and novels about hockey have been written to reflect the Canadian passion for this national sport. Hockey has been more than a mere sporting activity; it has been a way of life for Canadians. Apparently, it is so pervasive that it even became a subject of Canadian poetry. This subchapter contains four poems and their brief analyses: “Hockey Heart” by John. B. Lee, “Anecdote of the Hockey Game” by Gerald Hill, “To A Sad Daughter” by Michael Ondaatje and “Hockey Players” by Al Purdy.

24 http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/sidneycros431321.html , (accessed October 21, 2013). 12

3.3.1 John B. Lee “Hockey Heart”

His hockey heart beats alone in the air the surest player on the pond of dreams a boy one skate boot on the bench one on the foot his fingers stiff blowing his brittle hands to get the frost out of the joints always the last to leave reliving the game, lost or won, curing his mistakes thinking of tomorrow as if it were already yesterday knowing that everything happens twice once in the present once in the past. 25

The hockey player described in the poem is always the last one staying after the game. He assumes he is the most passionate player in the team who loves hockey the most. He always stays late thinking about the game, his performance and possible mistakes he could have made.

3.3.2 Gerald Hill “Anecdote of the Hockey Game”

When a twelve-year-old boy, early for his ice time,

enters Dressing Room 8, picks a spot

25 John B. Lee, “Hockey Heart”, Ice: New Writing on Hockey: a Collection of Poems, Essays and Short Stories ed.Dale Jacobs (Edmonton, : Spotted Cow Press Ltd., 1999) 1.

13

to dump his equipment and sit down

while the old-timers pack up and leave,

a man named Roger, number 27, a man from ,

takes the opportunity to speak to the boy. I’ll tell you

a few things he says. Listen.

Out on the ice the kid plays quieter than usual,

can’t get him to say a single word, can’t see

where he is. Sometimes you hear

his skates behind, then ahead. The kid

skates for miles, doesn’t mind darkness

or light, doesn’t mind what gets in his way,

the masked faces, the red and lines.

He never gets where he’s going but is always there,

looking for the loose puck, driving it home.

Toward the end of the third period with the game at its darkest,

he breaks across the blue line, no one

from him to goalie, infinite time

to settle inside his next few moves. He breaks

in alone and lights up the red light just like

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the man from Saskatchewan told him. 26

There are always the old-timers and the novices in the team. The boy is patient and his moves on the ice are deliberate. He takes his time and at the end of the game he scores a goal which is described such as and lights up the red light . The red light turns on every time when a goal is scored. Probably he was given advice by the Saskatchewan player – just like the man from Saskatchewan told him .

3.3.3 Michael Ondaatje “To A Sad Daughter”

All night long the hockey pictures gaze down at you sleeping in your tracksuit. Belligerent goalies are your ideal. Threats of being traded cuts and wounds –all this pleases you. O my god! you say at breakfast reading the sports page over the Alpen as another player breaks his ankle or assaults the coach.

When I thought of daughters I wasn’t expecting this but I like this more. I like all your faults even your purple moods when you retreat from everyone to sit in bed under a quilt. And when I say ‘like’ I mean of course ‘love’

26 Gerald Hill, “Anecdote of the Hockey Game”, Ice: New Writing on Hockey: a Collection of Poems, Essays and Short Stories ed.Dale Jacobs (Edmonton, Alberta: Spotted Cow Press Ltd., 1999) 2. 15

but that embarrasses you. You who feel superior to black and white movies (coaxed for hours to see Casablanca) though you were moved by Creature from the Black Lagoon.

One day I’ll come beside your ship or someone will and if you hear the siren listen to it. For if you close your ears only nothing happens. You will never change.

I don’t care if you risk your life to angry goalies creatures with webbed feet. You can enter their caves and castles their glass laboratories. Just don’t be fooled by anyone but yourself.

This is the first lecture I’ve given you. You’re ‘sweet sixteen’ you said. I’d rather be your closest friend than your father. I’m not good at advice you know that, but ride the ceremonies until they grow dark.

Sometimes you are so busy discovering your friends I ache with loss –but that is greed. And sometimes I’ve gone into my purple world and lost you.

16

One afternoon I stepped into your room. You were sitting at the desk where I now write this. Forsythia outside the window and sun spilled over you like a thick yellow miracle as if another planet was coaxing you out of the house –all those possible worlds!– and you, meanwhile, busy with mathematics.

I cannot look at forsythia now without loss, or joy for you. You step delicately into the wild world and your real prize will be the frantic search. Want everything. If you break break going out not in. How you live your life I don’t care but I’ll sell my arms for you, hold your secrets forever.

If I speak of death which you fear now, greatly, it is without answers. except that each one we know is in our blood. Don’t recall graves. Memory is permanent. Remember the afternoon’s yellow suburban annunciation. Your goalie

17

in his frightening mask dreams perhaps of gentleness. 27

This poem is full of emotions and it is very powerful. Its tone is personal and the atmosphere is peaceful. It is written from the father’s of view and the daughter is absent. The father’s daughter loves hockey. Her room is full of hockey pictures, which is quite unusual for a girl and such image would be more typical for a boy. She sleeps in her tracksuit, rather than in the pajamas. The father apparently loves his daughter very much and he is trying to give her advice. She is sixteen, she is a teenager and she does not listen to him much. Nonetheless, he wants to assure her that he will always be there for her and her growing up is quite difficult for him. He knows she is not a little child anymore and he cannot protect her forever but he wants her to know that he will help her anytime she needs.

27 Michael Ondaatje, “To a Sad Daughter”, Going Top Shelf: An Anthology of Canadian Hockey Poetry ed. Michael P.J.Kennedy (: Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 2005), 49.

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3.3.4 Al Purdy “Hockey Players”

What they worry about most is injuries broken arms and legs and fractured skulls opening so doctors can see such bloody beautiful things almost not quite happening in the bone rooms as they happen outside

And the referee?

He’s right there on the ice not out of sight among the roaring blue gods of a game played for passionate stockbrokers children wearing business suits and a nation of television agnostics who never agree with the referee and applaud when he falls flat on his face On a breakaway the centreman carrying the puck his wings trailing a little on both sides why I’ve seen the aching glory of a resurrection in their eyes if they score but crucifixions agony to lose −the game?

We sit up there in the bored and sleepy and suddenly three men break down the ice in roaring feverish speed and we stand up in our seats with such a rapid pouring

19 of delight exploding out of self to join them why

theirs and our orgasm is the rocket stipend, for skating thru for skating thru the smoky and boards out of sight and climbing up the Appalachian highlands and racing breast to breast across laurentian barrens over hudson’s diamond bay and down the treeless tundra where auroras are tubercular and awesome and stopping isn’t feasible or possible or lawful but we have to and we have to

laugh because we must and stop to look at self and one another but

our opponent’s never geography

or distant why

it’s men

−just men?

And how do the players feel about it this combination of ballet and murder?

For years a Canadian specific to salve the anguish of inferiority by being good at something the Americans aren’t

And what’s the essence of a game like this which takes a ten year fragment of a man’s life replaced with love that lodges in his brain

20

and substitutes for reason?

Besides the fear of injuries it is the difficulty of ever really overtaking a hard black rubber disc?

−Boys playing a boy’s game in a permanent childhood with screaming coach who insists on winning sports-writer-critics and the crowd gone mad?

− And the worrying wives wanting you to quit and your aching body stretched on the rubbing table thinking of money in owners’ pockets that might be yours the butt-slapping camaraderie and the self indulgence of allowing yourself to be a hero and knowing everything ends in a pot-belly

Out on the ice can all these things be forgotten in swift and skilled delight of speed?

−roaring out the end boards out the city streets and high up where laconic winds whisper litanies for a fevered hockey player

Or racing breast to breast and never stopping over rooftops of the world and all together sing the song of winning all together sing the song of money all together

(and out in the suburbs

21

there’s the six-year-old kid

whose reflexes were all wrong

who always fell down and hurt himself and cried

and never learned to skate

with his friends) 28

At the beginning of the poem, Al Purdy talks about injuries which are very common in hockey and also about the fans who usually do not agree with referee’s decisions. Therefore, the opening of the poem feels quite sad. The next part of the poem is about a breakaway, when three players, including the centre and two wings, escape and break away and are ready to score. This situation is always very exciting in the game, especially when the game becomes slow-paced and the fans might get bored. In the third part, Purdy describes Canadian landscape which is closely connected with the national game of hockey. Moving on, Purdy explains Canadian identity in connection with this sport. The following lines reveal the fact that the Canadians definitely regard hockey as their game, and that they are even better in playing hockey than the Americans are: For years a Canadian specific / to salve the anguish of inferiority / by being good at something the Americans aren’t.

“Canadians certainly feel a sense of Anti-Americanism through hockey, to illustrate this, it is best to look back at the origins of hockey. Hockey was invented in a time just after Confederation, a time of great uncertainty for its provinces. There was huge pressure from both the Americans and British for various reasons including free trade and territory, but these are beside the point. The point is that American and British cricket were slowly making their way into Canadian recreation, out of this came hockey, something very, very different from both sports, something that was their own, something that is nothing like the British and Americans, something that they would not dare play.” 29

28 Al Purdy, “Hockey Players”, Going Top Shelf: An Anthology of Canadian Hockey Poetry ed. Michael P.J.Kennedy (British Columbia: Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 2005), 25.

29 Michael A. Robidoux, "Imaging a Canadian Identity Through Sport: A Historical Interpretation of Lacrosse and Hockey." Journal of American Folklore (2002): 209-225. 22

Last but one part of the poem deals with the image of hockey players dedicating their childhood and life to hockey. Once a boy starts playing hockey, it is almost impossible to quit in the sense that even when he grows up, he does not mind his wife wanting him to quit playing. Moreover, when one grows older, it is more difficult to play, because the body cannot stand the physical pressure. The poem’s ending is quite sad, including a six-year old-boy who comes from a suburb and whose reflexes were all wrong / who always fell down and hurt himself and cried/ and never learned to skate/ with his friends, and who cannot play very well.

To sum it up, hockey plays a key role in Canadian culture and every Canadian can relate to it. It is also the most universal Canadian symbol. It is so strong that it even became the inspiration for poetry. The above mentioned poems present individual hockey players as well as the atmosphere and exciting moments which this sport brings which might be quite difficult to grasp.

23

4 Women’s Hockey History in Canada

Historically hockey in Canada developed as a male sport. There were many hockey players who served as the examples of masculinity. Later on, more and more girls wanted to play hockey, too. The question was, whether they should have the same opportunities as boys. Canadian girls and women have played hockey for over a century, probably since 1880s. Much of this hockey was recreational. There were not many opportunities for women to play competitive hockey in the early twentieth century. “The participation of women in competitive sport was a relatively new phenomenon.” 30 Furthermore, ice-hockey involved physical contact which was natural rather for men than for women.

4.1 Women’s Hockey Back Then Equipment and uniforms for women playing hockey have also developed throughout centuries. Judging from the pictures from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century an important part of the women’s uniform was a long woolen skirt. Even in an ordinary life women did not wear pants. The skirts provided warmth against cold, as most games were still held at outdoor rinks. Nonetheless, it must have been a bit uncomfortable when one considers the fact that hockey is a game in which speed is so essential. For the skirt had its advantage though – stopping the puck. “Some women goalies even sewed buckshot pellets into the hem of their skirts, providing additional weight to keep the skirts at ice level.”31 Another part of the uniforms are sweaters. Naturally, they were different from the sweaters that are worn in these days. As the number of teams grew, women needed some identification, either for the referees, or the players themselves. Therefore they began using emblems or large letters across their sweaters.

The growth of women’s hockey continued. Lord Stanley, who is best known for the Stanley Cup, was a very important person in Canadian hockey during his term. He became Canada’s sixth-governor general in 1888: “He was responsible in part for the early interest, development and success of women’s hockey in Canada… His daughter Isobel developed

30 Wayne Norton, Women On Ice (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2009), 21. 31 Joanna Avery and Julie Stevens, Too Many Men on the Ice: Women’s Hockey in North America (Victoria: Polestar Book Publishers, 1997), 61. 24 a liking for the game and became one of the first women hockey players in Canada.” 32 She was one of the first young women in Ottawa to play in a league.

Women had great opportunities in the clubs and universities where they were allowed to take part in the same sports as men. When women did not have many opportunities, they organized their own clubs and teams. In the twenties, World War I changed the lives and attitudes of most Canadians. During the war opportunities for women seem to have been most available since there were few good male players available. After the war, the situation got better and hockey was brought back to life. In the 1920s leagues continued to grow and women became more competitive. At that time, several changes were made. “By the late 1920s women’s participation had boomed to the point that one league in Toronto had graduated from outdoor rinks to artificial-ice arenas complete with paying spectators.” 33 An interesting fact is that:

“Most hockey arenas in the 1930s had natural ice surfaces, not artificial ice. That meant the quality of the ice depended on the weather. If the temperature outside was too warm, the ice could turn to slush. Sometimes games had to be postponed until the temperature dropped.” 34

Another change was the change of the uniform which was connected with the fact that the game had moved to indoor rinks. The long and heavy skirts were replaced first by shorter skirts and later on by hockey pants which were much thinner and narrower than those worn today. Protection was also very important, therefore shin pads were borrowed from the men’s game. Sometimes women were using newspaper-stuffed stockings as a form of protection. Moreover, they were wearing leather gloves to protect their hands and it also gave them courage to pick up sticks. There was a huge difference between women and men though. While some equipment, such as gloves and shin pads, designed for men could be used by women, chest protectors did not exist. This issue was solved by women themselves when they realized that it is necessary to protect goalie’s chest: “First they sewed together layers of unbleached cotton. Several long pockets with open tops were

32 Avery and Stevens 58. 33 Avery and Stevens 65. 34 Carly Adams, Queens of the Ice (Toronto: James Lorimer&Company Ltd. Publishers, 2011), 40. 25 attached to the front, packed with sawdust until they were an inch or two thick, and then sewn tight to keep the pads as firm as possible.” 35

No member of a women’s team was paid for playing hockey before the Second World War. Money played a quite important role in playing hockey, especially when talking about equipment, travel and accommodation. The sources of income were high attendance and sponsorships. After World War II, people seemed to lose interest in women’s hockey.

4.1.1 The Amazons Women’s hockey in western Canada was just as popular as in the east. The teams were arranging games against neighboring towns. “In 1908, the Ladies Hockey League was formed in Calgary.” 36 Calgary was a very important centre of ice-hockey because there were a lot of schools that provided the city with lots of interested players. During the 1920s women’s hockey expanded not only in large cities but also in smaller towns.

The growing female participation in contact sports definitely had critics. Nonetheless, the public was able to accept women participation in sports: “As the decade of the 1920s progressed, it appeared that the active involvement of women in sporting activities was becoming so firmly established it could never again be challenged.” 37 There were so many female participants attracted to various sports that it required the establishment of leagues or occasional competitions. But it was not easy at all: “In a country as vast as Canada, without the participation of organizations functioning at least on a regional basis, establishing a competition for a national prize presents huge challenges.” 38

In 1921, Vancouver had a women’s championship team – the Amazons – consisting of eight young women. At this time, the Banff Winter Carnival took place in Banff, Alberta:

35 Avery and Stevens 76. 36 Avery and Stevens 71. 37 Norton 81. 38 Norton 85. 26

“The Banff Winter Sports Association was pleased that a team from Vancouver was registered to compete.” 39 The Amazons made an impression, although they were finally defeated by the eventual champions, the Regents. A year later, in 1922, they won the championship in Banff when they defeated the Regents. Each member of the team took home a championship gold medal and a trophy. In 1923 and 1924, they were not successful due to some changes in the team and did not win the trophy. They decided to recruit new players for next year competition in 1925 but they were not good enough and again they did not win. In 1926 the team was full of optimism and hopes but did lose for the third time in a row. In 1927 another defeat followed and in 1928 they did not appear at Banff at all and missed the tournament. After a four-year-long pause the new Amazons participated in the Banff tournament in 1931 and 1932 but with no success whatsoever. 40

Apparently, the team was not very successful; however, they still belong to one of the best-known teams.

4.1.2 Preston Rivulettes The Preston Rivulettes were the most successful women’s hockey team in history. Their western counterparts were the Amazons. Originally, the Preston Rivulettes were a team but when the softball season ended and winter came, there were no team sports for girls in Preston. Since all of the girls grew up skating on local rivers and there was no hockey team for girls, they decided to start one:

“The first members of the team were Hilda and Nellie Ranscombe, Marm and Helen Schmuck, Marg Gabbitas, Myrtle Parr, Toddy Webb, Pat Marriott and Helen Sault. Hilda Ranscombe became the leader of the team. Hilda was born in 1917, in Preston, Ontario. … Hilda loved to play hockey. … Long hours of practice made Hilda a fast skater and a hard shooter, and she was determined to be the best.” 41

The Rivulettes attracted a lot of fans. They were skilful and very good at hockey. The people in the town supported the team which was incredibly successful.

39 Norton 64. 40 Norton 65. 41 Adams 15. 27

During the Great Depression, which began in 1929, it was very difficult to play hockey and the reason was obvious – lack of money. Teams needed money for travelling. Many people were without jobs and did not have enough money to spend on playing and watching sports. The Preston Rivulettes had to find more money to keep playing: “Before the 1938 season, this aid arrived in the form of sponsorship by a local business: the Preston Springs Hotel. The hotel helped buy new uniforms and equipment that was badly needed.” 42 Much of the money also came from the ticket sales. But in 1938 less and less fans were coming to watch the matches because it was too boring for them as the Rivulettes kept winning. This was bad for the Rivulettes. Moreover, no teams wanted to join the league because they knew the Rivulettes would beat them. The Rivulettes easily became the best women’s hockey team in the country.

When Canada entered World War II, there was little time left for hockey. Moreover, the Rivulettes disintegrated after ten years of playing hockey: “Men’s hockey declined across Canada as well during this time. But after the war, most men’s hockey leagues started again. Boys and men playing hockey were able to pick up where they left off. This was not the case for women’s hockey. Following the war, women were expected to be in the home, not on the ice playing hockey.” 43 Throughout the 1940s there were no leagues or tournaments. There were only exhibition matches. This, in fact, was the end of the most famous Canadian women’s hockey team the Rivulettes. “In 1963, the Preston Rivulettes were inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame in recognition of their incredible record … They brought credibility, respect and admiration to women’s hockey.” 44 During their ten years of play no other team in Ontario ever beat them and they remained hockey legends with 350 victories, three ties and two losses. From 1930 to 1939, they won ten championship titles in both Ontario and Quebec and six national champion titles. 45

In the forties and fifties, only baseball attracted more fans than hockey. At this time, hockey was more popular than football and . “By the seventies, leagues had

42 Adams 91. 43 Adams 116. 44 Avery and Stevens 71. 45 Ibid. 28 been formed in Ontario, British Columbia, and the northeastern United States.” 46 In 1987, the first Women’s World Hockey Tournament took place in Toronto, Ontario. Other tournaments followed: 1990 Ottawa (CAN), 1992 Tampere (FIN), 1994 Lake Placid (USA), 1997 Kitchener (CAN), 1999 Espoo (FIN), 2000 Massissauga (CAN) and 2001 Minneapolis (USA). The recent championships took place in Burlington (USA) in 2012, Zurich (SUI) in 2011, Hämeenlinna (FIN) in 2009, (CHN) in 2008, Winnipeg (CAN) in 2007, Linkoping/Norrkoping (SWE) in 2005, Halifax (CAN) in 2004. In 2003, the world championship was cancelled due to outbreak of SARS disease in China. Out of these fourteen championships Canada won ten gold medals and four silver medals when they were beaten by USA in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

In 1998, women’s hockey became an Olympic sport at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games: “The participation of women in the 1998 Winter Olympics was the culmination of over a hundred years of female players striving for recognition and respect from the typically male-dominated hockey and sports world.” 47 The six competing teams were Canada, the United States, , Finland, China and Japan.

4.2 Women’s Hockey Today There are many things that have changed since the time when women started to play hockey. One of them is hockey equipment. Some companies produce women’s equipment which is usually designed for the smaller, lighter player. This special equipment designed for the female anatomy also reduces the risk of injury. Currently, women hockey players use a helmet, a facial protector, a throat protector, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, hockey pants, shin pads, skates and a stick. In these days, there are two types of sticks - wood and composite. Goaltenders’ equipment has improved a lot, too. Goaltenders are the best protected players on the ice and their equipment usually cost much more than the equipment for other players. Goaltenders’ equipment is different from that of the other players. They wear thick layers of padding which protect them from bruises and possible injuries. It also allows them to cover more space in the net. Goaltenders used to play without masks. This has changed and now goaltenders must wear masks. A goaltender should wear not only a neck protector but also a throat protector. S/he uses two kinds of

46 Barbara Stewart, She Shoots…She Scores! (Buffalo, New York: A Firefly Book, 1998), 9. 47 Stewart xvii. 29 gloves called the trapper and the blocker. The trapper is used for catching the puck, whereas the blocker is worn on the stick hand and it is used to block the shots away from the net. The main difference is goalie pads which protect a goaltender’s legs and helps stop the puck as well. They are quite heavy. Concerning goalie skates they look very much alike regular skates. There are several differences though. They must be sharpened in a special way because goaltender’s moves are different from the moves of forwards and defenders. The bottom of a goalie’s skate blade is flatter and closer to the boot. The goalie boot is thicker which helps protect the foot. A goalie stick is designed to block the shots. It is wider than the regular hockey stick.

An event in 1956 signaled a change in attitude and a new era in women’s hockey when “Abigail Hoffman cut her hair and suited up to play for a boys’ hockey team.” 48 Eight-year-old Abigail was playing hockey with the boys secretly. She called herself “Ab”. Later on, when it was discovered that “Ab” was a girl, she became a celebrity in Canada and the United States. She was allowed to continue to play with her team, but she was given her own dressing room. She was as good as any boy her age. Today, the Abby Hoffman Cup is awarded to the national champions of Canadian women’s hockey. It was first introduced in 1982.

After this case two groups emerged. One group supported the idea that the girls should be given a chance to play, another group believed that girls should not play hockey at all. In Canada, the opportunity for girls to play hockey depends on where you live and what is available. Generally, there are two main options. One of them is to play with the boys. The other one is to play with the girls. Usually, the girls start to play minor hockey on a boys’ team. When more girls become involved, they can form all-girls teams.

Although women’s hockey has changed for the better in many ways, women still must overcome obstacles today. One of the largest debates in women’s hockey today is whether the women’s game is different from the men’s: “When asked about this topic, some national team players from both the US and Canada were emphatic that the men’s and women’s game should not be considered separate entities.” 49 In fact, they are right because everything is the same, except checking, which is forbidden in women’s game.

48 Avery and Stevens 119. 49 Avery and Stevens 241. 30

Body checking is a movement when a player uses her hip or shoulder to slow or stop an opponent who has control of the puck. No intentional body checking in women’s hockey is allowed: “There was a time when women’s hockey allowed intentional body-checking, but in the mid-1980s, the Canadian National Female Hockey Council voted to remove checking from female hockey.” 50 This rule definitely helped decrease the chance of injury. A note on women’s hockey and its aggressiveness also appears in How Canadians Communicate III. :

“It is often argued that Canadian women who take up the game are not playing “real” hockey in that they play a less aggressive and physical version of the game. That is, they play a less masculine version of the game. However, there is no denying that hockey, whether played by men or women, requires strong, forceful, aggressive, space-occupying movements; movements normatively associated with masculinity.” 51

Nonetheless, it is still hockey and there is not much to compare. What makes it different is the physical aspect that changes the nature of the game a bit. It is clear that male and female bodies develop differently and men gain more strength than women.

After the playing days are over, coaching is another stage for many players after their playing career ends. “One of the few chances women currently have at obtaining a coaching job is at colleges and universities… Coaching opportunities are also available with Canadian women’s national and provincial teams.” 52 Provincial Women’s Hockey League includes twenty teams from Canada and it is an amateur women's ice hockey league.

Refereeing or officiating is another activity for women who love hockey. The referee is the head official and s/he wears the bright red bands on the arms of the black- and-white striped jersey. The referee counts goals and calls penalties. Linesmen help the referee. They are responsible for watching for other violations, such as icing and offside.

50 Avery and Stevens 242. 51 Bart Beaty, Derek Briton, Gloria Filax, Rebecca Sullivan, How Canadians Communicate III. Contexts of Canadian Popular Culture (Athabasca University, Edmonton: AU Press, 2010), 245. 52 Avery and Stevens 252. 31

There are usually two linesmen and one referee on the ice during the whole match. This is the most common officiating system. Refereeing has been popular since the 1970.

4.2.1 The Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame It was built in Toronto, Ontario in 1943. It is dedicated to the history of ice-hockey. There is also women’s hockey section including the profiles of women’s teams, players and individual personalities which was established in 2010 and Angela James was the first woman in history who was inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame in the same year. 53

4.2.2 The Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) “The Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) is a world leader in women’s hockey. … Founded in 1975, the OWHA oversees all ages and levels of competition in Ontario, including over four hundred girls’ and women’s teams with players ranging in age from four to seventy-four.” 54 The purpose of the OWHA is to promote girls' and women's hockey throughout the country. It operates in cooperation with Hockey Canada, too.

4.2.3 The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) The National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) was a women's ice hockey league. This league was in service between 1999 and 2007. After the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) dissolved, the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) was created. It is one of two major women's ice hockey leagues in Canada. The league was founded in 2007 and it currently has five ice hockey teams: two in Ontario (Toronto Furies and Brampton HC), one in Alberta (Alberta HC), one in Quebec (Montreal Stars), and one in Boston, Massachusetts (Boston Blades).

4.2.4. Lipstick tournament The Lipstick tournament is connected with Grace Small who came from Wallaceburg, Ontario, and she was the one who gained support from the arena manager Harold Ribson. Harold Ribson saw this as an opportunity for female hockey competition and a way to promote the city. The first one-day girl tournament was arranged on February 27th, 1966 and there were eleven women’s teams taking part in it. In 1967 the Lipstick Tournament hosted sixteen teams. A member of the 1935 Preston Rivulettes, Hilda

53 Tom Bartsiokas, Corey Long, Angela James – The First Superstar of Women’s Hockey (Toronto: Women’s Press Literary, 2012), 55.

54 Stewart 14. 32

Ranscombe, was the guest of honor. In 1975, the tournament grew to twenty one teams and it became even more popular. The last tournament was held in 1993 and in 2006 a group of local parents revived the Lipstick Tournament again. 55

55 Lorna Schultz Nicholson, Pink Power: The First Women’s Hockey World Champions (Toronto: James Lorimer Limited, Publishers, 2012), 34. 33

5 Women’s National Hockey Team

There was no Canadian women’s hockey team until 1990:

“In Canada, some people would say that 1990 was the year of women’s hockey. The first Women’s World Ice Hockey Championship in Ottawa, Ontario, was held one year shy of a century since the first women’s hockey game was played on the Rideau Canal near Ottawa, and women’s hockey returned to its early birth-place to stage an international gala. It took a lot of preparation and involved a touch of controversy (about Team Canada pink uniforms), but in the end the event ushered in a new era in women’s hockey. Gone were the days of just being happy to play. Now, women and girls were striving for greater achievements, including becoming world champions.”56

The Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) is committed to developing women’s hockey in Canada. One of the objectives of CHA is to promote and develop more opportunities for women and girls of all ages and skill levels to play hockey. The women’s national hockey team program targets very talented and skilled players and it is one of these opportunities.

Women’s national hockey team participates in different international competitions, including IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship. Considering World Championship records, team Canada participated in fifteen competitions, out of which they won gold medal ten times. The United States won the other five in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. Canada won silver. Being the leader is a very challenging role and it is undeniable that the Canadian team must continuously challenge and improve itself. However, many countries, including Finland, Sweden, and China, are developing their national team programs. Another important competition is called 3/4 Nations Cup, where Canada won gold medal thirteen times out of seventeen. In the year 1997, 2003, 2008 and 2011 team Canada won silver medal. In 2012, Canada won gold medal when the team beat Finland 8-1.

56 Avery and Stevens 203. 34

5.1 2013 Women’s World Championship The tournament was held in Ottawa, Canada. It was the fifteenth championship and for the second time it was held in the capital city of Canada. The first tournament was held there, too, in 1990. Since 1997 it is held every year, except the year when the Winter Olympic Games are taking place. Before 1997 it used to be held every other year.

There were eight nations participating in the championship. The head coach of the team was Dan Church. There were four teams in Group A as well as in Group B. Group A consisted of Canada, the United States, Switzerland and Finland. Group B was composed of Sweden, Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic. Canada and the United States were the winners of Group A and they got into the semifinals directly. Finland and Switzerland from Group A and Russia and Germany from Group B ended up in the third and fourth place and advanced into the quarterfinals. The teams of the Czech Republic and Sweden took the wooden spoon and they played in the relegation round where the Czech Republic lost to Sweden in two matches, 1-2 and 0-4. In the quarterfinals, Russia beat Switzerland 2- 1, and Finland beat Germany 1-0. In the semifinals, Russia met Canada and lost 1-8. Finland played with the United States who won 3-0. In the finals, the United States defeated Canada 3-2 and in the bronze medal game Russia won 2-0 over Finland.

2015 Women’s World Championship is going to take place in Malmö, Sweden.

5.2 Winter Olympic Games (Women) The Winter Olympic Games in 1998 in Nagano were the first Olympics that featured women’s hockey. The team of the United States won the gold medal. Since that time, Canada has not lost an Olympic game and claimed gold in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Concerning the format of the game, “the Olympic tourney is a round-robin contest made up of twelve teams for men, eight teams for women. The eight women’s teams are split into two groups for an initial round-robin, with each team facing the others in its group once. The teams with the best records advance to a single-elimination medal round,

35 with seeding determined by the round-robins.” 57 This format is new and it was first introduced at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, 2010. The advantages and disadvantages are going to be mentioned in the subchapter 5.2.5 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

5.2.1 1998 Winter Olympics (Nagano) 58 Round Robin Results Team GP W L T GF GA Pts USA 5 5 0 0 33 7 10 CAN 5 4 1 0 28 12 8 FIN 5 3 2 0 27 10 6 CHN 5 2 3 0 10 15 4 SWE 5 1 4 0 10 21 2 JPN 5 0 5 0 2 45 0 Round Robin Results Team CAN CHN FIN JPN SWE USA CAN X 2 - 0 4 - 2 13 - 0 5 - 3 4 - 7 CHN 0 - 2 X 1 - 6 6 - 1 3 - 1 0 - 5 FIN 2 - 4 6 - 1 X 11 - 1 6 - 0 2 - 4 JPN 0 - 13 1 - 6 1 - 11 X 0 - 5 0 - 10 SWE 3 - 5 1 - 3 0 - 6 5 – 0 X 1 - 7 USA 7 - 4 5 - 0 4 - 2 10 – 0 7 - 1 X

As for the clarification of the table, it is essential to give an interpretation of the abbreviations. GP means Games Played in the tournament, the letter W means the number of wins, the letter L signifies the number of losses and the letter T signifies the number of ties. The column GF stands for Goals For; the number of goals the team has scored, whereas GA stands for Goals Against; the number of goals opponents have scored.

The team of the United States was the first country to win gold in women’s hockey at the Olympics. They won five matches, lost none and did great at the tournament. Canada ended up in second place with eight points, losing only to the United States.

57 Ron C. Judd, The Winter Olympics: An Insider’s Guide to the Legends, the Lore, and the Game (Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2009), 115. 58 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/1998/Home , (accessed October 18, 2013). 36

5.2.2 2002 Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City) 59

Group A

Team GP W L T GF GA GD Pts Canada 3 3 0 0 25 0 +25 6 Sweden 3 2 1 0 10 13 −3 4 Russia 3 1 2 0 6 11 −5 2 Kazakhstan 3 0 3 0 1 18 −17 0

Group B

Team GP W L T GF GA GD Pts United States 3 3 0 0 28 1 +27 6 Finland 3 2 1 0 7 6 +1 4

Germany 3 0 2 1 6 18 −12 1

China 3 0 2 1 6 21 −15 1

Final standings

Canada

United States

Sweden 4th Finland 5th Russia 6th Germany 7th China 8th Kazakhstan

The most outstanding result is definitely the one of Canada and Kazachstan. Canada beat Kazakhstan 7-0 on the opening day of women’s hockey at the 2002 Winter Games:

“Hayley Wickenheiser of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, and of Toronto had two goals apiece, while Danielle Goyotte of St -Nazaire, Quebec, and Tammy - Lee Shewchuk of Montreal also scored for Canada, which outshot an overmatched

59 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en -ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/ , (accessed October 18, 2013). 37

Kazakhstan 66-11.”60 Such a description shows that Kazakhstan’s players were much slower and less experienced than the team of Canada and it was probably very difficult to keep pace with seven-time world champion Canada.

Canadian next match with Russia ended in failure for the Russian team who were defeated 7-0, too. These two victories were enough for the qualification for the medal round. Canada’s last round-robin play was planned against Sweden which was another great success for the Canadian team. Four teams got to the semi-final; Canada and Sweden from Group A and the United States and Finland from Group B. Canada became the winner of the match with Finland and the Canadian team met the U.S. team in the final. This match was probably the toughest one. Nonetheless, Canada managed to win 3-2. Hayley Wickenheiser was named the tournament’s most valuable player. 61

A Lucky Loonie

A loonie is a nickname for one dollar coin in Canada. There is a loon bird on one of its faces. Trent Evans embedded a lucky loonie at centre ice at the E-Center in Salt Lake City. Both the Canadian women’s and men’s hockey teams successfully won gold over top of that loonie. Trent Evans was an employee of the . He was an ice technician: “Evans cooked up the plot February 4 when he noticed the Olympic logo that surrounded centre ice didn’t have a dot to mark the middle. That’s when he decided to improvise.” 62 But he only had a dime. “Evans returned the next day and placed the loonie over top of the dime, instantly creating a myth, and, some would argue, a whole lot of luck. So there was really $1.10 at centre ice.”63 Evans wanted to keep it a secret. However, he told too many people:

“Though the color of the coin blended nicely with the Olympic logo, if players squinted closely, they would have been able to make out the markings of the loonie. By the third day of the Games, Evans became nervous about being found out, so he and a colleague camouflaged the spot with yellow paint.”64

60 Steven Proctor, Canada Gold (Ontario: Winding Stair Press, 2002), 15. 61 Proctor 82. 62 Proctor 130. 63 Ibid. 64 Ibid. 38

However, the coin stayed embedded and it went on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto to commemorate Canada’s two gold hockey medals at the 2002 Winter Games. It was the first gold for the men in fifty years and sweet retribution for the women who lost in the gold-medal match four years ago.

5.2.3 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin) 65 Final Standings/Classement finale CAN (gold/or) SWE (silver/argent) USA (bronze) FIN GER RUS SUI ITA

Round Robin Standings/Classement de la Ronde préliminaire Teams GP W L T GF GA Pts Équipes MJ V D N BP BC Pts Group A/Groupe A CAN 3 3 0 0 36 1 6 SWE 3 2 1 0 15 9 4 RUS 3 1 2 0 6 16 2 ITA 3 0 3 0 1 32 0 Group B/Groupe B USA 3 3 0 0 18 3 6 FIN 3 2 1 0 10 7 4 GER 3 1 2 0 2 9 2 SUI 3 0 3 0 1 12 0

There were four teams in Group A and four teams in Group B. Four teams out of eight made it into semifinals; Canada and Sweden from Group A and the United States and Finland from Group B. The United States lost to Sweden which was the first time when the United States lost to a team other than Canada. Finland was defeated by Canada 6-0.

65 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/ , (accessed October 18, 2013). 39

Eventually, Canada won gold, Sweden won silver and the United States won bronze. Hayley Wickenheiser was named the most valuable player of the tournament. 66

5.2.4 2010 Winter Olympics (Vancouver) 67

Final Ranking/Classement final

CAN - Gold SUI - 5th

USA - Silver RUS - 6th

FIN - Bronze CHN - 7th

SWE - 4th SVK - 8th

Group A Preliminary Round Standings Rk. Team GP W L Goals Pts

1. CAN 3 3 0 41-2 9

2. SWE 3 2 1 10-15 6

3. SUI 3 1 2 6-15 3

4. SVK 3 0 3 4-29 0

Group B Preliminary Round Standings Rk. Team GP W L Goals Pts

1. USA 3 3 0 31-1 9

2. FIN 3 2 1 7-8 6

3. RUS 3 1 2 3-19 3

4. CHN 3 0 3 3-16 0

Eight national teams competed at the Olympics. Group A consisted of Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and . Group B consisted of The United States, Finland, Russia and China. The match between Canada and Slovakia ended with Canada scoring

66 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/ , (accessed October 18, 2013). 67 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/ , (accessed October 18, 2013). 40 eighteen goals in the Slovakian net. Slovakia gained no points in the competition. The leaders of Group B were the United States and Finland. Finland met Sweden and the United States met Canada in the finals. Canada won gold for the third time in the history. The United States won silver and Finland won bronze. Slovakia took the last place in the competition.

Media All-Star Team 68 Year Goaltender Defence Forwards

2010 Shannon Szabados (CAN) (USA) Meghan Agosta (CAN) (USA) Marie-Philip Poulin (CAN) Jenny Potter (USA)

2006 Kim Martin (SWE) Carla MacLeod (CAN) (CAN) Angela Ruggiero (USA) (SWE) Hayley Wickenheiser (CAN)

2002 Kim St-Pierre (CAN) (USA) (USA) Angela Ruggiero (USA) (USA) Hayley Wickenheiser (CAN)

1998 not selected

Most of the awards were received by the Canadian and the American players, including Shannon Szabados, Hayley Wickenheiser, Gillian Apps and Meghan Agosta, who are the most famous Canadian women’s hockey players.

68 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/ , (accessed October 18, 2013). 41

IIHF Directorate Awards & Most Valuable Player 69

Most Valuable Year Goaltender Defence Forwards Player

2010 Shannon Szabados Molly Engstrom Meghan Agosta Meghan Agosta (CAN) (USA) (CAN) (CAN)

2006 Kim Martin (SWE) Angela Ruggiero Hayley Wickenheiser Hayley (USA) (CAN) Wickenheiser (CAN)

2002 Kim St-Pierre Angela Ruggiero Hayley Wickenheiser Hayley (CAN) (USA) (CAN) Wickenheiser (CAN)

1998 not awarded

In 1998, no awards were given to the players. This changed in 2002 in Salt Lake City. Hayley Wickenheiser has been the most successful player. She won four times; in the category of the best forward in 2002 and 2006, and in the category of the most valuable player in the same years.

5.2.5 2014 Winter Olympics (Sochi) 70 Teams Group A Group B CAN - Canada GER - Germany FIN – Finland JPN - Japan SUI - Switzerland RUS - Russia USA - United States SWE - Sweden

69 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/ , (accessed October 18, 2013). 70 http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Women/Olympics/, (accessed October 18, 2013). 42

Canada (2013-14 Olympic Centralization) 71 # Name S/C Ht. Wt. Born Hometown Club Team Goaltenders Northern Shannon Edmonton, Alberta Institute 1 L/G 5’8” 146 08/06/86 Szabados Alta. of Technology (ACAC) Geneviève Kingston, 31 L/G 5’8” 136 05/05/89 Boston (CWHL) Lacasse Ont. Boisbriand, Montreal 32 L/G 5’9” 156 10/15/82 Que. (CWHL) Defence Jocelyne Ste. Anne, Calgary 3 L/G 5’6” 139 05/19/88 Larocque Man. (CWHL) University of Waterhen, 4 R/D 5’7” 180 10/11/92 Minnesota Man. Duluth (WCHA) Cornell Beaconsfield, 5 L/G 5’8” 167 04/12/90 University Que. (ECAC) Cornell Hamilton, 8 Laura Fortino L/G 5’4” 137 01/30/91 University Ont. (ECAC) Courtney , Brampton 11 L/G 5’9.5” 159 07/14/89 Birchard Ont. (CWHL) Meaghan St. Albert, Calgary 12 R/D 5’9” 139 01/04/85 Mikkelson Alta. (CWHL) Montreal, Montreal 18 Catherine Ward L/G 5’6” 137 02/27/87 Que. (CWHL) Toronto 25 L/G 5’6” 127 07/23/85 Sudbury, Ont. (CWHL) Newcastle, Calgary 27 Tara Watchorn L/G 5’9.5” 176 05/30/90 Ont. (CWHL) Forwards Meghan Agosta- Montreal 2 L/G 5’6.5” 148 02/12/87 Ruthven, Ont. Marciano (CWHL)

71 http://stats.hockeycanada.ca/roster/show/1070312?subseason=143144 , (accessed March 5th, 2014). 43

Toronto 6 RebeccaJohnston L/G 5’9” 148 09/24/89 Sudbury, Ont. (CWHL) Jennifer Pickering, Toronto 9 R/D 5’9.5” 172 06/15/89 Wakefield Ont. (CWHL) Unionville, Brampton 10 Gillian Apps L/G 5’11.5” 172 11/02/83 Ont. (CWHL) Montreal, Montreal 13 L/G 5’10.5” 170 05/25/79 Que. (CWHL) Valleyfield, McGill 15 Mélodie Daoust L/G 5’6” 159 01/07/92 Que. University (CIS) Kingston, Brampton 16 Jayna Hefford L/G 5’4.5” 136 05/14/77 Ont. (CWHL) Ste. Anne, Brampton 17 L/G 5’7.5” 150 09/05/90 Man. (CWHL) Cornell 19 R/D 5’9” 156 05/04/91 Oakville, Ont. University (ECAC) Jenelle Winnipeg, Boston 20 L/G 5’7” 145 10/03/90 Kohanchuk Man. University (HE) Thunder Bay, Montreal 21 Haley Irwin L/G 5’7” 170 06/06/88 Ont. (CWHL) Hayley Shaunavon, University of 22 R/D 5’10” 170 08/12/78 Wickenheiser Sask. Calgary (CIS) Scarborough, Toronto 24 R/D 5’10” 180 10/17/90 Ont. (CWHL) Wasaga Brampton 28 R/D 5’2” 119 04/17/89 Beach, Ont. (CWHL) Marie-Philip Beauceville, Boston 29 L/G 5’6.5” 160 03/28/91 Poulin Que. University (HE)

The roster was composed of the mix of both new and experienced players. It included three goaltenders - Shannon Szabados as number one - nine women in defense, and fifteen forwards, including Caroline Oullette, Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser who belonged to the oldest players of the team and won their fourth gold medal. The players came from six different leagues and associations; Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), Canadian Interuniversity

44

Sport (CIS), Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and Hockey East (HE). The youngest player was Mélodie Daoust, born in 1992.

In the Sochi tournament there were eight nations competing. There were two groups as usual, group A and group B, both having four teams in them. Group A consisted of Canada, Finland, Switzerland and the United States. Group B consisted of Germany, Japan, Russia and Sweden.

The format of the tournament was slightly different from the previous ones. In the quarterfinals, the bottom two teams in group A competed with the top two teams in group B. After that, the winners played either the team on the first or second place in group A. The new format is supposed to help lesser teams and make the tournament more competitive.

Eventually, Finland won the bronze medal and the United States won the silver medal. It was the team Canada who won the gold medal as they defeated the United States 3-2 in . Moreover, this triumph was the fourth in a row concerning the women’s hockey at the Winter Olympic Games.

5.3 Summary This chapter clearly presents Canada as number one in women’s hockey. Except the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, the Canadian Women’s National Hockey Team won all the following Olympics, and it is really hard for other teams to keep up with the Canadian team. The reasons for this might be various.

Firstly, the Canadian women’s hockey players are physically dominant players and that is crucial for hockey.

Secondly, they are great at every part of hockey: mobile defense, puck-possession, coaching staff.

Thirdly, Canadians basically grow up with it more than any other nation and they are practically “born with a stick and skates.” Hockey is extremely popular in Canada. Moreover, there also many schools and universities, and professional coaches and leagues.

45

6 Women’s University Hockey 6.1 Grassroots Hockey Grassroots hockey includes all the girls (and boys) who play on their community and school teams. Grassroots hockey helps develop various spheres of hockey, including national, state, international and provincial championships. Without this broad base of players in grassroots hockey, no competitions would be possible. These competitions include, for instance, national tournaments, world championships and also Olympic events. Players in their late teens have the option of playing for their high school hockey team and when they finish high school, they can play for their university or college. USA hockey has developed an initiation program for boys and girls aged eight and under. In Canada, the initiation program targets beginner players, typically boys and girls aged nine and under.

In both US and Canada, some areas have very active female hockey participation and others don’t. Usually, it depends on the opportunities which girls have to play hockey and how minor hockey is organized. Moreover, history and popularity of the sport in different parts of the two countries is also very important:

“The Northeast and upper Midwest of the US have always been hockey hotbeds, but the sport was only introduced to Florida and Arizona later.” 72

The organization of girls’ hockey is different, whereas for boys, the system is the same in every province and in every state. For girls, the opportunity to play hockey depends on where you live and what is available. Generally, a girl who wants to play hockey has two main options – play with the boys or play with the girls. In many cases, the first step towards getting girls involved in hockey is to have them play minor hockey on a boys’ team. When more girls become involved, all-girls teams can begin to form. In Canada and in the United States, the setup varies even from town to town because communities do whatever it takes just to get the girls playing. The same cannot be used everywhere. If ice time is difficult to obtain, girls and boys may have to play together. If it is a rural area, far away from other towns and other teams, the girls’ team may have to play in a boys’ house league and travel every now and then to play in girls’ hockey tournaments. If it is a large city with many female hockey volunteers, there may be a very

72 Avery and Stevens 130. 46 large girls’ hockey association and a league that includes different ages. Here, the girls play with and against other girls. Girls on boys’ teams may also play on a girls’ team in tournaments. In Canada, twelve or thirteen years of age are the generally accepted cut-off point when girls no longer play on boys’ teams. After this age, girls either drop out of the game or are lucky enough to find a girls’ or women’s team on which to play. However, for a girl to switch over to all-girls hockey may require a commitment on the part of her family. In some cases, a lot of driving is required if the girls’ team is in the next town or country. Grassroots hockey is important to the female game because it is the future of the game. Female hockey will not survive without the involvement of young children.

In the university system, there are usually three levels of play: recreational leagues; intramural or house leagues; and varsity teams, which represent the school in games against other rep teams. Varsity teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school, or other secondary school. Intramural or house leagues are recreational sports leagues organized within a set geographic area. They are often organized on college campuses to promote competition and fun among the students.

6.2 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) In 1960s, the number of women’s university teams grew and women’s’ hockey started to revive. In these days, several women’s varsity teams compete in different regions in Canada. Varsity women hockey players not only adopted the rules from the men’s game, but the physical style as well. “In these days, there are twenty-six universities that compete from coast to coast in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Women’s Hockey.” 73

The following table 74 contains the names of all twenty-six universities, however, only a few of them is going to be described in more detail. The table is divided into four segments representing four athletic conferences: Canada West (CW), Atlantic University Sport (AUS), Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and Quebec Student Sport Federation (QSSF).

73 http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wice/2010-11/files/10-11_Canada_First_W_Hockey.pdf , (accessed October 18, 2013). 74 http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wice/2010-11/files/10-11_Canada_First_W_Hockey.pdf , (accessed March 4th, 2014). 47

Canada West (CW) Atlantic University Sport (AUS) o o Dalhousie University o UBC o Université de o University of Calgary o UPEI o o Saint Mary’s University o o St. Thomas University o University of Saskatchewan o St. Francis Xavier University

Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Québec Student Sport Federation (QSSF) o Brock University o Carleton University o University of Guelph o Concorida University o University of Ontario Institute of Technology o McGill University o Queen’s University o Université du Montréal o o University of Ottawa o o University of Western Ontario o Wilfrid Laurier University o University of Windsor o York University

48

University of Alberta Pandas Women’s hockey began at the University of Alberta in 1997. “Head Coach Howie Draper has guided his team to seven CIS National Championships, taking home The Golden Path Trophy in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 11 Canada West conference titles. The Golden Path Trophy is significant for the women’s university hockey in Canada. The Pandas have also had numerous national award winners and All- Canadians, and in the process shifted the balance of power in women’s hockey at the university level from the east to west.” 75 Howie Draper has been coaching the team for sixteen years.

Concordia University Stingers Concordia University is situated in Montreal, Quebec. A lot of famous women’s hockey players taking part in the Olympics come from Concordia University Stingers, for instance: Cammi Granato, Therese Brisson, Karyn Bye, Cecilia Anderson and Caroline Oullette. The name of the head coach is Les Lawton and he is the longest serving coach in CIS.

University of The women’s ice hockey team was established in 1979. The of this university is gryphon; it has lion's body and eagle's head and wings. is a notable player from this university.

University of The university is situated in Alberta and the teams compete in basketball, judo, ice hockey, rugby, swimming, soccer and track and field. Chandy Kaip is currently the head coach of the women's hockey team.

University of The University of Manitoba is to be found in Winnipeg and it was established in 1877. The students can join different sports teams, such as ice hockey, football, basketball,

75 http://www.pandas.ualberta.ca/en/Teams/PandasHockey/~/media/Athletics/Documents/TeamHist- Pandas_Hockey.pdf , (accessed October 18, 2013).

49 , , swimming, soccer, track and field, cross country and . Jon Rempel has been the coach of the women’s hockey team for almost ten years.

McGill University Martlets Women’s ice hockey has been played at McGill University since 1896. Catherine Ward, the member of the Canadian national hockey team, was also a member of the 2008– 09 McGill Martlets women's hockey season.

Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues “The Université de Moncton has boasted a women’s hockey program since 1999- 2000 and has created a precedent as a sports program striving for excellence. The 2009- 2010 season led the Aigles Bleues to the finals of the AUS, having completed the regular season in first place. The team was ranked among the Canadian Top 10 throughout the season. The Aigles Bleus/Bleues’ athletic program instils strong moral, social, and educational values. It is noted for its tradition of excellence and allows student athletes to practice their sport at a high level of performance while not only acquiring knowledge but also developing a healthy and sound way of life.” 76

University of Ontario Institute of Technology This university is one of the newest universities in Canada. The mascot of the hockey team is ridgeback: “With a varsity program that is growing stronger each year, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) is building a powerful reputation at the provincial and national levels. The UOIT Ridgebacks took their proud place among Ontario University Athletics opponents in Fall 2006. Today, our roster of varsity teams includes: curling, dance, golf, hockey, swing, soccer, and women’s lacrosse.” 77

University of Ottawa Gee-Gees The university was founded in 1848 and it is the largest bilingual post secondary institution in Canada. The origin of the Gee-Gees name is connected with colors: “The University of Ottawa’s traditional colors have long been garnet and grey. Before the team had an official nickname, sports teams were often referred to by their team colors. The

76 http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wice/2010-11/files/10-11_Canada_First_W_Hockey.pdf , (accessed October 18, 2013).

77 http://uoit.ca/main/current-students/campus_life/uoit-ridgebacks.php , (accessed October 18, 2013). 50

Ottawa sports media began calling the team by the colors’ initials, “GG”. Eventually, the team name of Gee-Gees stuck. Since a Gee-Gee is also the lead horse in a race, the logo of a horse encompassing two letter G’s was adopted as the official logo. The logo exemplifies the speed, determination and spirit which have become benchmarks of the team.”78

University of Panthers The university is situated in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: “The University of Prince Edward Island has a long-standing tradition of academic excellence dating back to the early 19th century, with roots in its founding institutions, Prince of Wales College (PWC) and St. Dunstan’s University (SDU). UPEI esteems this heritage and proudly embodies historic symbols of SDU and PWC in positions of honor within the shield that anchors the University’s official coat of arms, and flag. In 1969, the University of Prince Edward Island welcomed its first students, following the amalgamation of Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan's University.” 79

Queen’s University Gaels Gaels is the name of the Queen's interuniversity sports teams which include basketball, cross country, football, ice hockey, , rugby, soccer, and volleyball:

“The teams were formerly known as the "Golden Gaels," a nickname coined in 1947 by Kingston Whig Standard sports reporter Cliff Bowering after the football team traded its traditional uniform of red, gold, and blue bands for gold jerseys, gold helmets, and red pants. Before 1947, Queen's teams were commonly known as the Tricolour.” 80

Team colors are blue, gold, and red. “Bowering first used the term after a game in London, Ontario, when he reported that the "Golden Gaels of Queen's University" were thumped 52-3 by Western. The name caught on and became the familiar term for Queen's teams by the 1950s and until 2008. "Gaels" is a reference to Queen's Scottish heritage.” 81

University of

78 http://www.geegees.ca/sites/default/files/assets/whockey-guide.pdf , (accessed October 18, 2013). 79 http://home.upei.ca/about-upei/history , (accessed October 18, 2013). 80 http://www.queensu.ca/encyclopedia/g/gaels.html , (accessed October 18, 2013). 81 http://www.queensu.ca/encyclopedia/g/gaels.html , (accessed October 18, 2013). 51

Team colors are gold and green. “The University of Regina is perennially ranked in the Top Ten in the CIS and is a competitive team in a strong Canada West conference. The Cougars won the Canada West Championship in 2000-2001. The University of Regina athletic department stresses the importance of academics; strong student-athletes have the opportunity to be rewarded through scholarship for outstanding academic achievement. Regina is a relatively small school that boasts good student-teacher ratios and an athletic program that is very visible in the community. Athletes are encouraged to be involved in community events and the Cougar programs are often featured in the local media. The women’s hockey program has access to elite level off-ice training professionals and experts in the areas of mental training, nutrition, and other aspects of sport science. The program prides itself in completely developing its hockey players as athletes and people.” 82

Saint Mary’s University Huskies Making reference to the university history: “Saint Mary's is a modern University in a beautiful part of old Halifax. Founded in 1802, it is also one of the oldest Universities in Canada. Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it is renowned for is small school atmosphere with big city advantages.” 83

St. Thomas University Tommies The university is situated in New Brunswick: “The origin of St. Thomas University dates back to 1910. At that time, the Most Reverend Thomas F. Barry, Bishop of Chatham, invited the Basilian Fathers of Toronto to assume charge of an institution in Chatham, New Brunswick, providing education for boys at the secondary and junior college levels. The institution was called St. Thomas College. The Basilian Fathers remained at St. Thomas until 1923. That year the school was placed under the direction of the clergy of the Diocese of Chatham. In 1938, the Diocese of Chatham became the Diocese of Bathurst. In 1959, a section of Northumberland County, including within its territorial limits St. Thomas College, was transferred from the Diocese of Bathurst to the Diocese of Saint John.” 84

82 http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wice/2010-11/files/10-11_Canada_First_W_Hockey.pdf , (accessed October 18, 2013). 83 http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/wice/2010-11/files/10-11_Canada_First_W_Hockey.pdf , (accessed October 18, 2013). 84 http://w3.stu.ca/stu/about/history/default.aspx , (accessed October 18, 2013). 52

University of The University of Toronto Varsity Blues is one of the universities that have lots of team sports, including quite rare ones; e.g. , baseball, fast pitch softball, mountain biking, nordic skiing or .

“The University of Toronto women’s hockey program is rich in history and tradition. Blues first iced a team in 1921 when a student-athlete named Marion Hilliard put together a team to play against McGill University. The women’s team won the first ever intercollegiate championship and would go on to win 11 more before the league was disbanded in 1933 due to the Depression. Hilliard’s activism left a lasting effect on women’s hockey in general and specifically at the University of Toronto, where the program has thrived. In the late 1960s league play was re-established among Ontario universities and the Varsity Blues have been a dominant force in the province and the country ever since. Starting in 1971-72 the Varsity Blues have captured 17 conference championships, more than any other team in the Ontario, and U of T was the team of the 1990s, winning six OUA championships and placing first in the OUA every season. In 1997, women’s hockey became a CIS sport and the Varsity Blues are one of only seven teams to capture the coveted national title. They finished an unbeaten 35-0 season in 2000- 01 winning the national title with a 4-3 victory over the Regina Cougars.” 85

University of The head coach of the women’s team is famous Geraldine Heaney. “In the summer of 1957 the first classes were held at what was then known as Waterloo College Associate Faculties in engineering. In 1960 the name would officially change to the University of Waterloo. In the fall of 1957, a new tradition had begun at the University, the tradition of Waterloo Athletics. In the early years there were sports programs in football, basketball and ice hockey whose rosters were filled by students taking courses at both Waterloo College (present day Wilfrid Laurier) and the Waterloo College Associate Faculties.” 86

85 http://varsityblues.ca/sports/2008/7/28/MHOCKEY_0728082620.aspx?path=whockey , (accessed October 18, 2013). 86 http://athletics.uwaterloo.ca/sports/2010/7/13/history.aspx , (accessed October 18, 2013). 53

Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks The university was founded in 1911: “Wilfrid Laurier University has a long history of athletic competition dating back to 1927 as Waterloo College, an affiliated college of the University of Western Ontario. From 1927 through to 1950 Athletic teams at the College were referenced to as the Ws. In 1950, the school adopted the name the Mules or Mulettes which carried on until 1960. The following season, when the college's affiliation with Western ended and the college was renamed to Waterloo Lutheran College the Golden Hawk was born.” 87

6.3 Summary To sum up, this chapter explains the relevance of grassroots hockey. It is an important part of this sport. Generally speaking, it is fundamental to involve young children in order to provide good sportsmen and sportswomen for the future.

There are many universities with long tradition and rich history that have lots of team sports. University sport is much expanded in Canada and it is a great opportunity to improve one’s skills: “The evolution of Canadian interuniversity athletic programs progressed to a well organized level as scientific coaching methods contributed to the high level of athletic performance.” 88 Student-athletes earn a degree after five years and are provided with lots of facilities.

87 http://www.laurierathletics.com/generatePage.php?ID=65 , (accessed October 18, 2013). 88 http://english.cis-sic.ca/information/about_cis/cishistory , (accessed March 4th). 54

Past Champions 89 Canadian Interuniversity Sport Women’s Ice Hockey Championships

Year - Champions - Host Year - Champions – Host 2011-12 Calgary, Alberta 2001-02 Alberta, Regina 2010-11 McGill, Laurier 2000-01 Toronto, Calgary 2009-10 Alberta, StFX 1999-00 Alberta, Concordia 2008-09 McGill, StFX 1998-99 Concordia, Toronto 2007-08 McGill, Ottawa 1997-98 Concordia, Concordia 2006-07 Alberta, Ottawa 2005-06 Alberta, StFX 2004-05 Laurier, McGill 2003-04 Alberta, McGill 2002-03 Alberta, Regina

The table provides the list of winners from 1997-98 to 2011-2012 seasons. The most successful team since the 1997-1998 season has been the team of Alberta Pandas. The winner of the 2012-2013 season was the .

89 http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wice/past_champs , (accessed October 18, 2013). 55

7 Winning Women

This chapter contains the list of several women’s hockey players that are important for Canadian women’s hockey. It depicts the early days of their careers and their contribution to Canadian hockey.

7.1 Danielle Dubé Danielle Dubé was born in 1976 and she was the first female to play in British Columbia Junior Hockey League. She signed up to play hockey when she was four and she did not start in goal until she was six. She played with the boys and never switched to a girls’ minor hockey team:

“Dubé continued to play competitive boys’ hockey even into her late teens and early twenties. In fact, she never played on a girls’ or women’s team until her late teens when she played net for Team British Columbia in the 1991 . Her team won the silver medal, losing to Team Alberta.” 90

However, when playing with boys’ team, Danielle did experience negative attitudes in the older levels: “For me it was normal because I started with the boys and I was just part of the team. I grew up with those boys all the way through minor hockey, right up to bantam. It was normal for me. There was more reaction, I think, from the opposing teams.” 91 Unfortunately, Danielle was cut from the 1998 Olympic team going to Nagano. All in all, her playing in boys’ and men’s hockey definitely made her a unique women’s hockey player. 92

7.2 Jane Robinson Jane Robinson has played with the for fourteen seasons and she also played with 1994 Team Canada. “The Chimos have dominated women’s hockey in Alberta since the late 1970s and have won all but one provincial championship since 1982. In 1997, the Chimos won the Esso Women’s Canadian Hockey Championship.” 93 Esso

90 Avery and Stevens 138. 91 Avery and Stevens 151. 92 Ibid. 93 Avery and Stevens 132. 56

Women’s Canadian Hockey Championship was the women’s senior ice hockey championship from 1982 to 2008.

Robinson started to play hockey when she was nine years old. She grew up in a large hockey family. First, Jane started to play with boys. Nonetheless, she does not remember any problems: “I never experienced the attitude that a female should not be playing hockey. Even in the school yard, nothing was said about joining in the boys’ activities. I do not remember anybody saying anything.” 94 When she was only twelve, she moved into girls’ hockey which meant playing on a senior women’s hockey team. They had to travel a lot because there were no teams to play with. 95

7.3 Shirley Cameron Shirley Cameron was born in Bonneyville, a town several hours from northeast of Edmonton, in 1952 and she never played organized hockey when growing up. Before the age of 20, she played hockey with her brothers on the frozen sloughs. She came from rural Alberta and there were no other options for her to play hockey. She also was not really encouraged by her parents and actually, she never even thought there would be such a thing as playing on an organized team. In 1970s she moved to Edmonton and her first experience in organized hockey came. She started to play with the Edmonton Chimos in 1972: “On ice, this tiny woman flew from end to end, digging ferociously in the corners when the puck slid into the defensive zone. Every time Shirley took a face-off, it was like the last face-off she would ever take.” 96 Shirley won sixteen national championships with them. After twenty years, in 1992 she retired to coach. 97

7.4 Dawn McGuire Dawn McGuire was born in 1960. She grew up north of Winnipeg. She was Shirley Cameron’s team mate on the Chimos but she started to play organized hockey at a much younger age than Shirley Cameron. She started to play hockey with the boys and joined girls’ hockey later on: “For the first four years of hockey I played with the boys … I started

94 Avery and Stevens 151. 95 Ibid. 96 Elizabeth Etue and Megan K.Williams, On the Edge (Toronto: Second Story Press, 1996), 96. 97 Stewart 118. 57 to play in net. I played goal the first couple of years and just went from there.” When McGuire was twelve years old, she started playing on a girl’s team in Winnipeg. 98

7.5 Judy Diduck Judy Diduck started to play in her late teens and also was late to play organized hockey. At the age of ten she tried out for a boys’ team but she was not permitted to join. Hockey was Diduck’s greatest love, however, she did not play hockey until she was nineteen:

“I always loved hockey. Hockey is a great sport! I just never realized it was there for me to play – that it was available to females. There was no turning back once I started.” 99

By the age of twenty-four she was a world champion with Team Canada. She had strong skating skills but she had to develop her puck control and shooting skills:

“Diduck was not a player opponents noticed right away since she rarely took big risks. During key games, however, she treated the competition to a cornucopia of little tricks using her skates and stick. If playing one-on-one in the corner, she would at times get beaten initially.” 100

Diduck also played for the Edmonton Chimos. She took part in the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, too.

7.6 Sarah Couch Sarah Couch started playing hockey when she was only five years old. The other players on Sarah’s first team were boys. Sarah became a goalie by accident. The team did not have a regular goalie, so she had to take her turn in the net and she liked it a lot. 101

98 Stewart 119. 99 Avery and Stevens 133. 100 Etue and Williams 24. 101 Stewart 120. 58

7.7 Andria Hunter Andria Hunter was born in 1967 and she is well known around the world. First, she started skating. Then she asked her parents if she could play hockey and they agreed. She started her hockey career in 1976 when she signed on to play with a boy’s minor hockey team in Peterborough, but switched to a girls’ team the following year. She also played for her high school.

“She attended the University of on a full hockey scholarship, where she received the Rookie of the Year Award in 1987, the Wildcat winners Club Scholar-Athlete Award in 1989, and the Alumni Association Student-Athlete Award in 1990.” 102 Andria was selected to the gold-medal winning Team Canada in 1992 and 1994. 103

7.8 Nancy Scholz Nancy Scholz started playing house hockey when she was three. She wore her brother’s equipment and pretended to play. Nancy lived in an area, where it was quite difficult to find a girls’ team. She won several medals.

7.9 Cathy Phillips Cathy Phillips grew up playing shinny with her brothers. When she was eleven, she joined a boy's team in her hometown of Burlington, Ontario, because there was no girls’ team at that time. She was turned away after the first game because of her sex. Two years later Cathy Phillips joined a girls’ team. In 2005 she was awarded Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award. She was a goaltender. Her career lasted seventeen years and during this time she participated in seven National Championships winning four gold, two silver and one bronze medal. 104

7.10 Stacy Wilson Stacy Wilson was born in Salisbury, New Brunswick in 1965 and she is a former captain of the Canadian national women’s hockey team. Stacy Wilson started playing on boys’ teams when she was a child.

102 Stewart 120. 103 Stewart 120. 104 Stewart 121. 59

“When she turned fourteen, she moved up to bantam, a level at which the physical differences between girls and boys come into play. Wilson looked for a girls’ team in the area and when she learned that none existed, she had to give up the game.” 105

Obviously, this was very painful for her. That’s why she avoided hockey rinks for years. She came back to hockey when she was nineteen: “She was the player team mates could count on to block shots, hold up checks and take a hit so others could deliver the puck deep into the offensive zone. Wilson was a player who made opportunities for other players and was never one to retaliate when cross-checked or hooked.” 106 Although she spent some time off ice, she was a very hard-working player which made her one of the best players. She retired after the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998.

7.11 France St.Louis France St.Louis was born in 1958 started to played hockey quite late. Nonetheless, she became very good, since she was able to set up great goal-scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates, too. She is described as: “an intense player, a two-way forward who handled both ends of the ice with equal mastery. She also possessed an exceptional capacity to anticipate plays. Inevitably when she rounded up a season, her points total consisted of half assists and half goals.” 107 Except for hockey, St.Louis also played lacrosse internationally. However, in the end she gave up lacrosse as she wanted to devote more time to hockey. She was a member of the 1998 Canadian women's Olympic hockey team and retired at the age of forty.

7.12 Meghan Agosta-Marciano Meghan Agosta-Marciano was born in 1987 and she is playing for the Montreal Stars. She is considered one of the best women’s hockey players in the world. She participated both in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. She won gold medal in both competitions. 108

105 Etue and Williams 22. 106 Etue and Williams 23. 107 Etue and Williams 20. 108 Stewart 116. 60

7.13 Caroline Oullette “We were really sick of silver …” Caroline Ouellette Caroline Ouellette was born in Montreal in 1979. She started playing hockey at the age of nine. She is a member of the National Women’s Ice Hockey Team since 1999. She has taken part in three Winter Olympic Games (2002, 2006 and 2010) always winning a gold medal. She won the for three times (2009, 2011, 2012). Moreover, Oullette was the winner of the 2011 Angela James Bowl. Caroline has extensive experience in coaching, as well. 109

7.14 Haley Irwin Haley Irwin was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She is twenty-five years old. She moved to women’s hockey when she was sixteen years old. Before that, she grew up playing hockey with boys. Irwin was competing for medals in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver where the team Canada won gold and Haley added to her score five points; four goals and one assist. Haley’s hockey career started in 2007 when she started playing for University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. 110

7.15 Catherine Ward Catherine Ward was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1987. She studies at Boston University. In 2009, she won McGill Most outstanding defenseman award. Her father and her brother used to play hockey. She started skating at a young age and spent a lot of time at ice hockey rinks where her passion for this sport grew. Catherine’s parents have always supported her. She participated in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. 111

7.16 Shannon Szabados Shannon Szabados was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1986. She is of Hungarian descent. Shannon is an ice hockey goaltender. When she was five years old, she started playing hockey with boys because there was no girls’ team in the area she lived. Surprisingly, Szabados has spent most of her life playing hockey with men. Basically, she grew up playing with boys and she had no intention of changing it. She took part in the

109 Stewart 116. 110 Stewart 113. 111 Ibid. 61

2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver which was her first experience in women’s hockey. 112

7.17 Jayna Hefford Jayna Hefford was born in Trenton, Ontario, in 1977. She started playing hockey when she was six years old. She is 1.65 cm tall which counts her among the smallest players. Jayna grew up in a hockey family. Her father had been a hockey player and her mother was a coach. Hefford or “Heff”, as she is known by fans, is going to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. 113

The last two mentioned women, Shannon Szabados and Jayna Hefford, took part in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

Most of the players, e.g. Haley Irwin, Shannon Szabados, Stacy Wilson, Cathy Phillips, Sarah Couch, Andria Hunter, Danielle Dubé, Jane Robinson and Dawn McGuire; started playing with boys. This fact clearly shows that at that time they were none or very few girls’ teams to play in. Later on, they either moved to women’s hockey or they stayed with boys. Their families supported them and sometimes their fathers or brothers were hockey players themselves.

No matter what age they were when they started playing hockey, either three or nineteen years old, they became famous.

112 Stewart 114. 113 Ibid. 62

8 Women’s Hockey Legends

8.1 Hilda Ranscombe Hilda Ranscombe is connected with Preston Rivulettes who were the most successful women’s hockey team in history. She was the youngest of nine children. Hilda loved to play hockey and she wanted everyone to be as good as she was and to love hockey as much as she did. She practiced a lot which made her a fast skater and a hard shooter. Hilda’s sister Nellie loved sports, too. Since there was no hockey team for girls, they decided to start one. Eight women joined the two sisters and they created a team called The Preston Rivulettes. All of them were at high school or had a job; therefore the only time for practice was at the end of the day. “The Rivulettes were such skilful hockey players that some people thought they must be boys disguised as girls. In fact, the Port Dover coach wanted Helen Schmuck to take off her clothes to prove she was a girl.” 114 Hilda was the captain of the team and the star player. She was in forward line together with Marm and Helen Schmuck: “These three players became the backbone of the team as Hilda and Marm developed into the top forwards in the country, and Nellie established herself as one of the strongest netminders in women’s hockey.” 115 Hilda Ranscombe decided to stay with The Rivulettes, although she was offered good contracts. “In 1999, Hilda’s name and a nomination package were sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The details included glowing moments about how amazing Hilda was on the ice.” 116 However, this attempt was not successful.

8.2 Angela James Angela James was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1964. She became the first female hockey superstar in Canada and she even earned the nickname “the Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey.” Angela’s mother loved hockey and sports; and her passion passed down to her children. Angela loved hockey, too: “It was the first thing she did after school and the only thing she did on the weekends.” 117 Everything she knew about the game, she learned on her own from watching and playing. When she was six, Angela started playing hockey in the minor hockey system. She played with the boys. Naturally, there were some problems concerning her gender. Her

114 Adams 30. 115 Avery and Stevens 66. 116 Adams 121. 117 Bartsiokas and Long 27. 63 presence made parents feel uncomfortable. Particularly, most parents did not want a girl to play hockey, above all they just did not want a girl playing on the team with or against their son. Thus, a lot of girls left hockey. This was not the case of Angela James. At the age of ten, she played in a girl’s league for 13-year-olds because there were no female players in her age group who would be able to match her skill.

During the mid-1980s, James played both community and college hockey: “In her first year as a college student, Angela found herself on thin ice academically. … Angela admits she never made the time to study or finish her homework.” 118 The reason might be the fact that she was very busy because she held numerous part-time jobs and she also played for hockey and softball teams in competitive leagues. James began to officiate when she was a teenager: “Although James never played in the Ontario university league, she has refereed a number of games.” 119 She would often call a few games in between her college and women’s club team schedules.

Angela started with the Toronto Islanders when she was fifteen years old. Toronto Islanders played in the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League (COWHL). The COWHL was the best league in Ontario, but it was also the toughest. “The Islanders folded in 1982, as was often the case with COWHL teams.” 120 Then she moved a lot from team to team because it was simply a matter of necessity or enjoyment. The reasons for her movings were, for instance, her disagreement with some coaching philosophies. From Toronto Islanders she went to Burlington. She stayed there for three years, from 1981 to 1984. After that, in 1985, Angela went to Brampton and joined the Brampton Canadettes. She stayed there for only one season. The Brampton Canadettes entered into the COWHL. For the 1986-87 season Angela played with the Mississauga Warriors. Her next stop was with the . This team was formed in 1974. By 1990, at the age of 25, Angela James was considered the best player in Ontario. At the age of 27 she was a global star within the world of women’s hockey. In Angela’s final year with the Toronto Aeros, she was playing with her close friends and Team Canada mates, including Geraldine Heaney, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Cheryl Pounder and Amanda Benoit.

118 Bartsiokas and Long 45. 119 Avery and Stevens 229. 120 Bartsiokas and Long 54. 64

Angela James was a member of the Canadian women’s national team from 1990 to 1997 leading the team to four consecutive world championships in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1997. “To James, the greatest challenge facing the women’s national team is deciding how to organize the program. Until the 1996 Three Nations Cup, the team was put together only days before an event.” 121 Three Nations Cup is an annual women's ice hockey tournament. In 2000, it was renamed 4 Nations Cup because Sweden joined three other major national teams in this sport; Canada, the United States and Finland. In 2012 the tournament was held in Finland. The United States won gold, Canada won silver, Sweden won bronze and Finland was the fourth.

However, in 1998, Angela James was left off the inaugural Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey team which hurt her very badly. Canada came home with only silver. In 2009, honoured Angela by renaming its arena the Angela James Arena. She was also coaching and refereeing hockey.

Angela James received lots of awards and recognitions. For instance, in 2005, “Angela’s ongoing impact on women’s hockey in Canada was organized with Hockey Canada’s Female Hockey Breakthrough award. This award is given to those who demonstrate leadership and contribute to the advancement of the game for girls and women on Canada.” 122 In 2010, Angela was inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame.

8.3 Manon Rheaume Manon Rheaume was the first woman to play in a junior hockey game when she suited up for the Trois-Riviéres Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior League. “When Manon Rheaume was a little girl living near , she wanted to play hockey at the highest level. That meant playing with boys. When her father needed a goalie for the boys’ team he was coaching, Manon said she knew the perfect player. Herself. To avoid attracting attention, they decided they wouldn’t tell anyone she was a girl.” 123 Again, her situation was very similar to that of Angela James’. Rheaume, along with fifteen-year-old Hayley Wickenheiser, was part of the Canadian women’s team that won gold in the world championships in 1994. Rheaume made history again in 1998, as a member of the first

121 Avery and Stevens 233. 122 Bartsiokas and Long 138. 123 McKinley 65. 65

Canadian team to play in the first women’s Olympic hockey tournament in Nagano, Japan, and proudly brought home a silver medal. The highlights of Manon’s hockey life include being a goalkeeper for the gold medal team during the 1994 World Championships held in Lake Placid, New York and she was also a member of the gold medal team at the Pacific Rim Championships held in Richmond, British Columbia in 1996.

When comparing men and female hockey, Rheaume says: “The men are stronger, more physical, and will try to intimidate me by rushing the net. And the shots are harder. But women players tend to be craftier, and use their stickhandling and skating skills more.” 124 Moreover, she explains how she made her style of goaltending match each style of play: “When I’m playing with women, I have to adjust my timing because the shots on goal are slower, but women also tend to keep the puck in play much longer. She also comments on the tryouts for the NHL and the Women’s National Team: “The tryouts for the NHL and the Women’s National Team were two very different experiences, and I wouldn’t trade either for anything.” 125 She always concentrated on her job as goaltender, not on making it into NHL because she did not want to put such pressure on herself.

8.4 Geraldine Heaney Geraldine Heaney was born in 1967. She is a retired defenseman. She was also the head coach for the University of Waterloo women’s hockey team. She began to work as the head coach of the team in 2004 and resigned in 2011. Geraldine is very often compared to Bobby Orr, a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Orr was, and still is a famous Canadian defenseman. These lines prove it: “Orr was an aggressive defenseman who could take an opponent out with his body, or, if necessary, with his fist. … Teams had to find new ways to defend against Bobby Orr.” 126 Orr accomplished lots of records and achievements, too: “Orr became the only defenseman ever to win the Art Ross Trophy twice as the NHL’s leading scorer. In 1970, he scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Boston … he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player. … Orr won the Norris Trophy an amazing eight straight times as the NHL’s best defenseman.” 127

124 Stewart 100. 125 Ibid. 126 McKinley 46. 127 Ibid. 66

Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 at age 31, the youngest to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at that time.

When Geraldine was 13 years old, she started playing for the Toronto Aeros together with Angela James. Geraldine won two medals at two Olympics; a silver medal in Nagano in 1998 and a gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002. “In 1992 Geraldine was named to the All-Star team and earned the Directorate Award for best defense, and in 1994 again won the Directorate Award for best defense.” 128 In 2008, she was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, together with two more inductees, Cammi Granato and Angela James. Geraldine Heaney still holds the record for most games played with the women’s national team and most career points as a defenseman. 129

8.5 Hayley Wickenheiser "Many times I had to dig deep and perform. All of that adversity helped me and drove me to want to be the best." Hailey Wickenheiser

Hayley Wickenheiser was born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan in 1978. She is a women's ice hockey player from Canada. Hayley started playing hockey when she was five years old:

“Her father, Tom, coached her team … he put her on defense for five years to teach her patience because she rushed too much. She was fiercely aggressive, possessing a natural offensive instinct. She also had the speed, finesse and toughness to make a remarkable forward.” 130

She played on the goal medal team at the 1994 and 1997 World Championships. The 1994 World Championship was held in Lake Placid, New York and it was her first international tournament. At this tournament Canada won gold and Hayley was only fifteen at that time. She also participated in the 1995 and 1996 Pacific Rim Championships, where in the first mentioned she was named “Outstanding Forward” and first “Team All

128 Stewart 167. 129 http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/geraldine-heaney-1.html , (accessed February 18, 2014). 130 Etue and Williams 26. 67

Star.” She took part at the 1996 Three Nations Cup in Ottawa, Ontario, too. In 1997, Hayley was nominated for “Canadian Female Athlete of the Year.” At the 1998 Winter Olympics she scored one goal and six assists placing her in the top three point-leaders and in the same year she was named by The Hockey News to the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Hockey”.

Hayley has got seven World Championship gold medals (1994 – Lake Placid, USA; 1997 – Kitchener, Canada; 1999 – Espoo, Finland; 2000 – Mississauga, Canada; 2004 - Halifax, Canada; 2007 – Winnipeg, Selkirk, Canada; 2012 – Burlington, USA) and three silver medals (2005 - Linköping, Norröoping, SWE; 2008 – Harbin, China; 2009 – Hämeenlinna, Finland). “As an Olympian, she earned a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and three Olympic gold medals in 2002, 2006, 2010 and most recently at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.” 131

In 2000, she was also a Member of Canada’s National Softball Team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She was the second woman ever to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics: “Along with hockey, Wickenheiser has mastered a number of sports. An elite softball player, she participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics as a member of Team Canada and worked as a Softball Analyst with CBC’s coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics.” 132 In 2001, she received the Bruce Kidd Award for athletic leadership at the 2001 Canadian Sports Awards. Bruce Kidd is a Canadian academic, author, and athlete and also an honorary member of the Canadian Olympic Committee. In the same year Hayley was also nominated for Canadian Female Athlete of the Year. She won a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City, Winter Olympics.

In 2003, she became the first woman to score a goal in a men’s professional league. A year later, in 2004, she was named “Woman of Influence” by CAAWS (Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport). In 2006, she was nominated as Finalist for 2006 Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by Billie Jean King. Hayley Wickenheiser also received Award as Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2007. She was the first player to notch 200

131 http://www.hayleywickenheiser.com/page/biography , (accessed October 18, 2013). 132 http://www.hayleywickenheiser.com/page/biography , (accessed October 18, 2013).

68 games played with the Women’s National Team in 2009 and in 2010 she became the first player on the Canadian women's hockey team to break the 300 career-point barrier. In 2011 she was named CIS’ Canada West Most Valuable Player, Player of the Year, and won the Broderick Trophy and was also Named Officer of the Order of Canada by the Governor General.

8.6 Summary

Regarding women’s hockey there are not as many legendary players as in men’s hockey. This chapter deals with five significant women’s players: Hilda Ranscombe, Angela James, Manon Rheaume, Geraldine Heaney and Hayley Wickenheiser. Hayley Wickenheiser is still active and plays hockey. Taking into consideration all her success, it is undeniable that she belongs to the most famous women’s hockey players of all time. Angela James and Manon Rheaume were the ones who started to play with boys because at that time girls did not have the same chances and opportunities as boys and there were no girls’ teams or there were just few of them. Hilda Ranscombe, being the oldest of all the players mentioned in this chapter, had no such issues when she started playing hockey. There were no organized leagues or teams to play in, and therefore no restrictions for anyone.

Women’s hockey in Canada is still growing. Judging from the performance of women’s national hockey team and its results, it is quite predictable that there will be more and more outstanding players in future who will sooner or later make history.

8.7 Awards 8.7.1 Abby Hoffman Cup The Abby Hoffman Cup was first competed for in 1983. It was played for at the first Canadian National Women's Hockey Championship. The event was held in Brantford, Ontario and the Ontario Women's Hockey Association presented the trophy.

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8.7.2 Angela James Bowl The Angela James Bowl is awarded to the highest scoring player in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. In the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons, women’s ice hockey forward Meghan Aghosta from Montreal Stars won the award and she was the first two- winner of the Angela James Bowl.

8.7.3 Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award is connected with Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy. She was the daughter of Lord Stanley who created the Stanley Cup. The Isobel Gathorne-Hardy award is given to an active player (at any level) whose values, leadership and personal traits are representative of all female athletes. 133

133 Schulz Nicholson 17. 70

9 Conclusion

The core objective of the thesis was to provide a record of the origins of women’s hockey in Canada, the influence of hockey on national culture and forming Canadian national identity.

The thesis begins with introducing hockey as part of national culture in Canada. The chapter number 2 is an evidence that hockey plays a great role in Canadian culture. Though it has not been the only element that has influenced Canadian culture, it was definitely one of the most important ones. Of all the sports played in Canada hockey has been celebrated as something unique. Hockey has proven to be a rich source of inspiration which is covered in the subchapter 2.1 and 2.2. These subchapters present several books and films which have become popular among people. Especially, the Sweater is well-liked.

Chapter 3 provides the reasons of ice hockey being a perfect expression of Canadian identity and moreover, explains these reasons. First, Canadians invented hockey. Second, the Canadian climate was absolutely perfect for such sport. Third, Canadians basically grow up with it. Furthermore, the subchapters 3.1 and 3.2 present two Canadian hockey icons, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, who contributed greatly to Canadian hockey. Gretzky broke plenty records and Crosby belongs to most promising hockey players of all time.

Chapter 4 gives a detailed description of the origins of women’s hockey in Canada; the equipment, opportunities for women and taking part in competitions. Concerning women’s opportunities in this game, an event in 1956 signaled a change in attitude and a new era in women’s hockey when Abigail Hoffman cut her hair and suited up to play for a boys’ hockey team. After this, two groups emerged. One group supported the idea that the girls should be given a chance to play, another group believed that girls should not play hockey at all. Fortunately, in the course of time, girls became more and more involved even in boys’ teams and today it is quite natural for girls to start playing hockey with boys. Chapter 7 proves this statement, as most women’s hockey players presented in this chapter did start playing with boys. Comparing men’s and women’s hockey, practically, the only difference is the physical aspect which definitely changes the nature of the game, because men are physically stronger than women. With time, body checking was forbidden in women’s game. In other respects, men’s and women’s hockey is the same.

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The fourth chapter also focuses on two most famous legendary teams; The Amazons and Preston Rivulettes. It proves that these two teams were definitely the most popular ones in Canadian hockey history. The Amazons were the first women’s hockey team from Vancouver. They competed from 1921 to 1927 and then from 1931 to 1932. They were not as successful as the Preston Rivulettes but they still belong to one of the best-known teams. The Preston Rivulettes won ten championship and six national champion titles which makes them one of the most successful teams.

The fifth chapter proves that Canadian women’s hockey players are the best in the world by right. The Women’s National Hockey Team won four consecutive gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games. In addition to that, considering World Championship records, team Canada participated in fifteen competitions, out of which they won gold medal ten times and silver medal five times. Canada’s first place is simply indisputable.

Grassroots hockey and university hockey in chapter 6 are shown as inseparable parts of this sport. University can help the players to become better in the sport they choose. Namely in Canada, there are twenty-six universities that compete in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). The most successful team has been the team of Alberta Pandas with seven victories altogether.

Chapters 7 and 8 present famous women’s hockey players who contributed greatly to Canadian hockey. Chapter 7 is concerned with seventeen women born between 1950s and 1980s and their successes that made them the most well-known players in Canadian hockey.

Chapter 8 dedicated to Women’s Hockey Legends introduces a woman who is still active in hockey, i.e. Hayley Wickenheiser, and the women who are no longer active, i.e. Manon Rheaume, Angela James (there is also a trophy is named after Angela James) and the star of the Rivulettes, Hilda Ranscombe, who died in 1998. These women definitely are the icons and made history in women’s hockey which is supported with their achievements.

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10 Resumé

Hlavním cílem této diplomové práce bylo popsat vznik ženského ledního hokeje v Kanad ě, vliv tohoto sportu na kanadskou kulturu a formování kanadské národní identity. Tato práce také mimo jiné obsahuje poznatky o výjime čných kanadských hrá čkách a jejich úsp ěších v ledním hokeji.

Práce na za čátku p ředstavuje hokej jako sou část kanadské kultury. Tato kapitola dokazuje, že hokej hraje d ůležitou roli v kanadské kultu ře. A čkoliv nebyl jediným prvkem, který ovlivnil kanadskou kulturu, byl rozhodn ě jedním z nejd ůležit ějších. Hokej je ze všech sport ů v Kanad ě uznáván jako n ěco jedine čného. Tento sport se ukázal být bohatým zdrojem inspirace, o čemž pojednávají podkapitoly 2.1 a 2.2. Tyto podkapitoly p ředstavují několik knih a film ů, které se staly u obecenstva populárními. Oblíbenou se stala především povídka the Sweater .

Třetí kapitola p ředkládá p říčiny toho, pro č je lední hokej dokonalým vyjád řením kanadské identity a krom ě toho tyto p říčiny vysv ětluje. Kana ďané hokej vymysleli a kanadské podnebí bylo vždy pro tento sport perfektní. Navíc Kana ďané v podstat ě s hokejem vyr ůstají. Podkapitoly 3.1 a 3.2 p ředstavují dv ě kanadské hokejové ikony, jimiž jsou Wayne Gretzky a Sidney Crosby. Gretzky poko řil mnoho rekord ů a Crosby pat ří k nejnad ějn ějším hrá čů m vůbec.

Čtvrtá kapitola detailn ě popisuje po čátky ženského ledního hokeje v Kanad ě – vybavení, p říležitosti a ú čast v sout ěžích. Co se tý če p říležitostí pro ženy, zlomovým okamžikem se stala událost v roce 1956, kdy si Abigail Hoffman nechala ost říhat vlasy a cht ěla nastoupit v chlapeckém týmu. Jedni tuto myšlenku podporovali a zastávali názor, že dívky by m ěly dostat šanci si zahrát. Druzí ovšem tvrdili, že dívky by nem ěly hrát hokej vůbec. Našt ěstí se dívky postupem času více a více zapojovaly i do chlapeckých tým ů. Dnes už je tato situace zcela p řirozená a mnoho dívek za číná hrát hokej práv ě s chlapci. Kapitola 7 ov ěř uje tuto výpov ěď , jelikož v ětšina hokejistek v této kapitole opravdu za čínala hrát s chlapci. Pokud jde o srovnání mužského a ženského hokeje, jediným odlišným prvkem je fyzický aspekt, který rozhodn ě m ění povahu obou her, jelikož muži jsou fyzicky siln ější než ženy. Postupem času bylo napadání (body checking) v ženské h ře zakázáno. V ostatních ohledech se mužská a ženská hra ni čím neodlišuje.

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Tato kapitola se také zam ěř uje na dva legendární týmy – The Amazons a Preston Rivulettes – a dokazuje, že tyto dva týmy byly jedněmi z nejpopulárn ějších v kanadské hokejové historii. The Amazons byly prvním ženským týmem z Vancouveru a sout ěžily v letech 1921 – 1927 a poté v letech 1931 – 1932. Nebyly tak úsp ěšné jako Preston Rivulettes, avšak stále pat ří k nejznám ějším tým ům. Preston Rivulettes vyhrály deset mistrovských titul ů a šest národních šampionát ů, což je činí nejúsp ěšn ějším týmem tehdejší doby.

Pátá kapitola potvrzuje fakt, že kanadské hrá čky ledního hokeje jsou nejlepšími na sv ětě právem. Kanadský národní tým získal za sebou čty ři zlaté medaile na posledních čty řech Olympijských hrách. Krom ě toho se kanadské hrá čky zúčastnily patnácti sv ětových šampionát ů, v nichž získaly deset zlatých a p ět st říbrných medailí. Kanadské prvenství je tedy nesporné.

Hokej na univerzitní úrovni je v kapitole 6 prezentován jako neodd ělitelná sou část tohoto sportu. Univerzity mohou hrá čů m a hrá čkám pomoci stát se lepšími ve sportu, který si vyberou. Konkrétn ě v Kanad ě je dvacet šest univerzit, které spolu sout ěží v rámci CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Dote ď nejúsp ěšn ějším týmem je tým Alberta Pandas, kte ří zvít ězili již sedmnáctkrát.

Kapitoly 7 a 8 p ředstavují slavné hokejové hrá čky, které p řisp ěly k rozvoji ženského ledního hokeje v Kanad ě. Kapitola 7 se zabývá sedmnácti hokejistkami, narozených mezi lety 1950 – 1990, a jejich úsp ěchy, které je u činily nejznám ějšími hrá čkami ledního hokeje.

Osmá kapitola v ěnována ženským hokejovým legendám p ředstavuje ženu, která je stále aktivní hrá čkou, tj. Hayley Wickenheiser, a ženy, které už aktivními hrá čkami nejsou, tj. Manon Rheaume, Angela James (po ní je také pojmenována jedna z trofejí) a hv ězda týmu Preston Rivulettes, Hilda Ranscombe, která zemřela v roce 1998. Tyto ženy jsou rozhodn ě ikonami ženského ledního hokeje a zapsaly se do jeho historie, což je doloženo jejich úsp ěchy.

Tato práce poskytla mnoho informací o ženském ledním hokeji v Kanad ě a rozší řila také mé vlastní dosavadní znalosti o tomto sportu.

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