On writing about hockey, this phase of life, and a favorite passage from The Game

"As Pops used to say, 'Life is for the living.'

Be mindful of the moments."

-Bob McKenzie, Hockey Confidential

Hockey's back. Technically, the first NCAA regular season game was played last week, and this week it began in earnest, though the Mercyhurst Lakers won't kick off their regular season until next weekend, when they visit a good Colgate team on the road. Last week, in their preseason game, the Lakers defeated University of Guelph 4-0. I get the sense that Guelph is a bit depleted by graduations, but I'll still take a win against the reigning USports Champion as a good sign.

My life has changed a lot since I started following women's hockey in 2017, just insofar as I had an infant and a toddler and other than work, I was pretty homebound, and constantly trying to get kids to fall asleep. In 2017 online fandom gave me a chance to read about and be inspired by the great things women in sport were doing. I was definitely struggling with the isolation that my life had at the time, and struggling to reconcile myself to some realities that had made themselves apparent. I really needed and benefited from what I found in the community of people who wrote about and talked about women's hockey. I didn't see enough CHA or college commentary, had things of my own to say, and wanted to indulge my creative side, so eventually I started writing too. 

I actually found it really hard to just up and start a blog about hockey. As a child when I got into hockey I was oblivious to social norms. As an adult I have an awareness that not a lot of people write about women's hockey or their personal experiences with it. And so I was and often am, self conscious. Yet I wish there was more of this genre of writing. The only thing I knew how to do then, was start, and hope that somehow in the tiniest way possible, it might get more people to write too, if not today....years from now. I think about the Justin Bournes, the Dustin Fox's, guys that just started talking their sport after their playing days were done. I really do believe women's hockey would be richer, if we had more of that. For now, we are in a wonderful place with the voices who contribute, but there is always room for more.

I am definitely not done writing, and even want to keep recording my podcasts. I'm following hockey, and you'll find me here, probably in The Athletic comments (sometimes against my better judgement), and on the USCHO message board. I'm dialing back the twitter though. It's a wonderful servant, but a terrible master, and I'm just going to try to be mindful of that. I share this, because I value the friendships I've made there, and it doesn't feel right to just stop engaging, without comment.

It's definitely tough for me, making the time to nurture this creative side of me (especially in an environment of online distraction which makes me inefficient), but I really do love it. That said, I recognize that as my kids are getting older and less dependent, I am not tethered to the house like I once was, and that it is equally worth it for me to get out in 'the real world' again, and enjoy what life has to offer out there. 

After years away from hockey, I got the bug to play sports again, and while it's not hockey, I was able to start up a mom's soccer group at the field just down the street, and I've been loving doing that the past little while. I have to say though, I feel old! Took me four weeks to get to a point where I didn't feel like I spent the whole week recovering. My body feels good now though, and don't tell my husband but I called our local rink yesterday and asked about pickup hockey... you know how it is, when the game gets inside you.

***

I wanted to leave you with one of my favorite passages from The Game, by Ken Dryden. It's long and the better thing is for you just to read the book, as I will leave parts out here, lest I be typing all day. But it's the part where he talks about hockey in the backyard, and how that compared to his game in the NHL where his brother happened to be in the opposing net, and their dad in the crowd. At first, Dryden couldn't figure out why it felt anticlimactic, like he'd experienced before. And then he figured it out.

I like this passage because it illustrates how are connection to the game can occur in any number of changing ways, over a lifetime. If you are paying attention, you'll also see that the existence of pros, whose names we know, matters, even for kids who might not end up in the pros. Further, right now for me, one of the most joyful connections I have to the game is with my children in our driveway, in our non traditional hockey market, no rink having hometown.

***

From pages 66-67 of The Game by Ken Dryden:

The backyard was not a training ground. In all the time I spent there, I don't remember ever thinking I would be an NHL goalie, or even hoping I could be one. In backyard games, I dreamed I was Sawchuk or Hall, Mahovlich or Howe; I never dreamed I would be like them. There seemed no connection between the backyard and Maple Leaf Gardens; there seemed no way to get to there from here. If we ever thought about that, it never concerned us; we just played. It was here in the backyard that we learned hockey. It was here we got close to it, we got inside it, and it got inside us. It was here that our inextricable bond with the game was made. Many years have now passed, the game has grown up and been complicated by things outside it, yet still the backyard remains untouched, unchanged, my unseverable link to that time, and that game.

(and then after the NHL game versus his brother, mystified at his reaction):

When the game was over, proud and relieved, we shook hands at center ice. A few hours later, I began to feel differently. What had surprised and disappointed me earlier, I found exciting and reassuring. It really had been no different. those backyard games, the times we stood at opposite ends of the yard, the times we dreamed we were Sawchuk and Hall, we were Sawchuk and Hall, there had  been a connection - we just never knew it.

***

When I was in college, I remember thinking that a goal scored at Hobey Baker felt no different than a goal scored in a tournament at Chetwynd. It's incredible, but I guess that's just the game.

7 Takes: Hockey's back, with the Unifor PWHPA Showcase

Day 1 of the Unifor PWHPA Showcase is in the books. It appears to be a success - there was merch, streaming, sponsors and fans, and world class hockey players. Showcases aren't the ultimate goal though, and it's a long season ahead of driving change. Still, a lot of fun to watch, while the players work for a league for the future.

As always my perspective is as a fan, mom of young kids, and someone who doesn't have local high level women's hockey to watch. Some reactions:

1- Those sponsors: Bravo to Unifor, Budweiser, Adidas Hockey, Secret, NHLPA, Dunkin', Tim Hortons, Bauer Hockey, Bio Steel Sports, and Magellan Corp for making these showcases happen (New Hampshire and Chicago coming in October). It's impossible to know the extent of what is being contributed but it at least looks like a great start. I'm sure I'm missing some, like the Leafs and OWHA and who knows who else. I'm hoping more brands jump on board, as like anything, it takes a village. I've always got my eye on the NHL, Hockey Canada and USA Hockey - what role will their sponsorship play in the final product?  Is the PWHPA leadership group the one to finally convince USA Hockey and Hockey Canada to partner with a pro women's hockey league, the way the NHL and the two governing bodies partner with each other? Time will tell.

🗣This wknd kicks off the #DreamGapTour in TO! Details ⬇️ The beginning of more greatness to come. SO to sponsors helping to make it happen @adidashockey @UniforTheUnion @SecretDeodorant @BudweiserCanada @NHLPA @dunkindonuts @TimHortons @BauerHockey @BioSteelSports @MagellanCorp https://t.co/vahTNGqp0L

— Meghan Duggan (@mduggan10) September 21, 2019

2- Those threads - Shea Tiley is growing up. Gone are the green and gold Clarkson pads, she's now looking sharp in a mostly white with red accents Bauer setup (though the mask is still Clarkson). Who knows if it was Tiley, Hockey Canada, or Bauer Hockey funded, but she - and her game - looked sharp. And she wasn't the only one. The Adidas jerseys were very simple, one team in white and another in blue. They looked like really (really) nice practice jerseys, albeit with sick PWHPA logo, and NHLPA and Adidas logos too. I like the simple look - this is a gap year, this is not what the final product should look like (as the very humble setting they played in further reminds us). But the best part about the jerseys: the numbers and names showed up well on the stream. That's often a problem in streamed sports from dark arenas, so well done PWHPA, getting that right.

The Bauer pants, gloves, and helmets looked sharp too. Thought I saw an NHL patch on the back leg of the pants, on something on instagram? Lacquette stood out, rocking the same new longish Bauer mask that many wore, but hers had light paint....also stood out with her shot from the point as usual. Nice ricochet goal in the first, that started with a bomb from Lacquette on the point. 

3- I saw some conversation online about how to refer to this group. People say the N, the C.....are these guys the P? PWHPA flows fine for me, but I always called the CWHL and the NWHL the see-dub, and en-dub. So, I vote for pee-dub, if the full acronym is too long. Or maybe.... a whole new properly funded viable league called the WNHL. Just my two cents.

4- That merchandise - Yes, there was merchandise. Adidas brand black hoodies and pucks with the PWHPA logo and #ForTheGame hashtag. Apparently the hoodies sold out. I'm really hoping they sell this stuff online, AND that they sell it in a size that fits little girls. Sorry if I've ranted about this before but my son has worn licensed men's pro sports apparel since birth. My daughter waited until she was 5 to get an Alex Morgan jersey, and it's all she's got. Need to change it, and PWHPA merchandise that fits her and benefits the players would be a start. Cute story....before the game yesterday my daughter was excited because she thought she was going to see Alex Morgan play. The seasons are changing, and we'll get her hyped up on Hilary Knight again today. Need a T shirt though, too.

5- Ron MacLean was in the building - people talk about icons, and refer to Ron as such. For me, he was essentially the first and most consistent face of the NHL, its link to the fans who watched at home. I don't remember the NHL without him. It's really nice to see his support of #ForTheGame and a brighter future for women and girls in hockey. I remember when the gap year was announced, how air time was devoted during the playoffs, to a live Ron MacLean interview with Cassie Campbell and Brianne Jenner. Ron said, "it's a revolution," and he's right. And it was nice to see him there again yesterday with another vocal supporter of women's sports, Tara Slone. I don't want to project progress where it might not be, but several things yesterday suggested that the culture change that needs to take place in Canada about the value of women's sports, and the value of showing up for them, is happening.

6 - I definitely cheer for hockey moms. Meaghan Mikkelson was back, after her maternity leave for her second child. She has a son and a daughter. I haven't seen the footage, but in the stream today Knox referenced Mikkelson's comments about how #ForTheGame and the #DreamGapTour is personal to her, being a mom to a girl.

It's interesting, I think the movement is about a lot of things, it's for women, it's for girls, and it's about a better society in general where we rethink who is worthy of attention, visibility and investment. But someone like Mikkelson is unique I think, in how she very much represents both parts of the movement. She's a working mother, challenging our perception of the work a mom who has given birth might do, reminding of us of the part of the mission that is bigger than hockey, and about women. At the same time she is linked as closely as possible to the part of the mission that is about the future, returning home to an infant and preschooler at night. The #ForTheGame movement also includes moms Jocelyne Lamoureux, Monique Lamoureux, Meghan Agosta, Melodie Daoust, and soon to be mom Meghan Duggan.

7 - I feel like I could keep writing point after point. I just want to say how awesome it is that hockey is back. After a summer break, my time line exploded with hockey yesterday - Mercyhurst had  a preseason game, CBJ is back, and so are the women pros. I loved seeing all the women fresh out of college, Gabel, Pozzebon, Boissonault, mixed in with some old faves - Howard and Spooner, Jess Jones, Jenna Dingledein, Amanda Makela, and on and on. 

I am so impressed by what the PW (see what I did?) has done so far. Gotta keep rolling, and building momentum, 'cause the women's movement never stops.

Mercyhurst Pre-Season Storylines: Players to Watch

The Lakers take on the Guelph Gryphons today in a preseason game, before starting the regular season on the road at Colgate in two weeks.

There was a bit of news earlier this week when the Lakers were once again picked to win the regular season in the CHA, something they have not done since 2016. The Lakers received 3 first place votes, RMU 2, and Syracuse 1. I definitely agree with the pick - the Lakers have always been steady, have won 5 out of 9 games versus the Colonials in the past two seasons.

If the Lakers clean up their consistency versus lower ranked teams in the league, they are certainly a reasonable pick to win the conference. Both RMU and Syracuse lost some key players from last year, and so they may be vulnurable early in the season. At RMU Welsh, Rennie and Lague, put up 60 plus points combined. At Syracuse Munroe and Avery combined for 49 points. Hurst's top scoring 3 seniors put up 36 points combined.

It's funny because the Lakers get picked to win the conference, but when CHA team awards come around, they don't get much representation. Perhaps it's because the Lakers have a real team game, with everyone contributing just enough, with few players really separating themselves from the pack in terms of points.

Because of that, when you ask yourself, who should I watch on this team, the answer is pretty much everyone, because on any given day, anyone could be the player to make the difference. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see some break out stars, or see Nuutinen break that point a game plateau. But I know the Laker blueprint, and as such  here are several players I'm looking forward to watching this year:

#24 Celine Frappier: Frappier is a redshirt junior from Tecumseh, Ontario. She didn't play last year due to injury. Prior to Mercyhurst she was on Canada's U18 team. In her first year at the Hurst, she got 6 points, and improved it to 11 in her sophomore year. Assuming she was on campus and watching hockey last year, I would bet her understanding of the game further improved in her year off, something we hear often from players who have to sit a year. I'm interested to see how it translates to the ice in her junior year.

The entire sophomore class is also worth a look:

Last year had 5 skating seniors who saw a lot of ice time, which made it harder for last year's freshmen to really earn ice time. Add in the high volume of penalties and powerplay opportunities, and the freshmen's ice time was further impacted. I'm expecting greater opportunity for the now sophomores this year, and if history proves correct (like Frappier and the contribution of last year's sophomores), they should continue to progress. Not rocket science there, more ice time generally means more points, but it also comes with tougher opposition or game situations, and the rising sophomores will need to prove ready to the task. Their class includes:

#11 Sarah Nelles (Saint Ann's, ON): Nelles, a winger, got four points as a freshman. She didn't see a ton of ice time, as a bottom six forward. Sisti is not afraid to move someone up the depth chart if they get going (see Hine and Robillard last year) so Nelles' role may evolve yet.

#19 Emily Pinto (Mississauga,ON): Five-foot-three Pinto led all freshmen in points, with 8. She is a winger, and one memory I have of her, is in her first ever college game, versus the Markham Thunder, skating hard and fearless for pucks along the wall and in the corner. Kind of playing like a power forward despite her size. She also put up one of her goals versus Minnesota. One game is a terribly small sample size, but the fact that Sisti was putting her on the ice against the best in the country suggests he sees capability and potential in her.

#34 Liliane Perreault (Hinsdale, IL): Perreault had six points, and was the only center in last year's freshman class, taking 46 faceoffs on the season. Vasko (junior) and Knott (senior) will likely be interchangeable first and second line centres this year. With Hine graduated, that leaves Korzack (junior) and Perreault who have college experience at center, plus whatever the freshmen class might bring. Third line centre is a tough spot to be I think, because often a third line centre could do just fine at wing on a top line, but is needed in a role that gets inevitably gets less ice time, simply because not anybody can play centre. The flip side is that a team that has a strong third line, is a huge asset in a sport where depth is often an issue.  

#21 Alexane Rheaume (Sherbrooke, Que): Rheaume is a defender, got 2 points her freshman year. She traded ice time with Gialames it seemed. We saw more of Rheaume later in the season. With three defenders graduated (Blasen, Stacey, Fieseler), there is room for new life on the blue line and Rheaume should get some chances early.

#9 MK Gialames (Pittsburgh, PA): Gialames is also a defender and everything said about Rheaume applies to her. Gialames got six points as a freshman. I'd love to see her develop into a fixture on the blue line, perhaps becoming the first of a pipeline that channels more of that Pittsburgh Penguins Elite hockey program talent to Erie, Pa.

It's game day. Time to quit guessing about the players and see what they've actually got. Let's go Lakers!

Mercyhurst Pre-Season Storylines: Another Goaltending Tandem?

Mercyhurst has its preseason game next weekend, when it takes on the reigning USports Champion Guelph Gryphons, at the MIC.

As another season is upon us, it makes sense to consider the storylines for the upcoming season. At a high level the storylines are always the same - can you win your regular season (Robert Morris reigns supreme last 3 seasons), can you win the CHA Tournament (3 different winners past 3 years), can you advance to the Frozen Four (last done in 2014 by Mercyhurst)?

I want to look at a couple more micro level story lines, and first up is goaltending. Will we see another goaltending tandem at Mercyhurst this year?

Redshirt junior Kennedy Blair seemed poised to take over the starting role in net after two years of sharing the net pretty evenly with Sarah McDonnell, who just graduated. However, in the summer Mercyhurst announced another incoming freshman, Jenna Silvonen. Silvonen recently won a silver medal at the World Championships, representing Finland, although she did not see playing time in the tournament (not surprising considering Noora Raty is on their roster).

Born in 1999, Silvonen is an older freshman and most recently played for the Espoo Blues in Liiga, posting a .929 save percentage in 28 games. I don't know a lot about Liiga, but it's a 10 team league also referred to as the Finnish Elite League, and as far as I can tell it's funded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation (very interesting!). Silvonen's team, the Espoo Blues, play in the top division. Silvonen also represented Finland at the U18 level a couple years ago; suffice to say, the Lakers are getting a promising goaltender.

Meanwhile, in two years Blair has amassed a 15-18-5 record, with a 2.2 GAA, and .914 save percentage, and appeared in all CHA playoff games for the Hurst. She won the CHA goaltender of the year award as a freshman and was selected to the USA Hockey goaltenders camp the past two seasons. Blair has had some really big wins in her time between the pipes, and suffered an injury at the beginning of her sophomore year. My guess is her best college goaltending could still be ahead of her.

Mercyhurst also welcomes freshman goaltender Julia Maguire, from North Muskegon, Michigan, to the team. She played for Honeybaked in high school, and will no doubt also be looking to earn time between the pipes.

Rounding out the goaltending core is Leah Klassen, a junior from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Klassen has only seen playing time in two games, but one of them was a start vs Wisconsin in which she had 35 saves on 39 shots, which is as well as anyone typically does against Wisconsin. Talk about getting thrown into the fire. With two years of experience being on a college team, Klassen can help lead what has the potential to be a strong goaltending group.

In recent history, Coach Sisti has not been afraid to throw a freshman in net. He will look to see if a true number 1 goaltender emerges - whether freshman or veteran, or whether a tandem is again the right approach.