Sunday, March 31, 2019

Hearts broken.

"But when you truly love something, you can overlook the darker sides in order to focus on all of the happiness it brings you." 
-Caroline Ouellette, Players' Own Voice 

"I was that kind of invincible the first time I saw the movie "A League Of Their Own." I liked it for all the reasons a junior high jock might -- clever dialogue, funny characters, a sports tie-in. I was reaping the benefits of Title IX every day, but I had no understanding of the sea change it had caused, so the idea of sports being a "guy thing" felt like ancient history, the characters in the movie no more real than those in "The Mighty Ducks" or "Wayne's World."

It wasn't until I revisited the movie just a few years ago, after decades absorbing the blows of misogyny, with an earned understanding of the limitations placed on women by society, that I truly felt its power. I cried alone on my couch, newly moved by the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, who lost the game they loved to men returning home from war."
-Sarah Spain, ESPN
 

Today is a sad day. No matter what comes next, when the CWHL announced it was folding today, for many it marked the end of their professional career in hockey. I can only imagine how those players, and members of the staffs are feeling. I am sorry.

Before I heard the news, what I wanted to blog about was why I read women's sports coverage. Instead, I will just write.

A couple years ago, I was out to lunch with two of my bosses, both of whom were mentors, one especially so. At the time I had a three year old, and an infant son who had just started daycare. I was struggling, working 50 plus hours a week, commuting an hour total a day. My son was nursing, I was pumping, and waking up at least once a night to feed him. We had new financial stress with a daycare bill that had just gone up $1,300 a month, now that we had two kids in care.

In survival mode, I cared for my children, did my work and let everything else go, until things calmed down a bit. I was doing a great job, but it was so hard. I asked for some help at work, some more flexibility in my work schedule to help me through. My bosses just didn't get it. They helped me a bit, but mostly said no, and came up with some asinine suggestions too (reduce my hours in five months, after busy season; reduce my pay now for one example). They had a loosey goosey approach to supporting mothers. We all had different arrangements, mine was the worst. My boss told me it was because I was so valuable to them. Another boss lectured me, told me I was lucky my husband and I had one in law in town to help us. It cut like a knife.

Meanwhile, there were other young women in the office who had infants as well. Some of our  colleagues, young 30 somethings, mostly men but sometimes older women too, would openly disparage the women for needing some support, for having the audacity to ask to work from home on occasion for example, for maybe not being at their absolute best at this brief moment in their life, in their career.

Again, it cut like a knife. You don't know me, dear reader, but I work hard, and I'm good at what I do. The same is true of my colleagues who were being disparaged. I always understood that success happens when hard work meets opportunity, but in that time of my life I kept looking but could not find the opportunity. I felt alone.

It was a difficult back and forth thing, but I felt both that I was failing, and being failed. Today, I know the latter was far more true than the former, but it was hard to accept that in the moment. It was hard to accept that people who said they would support me weren't doing so, and hard to accept that I wasn't special - hard work alone and whatever potential I had would not prevent me from finding the limit of my own glass ceiling.

Back to that lunch with my bosses. We were in a sports bar and one of my bosses, seeing it on ESPN, pointed out that the women's hockey team was boycotting. I assumed he meant NWHL (they had recently cut salaries), and I'm embarrassed that my knee jerk reaction was to assume it was related to that, and made what I now know was an ignorant remark about not having fans in the seats.

Back at the office, I googled and learned what it was actually about. There was good coverage on ESPN, sure. But the outlet that covered the story non stop was the Ice Garden. In that moment, more than 25 years since I had first started hockey, I discovered women's hockey fandom. I've never left, and as long as women's hockey -and coverage- continues to exist, I never will.

It turns out, I needed hockey in my life at that moment. And not just any hockey, I needed women's hockey and that particular 2017 USWNT led by Meghan Duggan. There were three parts to their story that will never leave me.

The first is the incredible audacity of Team USA to have the 2014 Olympic jerseys' inside collar reference the men's 1980 Olympic gold medal, but not the women's 1998 gold medal.  Can you imagine being Kelli Stack, Molly Schaus, or Alex Carpenter, BC Eagles representing Team USA, having the sweat off your neck soak into a collar that celebrated your teammates' college coach, Mark Johnson, but not your own college coach, Katie King? Two USA Hockey heroes, but only one worthy of recognition, apparently. This oversight is one of the things the women brought up when they talked about the disrespect they were shown by their governing body.

The second thing that will never leave me about their fight is the ending. Hilary Knight, whether you think she's the best player in the world, or on the best on that team or not, was the face of the team at that time. Hers was the last face we saw in both videos the team released - the first announcing the boycott, the second released after an agreement was reached. When the World Championship was won in overtime, on home soil, of course the goal came off the stick of Hilary Knight. You could not script better drama. I wanted more.

The third thing that will never leave me was the portion of their fight that related to maternity leave. God bless these women for fighting that fight, and winning it. What happens in sport is a microcosm for what occurs in the larger world. I only hope that one day all American women will have the benefit of a proper maternity leave policy.

As people are aware, United States federal law does not provide for paid maternity leaves. Depending on your employer you might get a financial benefit. Or, depending on your employer you might not even qualify for FMLA, which protects your job for 12 weeks but pays nothing. I had what would be considered a good job. Because of the timing of my pregnancy, they let me have 4 months off. I had a short term disability policy, 100% paid for by me, that provided 60% of 5 weeks pay. This is life in America for a privileged woman. It is not my nature to feel sorry for myself, but don't women deserve better? It was impossible for me to see the 2017 USWNT's fight with their governing body, and not see some version of the challenges I felt in my own life.

Their ability to find their voice, to organize, to fight, to win, is what I needed to see. It's helped me more than any book by Peggy Orenstein, or Sheryl Sandberg, or Annemarie Slaughter, or, or, or. And, in the time since that 2017 WWC I have continued to learn from, gain strength from, and be inspired by the strong women in sport, and all people who support it.

I ultimately left the job I was at. I grew a lot and got good mentoring there, for most of my eight years there, although in the end we outgrew each other. I'm sure they look around and wonder why they just can't get more talented women to stay. Maybe one day they will get it. Maybe not. The place I am at now is not what I planned. It is both better and worse, but it is the path my life took. I will keep working hard, and I will find my next opportunity, and my next career success.

It took over a year for me to be at peace with my decision to leave. For a long time I wondered what if? What if I had a proper maternity leave in the first place? What if my colleagues had compassion instead of condescension? Asked how they could help, rather than snarkily talking about the unfairness of women getting special treatment. What if quality daycare was available for infants part time, so a woman could afford to work part time? What if (this one hurts so much) I didn't breastfeed my son, what if I just conceded that aspect of motherhood that I wanted to experience, much like I conceded being home with my infant in the first place? What if companies who suggested part time actually kept the work part time so women weren't afraid to go part time? What if I didn't have an athlete's mentality that I should just shut up and work harder? What if I knew better, remembered that I mattered, that I had a voice (as Coach Jack reminds her players)? Could I have used it, would it have made a difference? What if that job wasn't meant for me and no matter what I was going to leave one day. Did I still deserve better in my son's first year of life? I think so.


I am no professional athlete. But I bet women professional athletes shed tears about what if...I had the support I deserve? as well. 

Life goes on. I don't feel like I'm struggling anymore. My kids are five and two and a half now. They are a million times easier. It's bittersweet but I've bought my last box of diapers (potty training humble brag), and am giving away my baby stuff.

A lot of things brought me happiness over the past couple years, most of all my beloved children and husband. But also, for the umpteenth time in my life, hockey got me through. In survival mode, you give up a lot. Hockey was one indulgence I clung to, a passion I nurtured from a different angle than I had when I was a player. It brought me the same happiness.

It was a privilege to watch the Clarkson Cup Champion Markham Thunder play my alma mater Mercyhurst in the fall in an exhibition. It was a privilege to watch the Buffalo Beauts host the Connecticut Whale. It was a privilege to watch a Rivalry Series game in Detroit. It is a privilege to read each story that is written, see each picture taken, by women's hockey media. What a beautiful, impressive product the entire group has built.

Discovering the people who write about women's hockey brought me joy with the stories they wrote, and gave me the courage to participate in women's hockey fandom, gave me the courage to write. I have been fortunate to have been encouraged by a handful of people I don't even know in real life. What kindness; thank you. I don't miss playing hockey really, but I still love the game. To have found something to watch, something to while time away as I relax or wait for my kids to fall asleep next to me has been a gift.

I am so impressed by all the various people from coaches to players, management, media, volunteers, game day operations, play by play, bloggers, photographers, etc. I loved to see what they did on the ice, loved to hear their thoughts when they were interviewed, loved to see how writers would tell a tale, loved to see everyone fight for what they believe in, even if we aren't always getting along or agreeing. Thank you, all. You will be missed CW. Women's hockey will carry on, brighter days ahead and all that, but today was an ending, and it may take a while to be at peace with it, and there's sadness too.

***

There is a tweet going around about favorite CWHL moments. I don't know if I have a favorite. But there was a moment this year around the CWHL All Star game. I was feeling a bit discouraged as to not having local women's hockey to watch, in such despair I was thinking about taking the family to a Cleveland Monsters game. I wanted to go to the Clarkson Cup. I didn't feel like driving six hours each way, so looked up flights. $800 Cleveland to Toronto! Yeah, no. More despair.

I got to work putting my five year old to bed. She asked to watch some Hilary Knight highlights. We cuddled in bed and watched a shootout that Kunlun ended up winning, but Knight scored in. The videos were courtesy of a fan doing volunteer work (@wsporthilites) to make the game accessible to someone like me. Holding my daughter and teaching her about shootouts, and dekes, and hockey. It was not the Clarkson Cup, but in that moment, watching Knight score on Raty, it was enough.








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Sunday, March 24, 2019

Legacies, leaps and bounds

Today, a border battle of sorts will take place in Hamden, Connecticut when the Wisconsin Badgers play the Minnesota Gophers for the women's Division I National Championship. Minnesota is seeking their first Championship since 2016, Wisconsin their first since 2011 (they've had 2 title game appearances since then). The game is broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Wisconsin and Minnesota have a long tradition of hockey that goes back as long as hockey has been played. Their women's programs though, understandably have a shorter tenure. Minnesota's club team became varsity in 1997 (notable freshman and future Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall on the roster) and Wisconsin debuted in 1999 (freshman Kerry Weiland went on to play in the 2010 Olympics). Before the NCAA made women's hockey a championship sport, from 1997 to 2000 the first College National Championships were won under the AWCHA banner, an alliance created and financed by the US Olympic Committee.

In 2001 the NCAA awarded a championship in women's hockey for the first time, and since that time girls and women's participation in hockey in the US has more than doubled, from around 45,000 to almost 100,000 today. The ability to play for a National Championship, new college programs, and increased enrollment are all part of the legacy of the 1998 Olympics. In 2001 there was 23 NCAA Div I programs, compared to the 35 today. I would guess the number of varsity programs that existed prior to 1997 is in the low teens.

We are now one year removed from the shootout thriller in which the Lamoureux twins solidified their place in women's Olympic hockey lore. Monique scored the tying breakaway goal in the third, and Jocelyne delivered the oops I did it again / star spangled dangle, shootout winner for team USA. I have wondered what the legacy of those Olympics will be.

To me, the biggest legacy so far, the leap and bound forward, is seeing games and programming broadcast on the NHL Network.

Things didn't get off to a great start. The Four Nations Tournament in Saskatoon in the fall, featured a one camera, no commentary stream for Canada's first game. The next game, versus the US, was broadcast on tv in Canada, but was not at all available in the United States. Hell broke loose, as you would expect. At a last moment, the NHL.com streamed the Canadian broadcast of the final. You know how these things are finicky. Personally my computer kind of sucks, so I knew my best bet was to watch on my phone. Not ideal, yet still better than the the game one stream and, the game two blackout.

Things have only got better since then. A US Canada rivalry series was announced. There were some shit show elements, like at first it looked like BC players were going to have to miss the Beanpot, and other players were going to have to miss a weekend of league play. Ultimately the college players sat the series out, although pro leagues were affected. Hopefully that can be ironed out for next year. Yes, next year, there really needs to be a next year, because this thing was amazing. The lack of college players actually added an extra flavor to the whole thing, showcased a modified group of players, demonstrated the depth of both countries programs. Savannah Harmon, Hailey Scamurra, Halli Krzyzaniak, Brittany Howard, Victoria Bach, Rebecca Leslie, Ann Sophie Bettez....none of them Olympians yet, but absolutely wonderful players worth watching, some of who we may not have seen if the college kids are there. I would 100% make an annual event of going to a rivalry series game if it's nearby, again. All three games were broadcast on tv live, in the United States and Canada. That wasn't something that was happening before the 2018 Olympics.

And it goes on from there. Yesterday I enjoyed the half hour Patty Kaz ceremony where Kitchener native Loren Gabel (Clarkson University) won the Patty Kazmaier trophy. I never would have expected it to be broadcast on the NHL Network, and yet there it was, complete with a cool intro and highlight reels of the top 10. When Gabel was delivering her speech, a countdown to the upcoming NHL game appeared. I thought oh dear, this will be awkward, but thankfully the countdown was removed when it appeared things might be a minute or so behind schedule. Gabel's speech was completed, no terrible cutaway at the last moment.

There is always something that happens at these events - Cornell was congratulated on making their first Frozen Four (it's their fourth) but by and large it was just amazing to watch the event, see Patty Kazmaier's daughter Serena and granddaughter Emma present the award. Serena made comments to the players, congratulating them on their accomplishments and thanking them for pushing the limits of what women do. I relate to her comments. I simply enjoy watching these young women pursue their goals, their dreams, perform their talents on a big stage, entertaining us all the while.

I enjoyed hearing Serena talk about her mother, and the spirit of her mother's adventures and humanitarian work. Patty Kazmaier was an Ivy League graduate, a hockey player, and she eventually adventured west to Alaska and then California. She was a teacher, and did humanitarian work with immigrants, helping them apply for US citizenship. I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear stories like this about women who impact the world they live in. I hope we will see this event again on the NHL Network next year.

But perhaps the most incredible development happened just last week, when it was announced the Clarkson Cup Final will be broadcast on the NHL Network (it was already announced it would be on Sportsnet in Canada). I've already told my daughter Hilary Knight will be on tv today.  The game is staggered before the NCAA Championship. Who needs the basketball tournament? Not us! Women's hockey advocates have long argued that more support is needed at the pro level in terms of visibility and infrastructure support. We are getting it today.  The rosters are packed with stars, including 2012 Patty Kaz winner, Brianna Decker. With all this great hockey on tv today, as Badger fans would say, today is a great day for hockey.

As time goes on we'll see whether this increased visibility, a handful of games on television, is a lasting legacy of the 2018 Olympics. I sure hope it is. I'm sure I'll never know exactly how this happened, who picked up the phone and said let's make this happen, although I'll always be curious. While I acknowledge and am grateful for the support of the NHL, I know this progress always starts years, decades in advance. There are more people than could ever be recognized, ever be known. The people that do the work, that push that boulder up the mountain, so often go unseen and unrecognized.

I have no clever conclusion, can only say again that today is a great today for hockey, and all who watch and play today stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, like Patty Kazmaier, like those original Wisconsin and Minnesota players, and fans who have supported women's hockey for years. At the same time it's gratifying, undeniable, exciting and welcomed to see men's hockey embracing women's hockey more than ever, and making the women's game more visible than ever.

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Sunday, March 10, 2019

Syracuse Wins Its First Ever CHA Tournament Championship

They say every sports story is a story about overcoming adversity.

It was certainly the case on Friday when the #3 seed Syracuse defeated #1 seed RMU 6-2 to win its first ever CHA Tournament, and first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament.

It's not that Robert Morris was so much more favored than Syracuse to win, it's not that Robert Morris is that much better on paper or ice than Syracuse. But with six previous conference championship appearances and no wins, among other conference storylines, this wasn't the year many CHA fans picked Syracuse to win the tournament. For Syracuse fans, it probably makes their win that much sweeter.

The Orange finished the year third in the CHA, they had zero non conference wins and their record is currently 13-21-3. Currently ranked at 28th in the pairwise, they will be huge underdogs when they venture west next week to play one of Minnesota or Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. There is no doubt the regular season did not go the Orange's way, and looking back there are things they wish would have been different.

Despite that, they are also CHA Conference Tournament Champions for the first time in program history, and one only has to look a Syracuse's twiter feed to get a sense of what that means to the people involved:


Early on in the season, it didn't seem likely the Orange would get to this point. Forget the 6 previous championship games, and a supposedly rising Penn State program for a moment. Consider the Orange's first game agaisnst RIT on November 16th. This group of Syracuse seniors had never lost to RIT, and entering the third period of the game Syracuse held a comfortable 4-2 lead. There was a play in the neutral zone where the RIT player dumped the puck from near the red line on net. You know how it goes - goalie bobbles the puck, thinks she has it, defenders stop skating, hungry forward keeps skating, whistle doesn't blow, and the world's easiest goal gets tapped into the net. The demise of the game continued from there, and RIT ended up not only winning 6-4, but winning the next game versus Syracuse as well.

On January 18th, Syracuse hosted first place Robert Morris. By now the Orange's record was 4-16-1 overall, and they were riding a 10 game losing streak. I tuned in to the end of game as it was tied late. What did I see, but the referees waving off a late goal scored by Syracuse that would have given them a much needed win. It's like they were cursed. There was no quit in the Orange though, and they made it to overtime and prevailed on a goal by Lindsay Eastwood.

With the overtime win, the tide turned a little bit on the Syracuse season. They suffered three more losses to Robert Morris in the regular season, and another loss and tie to  RIT, but also beat Mercyhurst twice, took 3 out of 4 points from Penn State, and swept Lindenwood, primarily alternating their goalies throughout. Going into the tournament, they could say to themselves, "look we've beaten every team in the league except RIT this year (and we tied them), so why not us to win the tournament?"

The tournament game I watched them play was of course the semi versus Mercyhurst. Mercyhurst played well, outshooting the Orange, scoring two power play goals, asserting themselves in the last minute of the opening period to score another. The main quibble I have with Mercyhurst's play is that twice they gave up a goal only a minute or so after scoring themselves. (That lack of consistency, that inability to lock down a moment is something the Lakers fought all year, but that is not the point of this post). The point is that after dispatching Lindenwood in the first game of the playoffs, Syracuse played excellent to beat the rested Lakers in the closest game of the tournament, and then soundly beat RMU in the final.

I can't speak to the beat down that happened in the final, but in the semi (it pains me to write this) Syracuse did everything right.

They got the first goal, a rebound after an odd person rush. The goal scorer was defender Lindsay Eastwood who made sure to high tail it down the ice to bang in any rebound. Twice when Mercyhurst scored, Cuse answered right after. Sickeningly (to me), Syracuse scored two of their goals on delayed penalties, both completely opportunistic plays that happened shortly after the linesman's arm went in the air - one a drop pass to Eastwood who sniped from the point in transition, another finding Anonda Hoppner on a breakaway as she was freed from the penalty box. In college, the penalty still needs to be served in that scenario, and so the Lakers lost 4 precious minutes of potential offense to killing a penalty for which the had already essentially paid a price. And the nail in the coffin, the late third period power play go ahead goal by defender Lindsay Eastwood. It was a career game for the junior, her first ever college hat trick.

If I put away my Laker fandom for a moment, and indulge myself merely as someone who loves sport and seeing people overcome adversity in the pursuit of success, the most impactful moment of the event was seeing a program win something for the first time.

In doing so, they expanded the blueprint of places a young hockey player can aspire to play at that have tasted success. Lack of parity is often a criticism of women's sport, and women's sport fandom is weird in that you don't just cheer for your team, you cheer for growth, parity, visibility, and opportunity, as well. The Orange win represented many of those things, and it didn't come easy. It was an 11 year battle, led by an accomplished coach with previous NCAA success to get to this point:


There are very few active Division I coaches who have started a program from scratch, and still coach the program today. Without researching it, I would estimate the list is Mike Sisti, Paul Flanagan, Erin Hamlen (Merrimack), and maybe Peter Van Buskirk (Holy Cross). Of that list, only Sisti and Flanagan have led their programs to an NCAA berth  at the DI level, and that Flanagan has done it two different programs is a tremendous accomplishment. Thanks to a fellow USCHO poster, I was reminded that another coach who has led two programs to an NCAA Tournament is Maura Crowell, who did so as interim head coach at Harvard in 2014, and then subsequently as head coach at UMD.

Lastly, the Syracuse conference tournament win does not just speak to expanding parity, et al, but there is something to be gleaned from the roster that did it. In an early season write up about the Orange, I lamented their loss of former U18 Canada goalie Edith D'Astous Moreau, and I wrote about how goaltending would be a question mark for the Orange. The regular season goaltending wasn't great, to be honest, but come tournament time, it was the Orange with the best goalie. Their goalie in the semi and final was Ady Cohen, a junior goalie not from Canada, Minnesota or Massachusetts. No she hails from Boynton Beach, Florida, reminding me once again the face of hockey is changing. And she didn't play her high school hockey at Shattuck St. Mary's or an east coast prep school. Rather, she played at the only prep school in Ohio, Gilmour Academy, based out of a Cleveland suburb. Cohen was named to the all tournament team, for her efforts. In the semi and final she stopped 55 of the 60 shots thrown her way for a .917 save percentage.Senior goalie Maddi Welch played the first game, vs Lindenwood.

While the next logical points of discussion are to consider what the Orange will do to prepare for the monumental task that faces them next week, or to surmise about what the conference tournament win might mean for the landscape of the CHA next year, I think the best thing to say is simply congrats, Orange:





To read more about their win check out:
Title IX hockey:  https://titleixhockey.wordpress.com/2019/03/09/what-on-earth-just-happened/
CHA Women's Hockey website: http://www.chawomenshockey.com/news/2019/3/8/womens-ice-hockey-championship-game-recap.aspx

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Tuesday, February 12, 2019

7 Takes: Rivalry Series Thoughts

The much anticipated Rivalry Series between Canada and the US kicks off tonight with a game in London, Ontario. Here are 7 takes.

1- The games will be another chapter in one of the best rivalries in sports, but the rosters will have a decidedly different look from the Olympics and the Four Nations Cup. Canada's roster has 14 2018 Olympians and 17 Four Nations Cup players, the US 14 and 12, respectively. The reasons for the roster changes are numerous: four women on maternity leave, six Olympians returned to college, an injury and some players who are taking time off, or who have perhaps played their last game for their country. Despite the ever fluid rosters, there are some huge names in the series, and with it being broadcast on television and without the distraction of blow out games vs other nations, the series is a recipe for great entertainment.

2- Who will play with Marie-Philip Poulin? Canada's best line in the Olympics was Meghan Agosta, Poulin, and Melodie Daoust. Agosta is on maternity leave and Daoust is rehabbing a knee injury from the fall, leaving two significant roster spots open. I'm curious to see who Coach Perry Pearn puts out with Canada's best player. My guess is we'll see fellow Canadiennes player Ann Sophie Bettez on one wing, and possibly Jillian Saulnier or Rebecca Johnston on the other wing. Poulin currently leads CWHL scoring with 49 points in 24 games, so she is by all accounts ready to go.

3- Ann Sophie who? I confess, I've only been really paying attention since 2017, and I haven't seen Ann Sophie Bettez play before. The 31 year old McGill alum, and Canadiennes player was in the mix with Hockey Canada in 2009, but hasn't been there since. However, she plugged away in the CWHL and is currently 2nd all time in points in that league, behind Caroline Ouellette and ahead of Jayna Hefford. She averages about 1.5 points per game in the CW, and is currently in 2nd place in scoring this year as well, with 44 points, just behind Poulin. I can't wait to watch her play.

 4- Canada's D needs to rebound from the Four Nations final. Canada is 1-3-0 versus the US in its last four games. In the first game at the 2018 Olympics, Canada won 2-1 despite being badly outshot (Genevieve Lacasse had over 40 saves in net), and then lost the Olympic gold medal in a shootout of course. In the first game against the US in the Four Nations in the fall, the game was tied late in the third before US went ahead 2-1 late in the game and went on to win. Although, Canada lost two out of three of those games, they found a way to hang in there, and had a chance to win. No reason to think they can't put themselves in a similar situation in the rivalry series, and get some wins.

But first we need to talk about the Four Nations final. It was a nightmare for the Canadian D. They were missing Olympian Meghan Mikkelson to maternity leave, and former national team roster member Erin Ambrose was out with injury. Early in the game Knight scored on a rebound on a wrapound, later she got herself in front for a nice tip in on a one timer from the point. The American speed was on display on goals on the rush from Samoskevich and from Decker. Finally, the Canadians got victimized on a bad line change once again, and although Szabados made the first save, Coyne Schofield was there to tap in a rebound. In the highlights you could see the Canadian D gliding onto the scene after the fact. Not good, and possibly the number one thing they need to clean up in this series.

I don't know what to do to defend against the US, especially their speed. They are amazing. But I think you can't lose Hilary Knight in front of the net, you can't let her bang away at rebounds, or set up big screens because she will make you pay. She's been relatively quiet in the CW this year, 16 points in 21 games. But she had two goals in the Four Nations final, a power play goal in the Olympic final. Whether she's on a line with Decker and Coyne, or acting as the beneficiary of Dani Cameranesi's passing vision, Knight is dangerous and the Canadians need to do the job on her this series.

 5- Who will play in net for Canada this series? Canada's go to has been Szabados for ages, and why not, she's a two time Olympic gold medalist. She's played well for them too. I don't fault her for the last outing against the US, as that game just wasn't a good one for Canada. Didn't get a good start, and never recovered. But with Canada's struggles of late, and considering Szabados played in the Olympics with an injury, you wonder when Canada might start a new goalie. Lacasse has the most recent win against the US, but she has only played 3 games this season with Les Canadiennes. Emerance Maschmeyer is the third Canadian goalie on Canada's roster for the Rivalry Series. I have to think she will get at least one, maybe two games. She's played 19 games for Les Canadiennes this year with a 0.935 save percentage and 1.47 GAA.  I don't really care who plays goal for Canada to be honest, I just want to see them win, and I know Szabados won't be around forever, so I guess I'm curious what else Canada has.

6- Can't wait to see the kids While the Four Nations roster included some young Canadian college players with Sarah Fillier, Kristin O'Neill, Micah Zandee Hart and Jaime Bourbonnais, the Rivalry Series is without college players. Instead recent graduates Brittany Howard, Victoria Bach and Rebecca Leslie will join the senior National Team for Canada for the first time. Bach and Leslie are in top ten in scoring in their CW rookie campaigns and played together at BU in college. It will be interesting to see how much they are used, and what they can do versus the US.

On the American side Savannah Harmon and Hailey Scamurra will wear the red white and blue for the very first time. It's pretty amazing, in Harmon's case the defender is a two time National Champion for Clarkson and a Div I all American and rookie on the Buffalo Beauts. Scamurra is 24 years old, and has been working hard in the NW for years, finally getting her chance to wear a USA jersey. I love these stories so much, and like Bettez, I can't wait to watch these two play.

7- Gotta get back to work. Here's hoping for an amazing Rivalry Series. Go Canada!
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Friday, February 1, 2019

The Unexpected Grace in the Kendall Coyne Moment


I was nine years old when I heard about Manon Rheaume playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It didn’t feel like a profound moment, although I suspect it played a huge role in normalizing my experience, especially as I got older. At the time, I was the only girl hockey player I knew of in real life. There was also Amber, a girl people told me about but who I had never met. She apparently played local minor hockey before I came along. So there was me, Amber, and Manon. I was protected by a love of the game, innocence, obliviousness, and lots of good people who made sure I had a good experience.

The most tangible things I got out of the Manon Rheaume experience was a book about her. I had written multiple book reports about NHLers, finally I had a book to read about a young woman. After that, I never really thought about Manon again, until the ’98 Olympics, when hers was the only name I knew. The main reason I didn’t think of Manon again, is because the visibility came and went, just like that (hopefully Kendall’s moment is different in this regard). But every girl who played hockey knew about Manon. There aren’t a lot of biographies about women hockey players; Manon’s is one of two that I know of.

The innocence of childhood wears off. I choose to remember minor hockey very positively, because overall it was. But society at large sent messages that girls were terrible at sports, that sports were for boys. It’s a tough thing for a kid to reconcile. In my case, I knew I was good at sports, and I liked them, and this was how I spent my time. I settled on believing I was somehow different from other girls, and as an adult I can say this hurt. As a child though, you just cope. As I went through this, I am sure on some level, the knowledge of the existence of Amber and Manon helped.

Times have changed, but girls still encounter this stuff today. Tatiana Rafter, a former NW player who now plays in Russia, has a youtube video out there from last year where she offers a supportive message to a young girl in Winnipeg who plays hockey, and is told at school she can’t play with the girls at a recess as a result. I watched the video, and it brought tears to my eyes, that this is what boys and girls deal with for not following the narrowly defined templates of acceptable behavior.

Eventually, I played hockey on girls and women’s team, making the switch at age 14. It deepened my enjoyment of hockey, and more than anything helped reinforce that girls play hockey, girls can be good at hockey, and no one is less than for playing hockey. I can’t even explain how much fun it was. It was the best.

There is no doubt that the knowledge of Manon’s existence touched tens of thousands of girl hockey players lives, and inspired hundreds if not thousands of girls to join hockey. Some kids may felt the profoundness of the moment, but I didn’t, and in some ways that’s what was so great about it, just a subtle little normalization that I needed.

Fast forward 26 years, to Kendall Coyne competing in the NHL All Star Skills. Things have changed a lot. There are pro leagues, Olympics, NCAA and USports Hockey. Almost 200,000 girls and women play  hockey in the US in and Canada. Attitudes are imperfect, but more accepting than ever. There’s this thing called the internet and if you are tuned in to women’s hockey you know how to find it online. Women’s hockey and sports in general though, are still not often on tv.

And so, with Kendall Coyne about to be on live television, it’s this that prompted me to call my five year old in to watch. Coyne’s moment is a big deal to me. I understand the significance and I was nervous for her but I wasn’t going to miss it. And in a house where men’s sports blare from the tv almost 365 days a year, I wanted my daughter to see this. She used to ask “are these boys or girls” when we watched tv. She doesn’t ask anymore, in part I think because she knows it’s boys 99% of the time.

So I called her in. Boys (men) on the screen. Then Kendall Coyne. “Wait, is that a girl?” “Yes.” “Does she play with boys?” “Tonight she does.  She plays for Team USA, with Hilary Knight.” (Hilary Knight is our number 1). And then we watched Coyne skate. She did great. I exhaled. My daughter went back to whatever she was doing. We didn’t make a big deal of it. I don’t want her to know it was a big deal. I just want it to be there for her if she ever needs it.

A few days later it hit me. I show my daughter women in sport as much as possible. Try to create a world for her where she is represented, try to protect her from the realities of the world. There’s no need to talk about inequalities, glass ceilings or the hate in some people’s hearts, with a child. I can barely handle dealing with those things myself, to be honest.

I let her watch the National Teams when they are rarely on tv, we watch highlights on the amazing twitter handle @wsporthilites , we’ve gone to college games and an NWHL game. The teams are all women. My daughter hadn’t seen the “one girl on a team of boys” scenario, other than in the Mighty Ducks movie which also contains the terrible storyline about a girl who plays hockey and therefore must be bad at hockey.

Nonetheless, when it came time for my daughter to start organized hockey, she was still one of just two girls in the group. And she noticed. She announced it at dinner one night, the day before hockey started. She had been to a drop in session, and was the only girl. She was still excited to play hockey. At dinner, the day before her real hockey started she announced “I’m going to be the only girl on my hockey team.” We weren’t expecting it, and we did as you’d expect, fumble it along, try not to make a big deal out of it. It’s hard for me to know exactly how she feels about it, and I don’t want to plant seeds of trouble where there is none. I told her I was the only girl on my hockey team for a long time too. It won’t be like that forever I said. She seemed satisfied and we carried on. Hockey is going great, and yes there’s even another girl.

And then there’s that other girl, Kendall Coyne. The one she saw race against the boys, on tv. For me and thousands of other girls, the image was of Manon Rheaume, alone in front of the net. Black Cooper pads, and a white Tampa Bay Lightning jersey. For a new generation of girls, the image is Kendall Coyne. A navy blue Team USA jersey, blond pony tail flying, crossing the finish line, surrounded by NHL players and an arena full of people ready to celebrate and respect.

I doubt my daughter will think of it often, but the image of the girl on a boys team is there if she needs it. She is not the only one. For me, this was the unexpected grace in Kendall Coyne’s moment. It’s a moment that will have a tremendous legacy, in ways more numerous than this, just like Manon Rheaume’s.
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Friday, December 21, 2018

Memorable Moments in Hockey in 2018

Well hockey fans, 2018 is coming to a close.

Here are some moments in hockey that stuck out to me this calendar year, in chronological order.  Some moments are bigger than others, some might only be big to me. I could never include everything. I know I'm missing the USports Championship by the University of Manitoba, Laura Stacey's Clarkson Cup winning over time goal for the Markham Thunder, and a very similar Isobel Cup winning goal by Alexa Gruschow of the Metropolitan Riveters, to name a few.

Despite what's missing, I hope you enjoy what's here.

February 13, 2018 Some moments look bigger in hindsight. Senior Tony Ann Miano held down the Boston College blueline last season, when three fellow defenders were centralized and then at the Olympics. Miano helped BC to a Hockey East regular season championship, and put up 43 points in 38 games,  including this Beanpot winning OT goal versus Boston University. The second where she celebrates alone, looking like a Patty Kaz statue before throwing her stick and gloves in the air, is magic. The game was a thriller, with BC jumping out to a 2-0 lead, then trailing 3-2 deep into the third. Darryl Watts tied the game with less than five minutes to go, to send it to OT.

BC finished with a 30-5-3 record last year, with Miano on the blue line. She is now a rookie for the NWHL's Boston Pride. (3 minute video)

February 22, 2018 The image of Jocelyne Lamoureux scoring the fifth goal in the USA Canada shootout is iconic to the 2018 Olympics. Before the Olympics started I wondered who might make a name for themselves at these games. The answer? Veterans in their third Olympics.

The Lamoureuxs played their final three years of college hockey at University of  North Dakota, and are known for their skill but also taking penalties, both averaging over 2 penalty minutes a game, in college. This carried into international play. In fact, although Jocelyne tallied an assist in the 2014 Olympic gold medal game, she was in the box when Marie-Philip Poulin scored in overtime to end it (so was Hillary Knight and Canada's Catherine Ward).

At the 2018 Olympics the Lams were on another level and on the score sheet in the best way: goal scoring. J Lam (and Dani Cameranesi) led all Americans with five points each in five games, while Monique had three points in five games.

It was in the 2018 Olympic gold medal game that the sisters made their most memorable mark to date on women's hockey. Monique tied the gold medal game in the third period, after a bad change by Canada. Jocelyne was the offensive hero in the shootout (We remember you too, Maddie Rooney).

Sweet redemption, in the biggest moment in women's hockey in 2018:


March 3rd, 2018 It's difficult to follow the Olympic moment, but someone has to do it. On March 3rd, Mercyhurst defeated regular season champion Robert Morris in the CHA Championship, earning an auto bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers, backstopped by a 22 save performance by red shirt freshman Kennedy Blair, handed #9 ranked Robert Morris their 8th loss of the season. Nestled into the win was a first collegiate goal for one Laker, and a game changing three point performance for another. The win represented Mercyhurst's 12th CHA Championship. They celebrated by absolutely crushing their goaltender. Photo Credit: Omar Phillips
March 10, 2018 Katie Burt, a four year starting goaltender at Boston College, salutes the crowd at Conte Forum one last time, after falling 2-0 to OSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A Massachusetts native, she made 39 saves in her final game, and graduated as the all time wins leader for goaltenders in NCAA history (previous record holder was Minnesota alum Noora Raty).

Burt's record stands at 121-15-10. Given the rarity of a four year starter, and at over 30 wins a year, I imagine that record is going to stick for quite some time. Burt is now the rookie goaltender for the Boston Pride, currently tied for first in NWHL standings. Photo credit: Michelle Jay

March 14, 2018 Last year's Frozen Four featured two teams who had never been there before - the Colgate Raiders and the Ohio State Buckeyes. This alone reflects the evolution in NCAA hockey.

The local Frozen Four media coverage of the Buckeyes reflected more change than that, though. Quality coverage, a female reporter (I believe it's Alison Lukan, whose main beat is the Blue Jackets), and Emma Maltais' (Burlington, Ontario) casual references to multiple female head coaches was striking to me.

OSU's Emma Maltais had a 40 point rookie season, winning the WCHA rookie of the year award.

March 18, 2018 Clarkson freshman Elizabeth Giguere's dominance in the NCAA Tournament was a thing to behold. She scored two overtime goals, and assisted another overtime goal in a three game tournament. In her freshman campaign she scored 71 points in 41 games (fourth in the nation in total points). This year, she is scoring at an even higher rate, and will be a Patty Kazmaier award contender. Good news for future international tournaments, Canada: She's Canadian.

Watch her NCAA Championship game overtime winner below.

July 31, 2018: In June the Hockey Hall of Fame Committee announced Jayna Hefford was being inducted into the Hall, in the player category. This image appeared on the Hall of Fame in July. The induction marks the first time that a woman has been inducted in back to back years, making Hefford the sixth inductee.

Hefford has 4 Olympic gold medals and 1 silver. She has one 7 World Championships, and only Hayley Wickenheiser has more points than Hefford's 291 in World Championship play. Hefford's 30 points in Olympic play tie her for 2nd all time. Her most famous goal is the game winner in the 2002 Olympic gold medal game, a breakaway goal with a second left in the second period. She played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, the old NWHL, and the CWHL. She is now the interim commissioner of the CWHL.

At her Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Hefford humbly described her story as a story of opportunity, inviting those who care about the game to continue to create opportunities for people to play.

September 25, 2018: Caroline Ouellette's essay announcing her retirement, penned to her daughter Liv was fantastic. In part, she wrote:

"Throughout my 16-year career with the national women’s team, I believe I embodied what it meant to be an everyday player. I loved it through the highs and always put in the effort to come back from the lows. I wanted to do it over and over again after every event! I participated in four Olympic Games and was part of incredible teams that brought Olympic gold to Canada each time."

She reflected on her time in minor hockey: 

"For eight full seasons, Liv, I was the only girl on my team. It was not always easy and it didn’t help that I was so shy back then. But when you truly love something, you can overlook the darker sides in order to focus on all of the happiness it brings you."

 Hockey Canada and Les Canadiennes released video tributes to honor the four time Olympic gold medalist, six time World Championship gold medalist, and four time Clarkson Cup winner.

Ouellette also won two NCAA Championships with University of Minnesota-Duluth, once as a player and once as an assistant coach. Today, she is the Head Coach of the second place Montreal Canadiennes. Les Canadiennes tribute:


October 13, 2018: This is a silly thing, that probably anyone who has played women's sports can relate to. The women of Minnesota, singing after a win in October. Emma May at the end yes, but don't miss the spin move by Amy Potomak mid video. Watch with sound and try not to smile, I dare you.



October 27, 2018 Mercyhurst's Emma Nuutinen scored a hat trick, including the OT game winner, defeating league opponent Penn State 5-4. In a conference won by two points or less the last three years, there's no such thing as a meaningless game. On the overtime goal (starts around 20 seconds in), stick taps to Maggie Knott for skating the length of the ice to be there as a screen for Nuutinen, and to McDonnell for stopping Penn State's final rush of the game which happened just before Nuutinen's rush, but isn't included below.



November 23rd and 24th, 2018 Wisconsin hosted Harvard for a rare non conference series. Harvard pushed #1 Wisconsin to overtime in both games, but in both games Wisconsin senior forward Annie Pankowski scored in overtime. Pankowski also had a short handed tally on the weekend. Two of her three goals ended up on Sports Center, and it was the first time a Badger had scored overtime goals in back to back games.

A little added drama for fans to enjoy:  Pankowski was  a final cut after being centralized for the 2014 Olympics. The coach of that Olympic team was Katey Stone, the longtime Harvard coach. The Wisconsin faithful have affection for Pankowski and relished seeing her succeed against Harvard, at one point breaking into a chant of "Annie! Annie!" during the second game.

The Badgers sit at 19-1-0 at the break, with their only loss being to number two ranked Minnesota. Watch Annie's OT goals, in two different tweets below.



These are the moments in sports, captured in social media that I thought of when reflecting on the year. I'm sure more year end recaps will come up in the next few weeks and I can't wait to read what stuck out to you.

Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas.
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Sunday, December 9, 2018

My women's hockey Christmas wish list

As a kid, one of the hallmark gifts of Christmas was some sort of hockey gear. Ice hockey gear, road hockey gear, books about hockey, you name it. I remember getting navy blue, leather Hespeler gloves one year. There was a bit of a lull in my minor hockey schedule around Christmas, but I really wanted to wear my new gloves. So, I wore them while playing shinny on an outdoor rink in Northern Canada, when I really should have worn like, snowboarding mitts (or not been out at all). My hands froze of course, and I cried while they thawed when I came back inside.

Great gloves though. It was surely worth it.

Alas, I am no longer a ten year old minor hockey player, and have no need for hockey gear for Christmas. Here is what I want instead:

1- Who's Who in Women's Hockey

This 162 page book is a self published (blurb.ca) player-by-player statistical timeline from modern women's elite hockey leagues, including the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). It also includes stats from defunct leagues the Western Women's Hockey League, (old) National Women's Hockey League and Central Ontario Women's Hockey League.

This book looks amazing. Huge kudos to the author Richard Scott. As much as I follow women's hockey, beyond college I don't have a great grasp on people's body of work. This should help tremendously, as it contains data on over 2,000 players.

2-  Behind The Bench stickers. Behind The Bench is a website that chronicles the history of coaching staffs by team. They've got  NWHL and CWHL covered, and I look forward to seeing NCAA women's hockey one day as well. The sell Behind the Bench logo stickers (tie and no tie versions) via paypal. I could go for one of each. They are $2 each and sold via paypal at this link: https://www.paypal.me/behindthebenches

3- Just about anything from the CWHL Team Store that relates to the Furies, Inferno, Thunder or Canadiennes. Since I don't have a local team, I am just waiting for my heart to be pulled to a team. The thing is, all those teams have storylines and players or management I like. Even on the logos if I have to pick a best, it's tough. I think...the Furies have a slight lead in my heart, having listened to Sami Jo Small, and read some interviews with her, plus the fact that they stream all their home games now. A Furies toque, sweatshirt, coffee mug, or Clarkson Cup Championship might be nice.

4- Two Mercyhurst wins over Ohio State. What? The best things in life aren't things. Next weekend Mercyhurst travels to Ohio State for a pair of non conference games. According to collegehockeystats.net it's the only Division 1 games happening that weekend, as all other teams will be in holiday mode. Last year, the Lakers split with Ohio State when the Buckeyes traveled to Erie in late December. It was one of Mercyhurst's best wins of the year.

Ohio State versus Mercyhurst is one of my favorite non conference series. In terms of Athletic Department clout it's a bit of a David vs Goliath, yet the Lakers have represented themselves well over the years, going 4-2-0 lifetime.  The 12-6-0 Ohio State Buckeyes were off this weekend, while the 8-7-2 Lakers split with Bemidji State. Common opponents to date include Minnesota and Bemidji State. Hurst split with Bemidji and got swept by Minnesota.  Ohio State split with Minnesota and got swept by Bemidji State.

5- The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL Taking on creating, growing and running a league is an enormous endeavor, as fans of CWHL and NWHL have observed, and as those running those leagues surely know. Sometimes, you just need to laugh at the bizarre stuff that happens, and probably vaguely refer to "the process." Turns out, it's no different than the NHL. The subtitle of Down Goes Brown's History is "the world's most beautiful sport, the world's most ridiculous league" and it is promoted as a lighthearted, informative look at NHL Hockey history.

I wish there was a new tome about women's hockey for readers to devour, but it's not the case so McIndoe's irreverent NHL book will do instead. If you really want to read about women's hockey though, two books from the nineties I recently read include On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History and Crashing the Net. One is written from an American perspective and one Canadian. If you are a long time women's hockey fan, maybe you've already read them. Certainly dated in some ways, could have been written yesterday in other ways, if you are a die hard women's hockey fan, you will appreciate these books.

That's all the hockey stuff I want for Christmas. What about you?

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