Women’s Hockey Hat Trick

I can’t believe it but the Women’s World Championships got canceled. It turns out a Covid zero zone is not the best place for a women’s hockey tourney. Because cases spiked at the wrong time, and poof there went the tourney. Definitely frustrating to see people finger wag at people about health first, and taking a “screw you world, we don’t want you in our province stance.... “ I mean yes, health first, but why did you ever agree to host the world if it turns out you have a Covid zero policy, and only like cheering for hockey that happens elsewhere? God the adversaries women’s hockey ends up with. Who would have thought that this go round it would be the newly minted premier of Nova Scotia who derails things? But yes, health first, I just REALLY would like to watch some women’s hockey at some point.

The players were devastated, understandably. IIHF took a lot of heat, Iain Rankin took some heat, Hockey Canada somehow came through pretty unscathed in the court of public opinion, but they now have to find a new location somewhere in Canada at the end of August. In theory (oh God) by August there should be lots of safe places to host the tourney. Canada will be swimming in vaccine by then hopefully and all vaxxed up and ready to cheer in person. Have to abandon Halifax at this point; they’ve deferred or cancelled 3 times (including last year, understandably). So that’s unfortunate but it is what it is. At least we’re getting a tourney, albeit an end of summer one.

But that’s not all your getting. I also figured out what to call my links posts: Women’s Hockey Hat Trick. What do you think? Pretty good eh? Here’s a hat trick of links to read and listen to this week:

Read:

IIHF - New dates for women’s worlds

The tourney will now be played August 20 -31, 2021, somewhere in Canada, lol.

Ice Garden - Q&A With Team Canada’s Jill Saulnier

Saulnier posted one of the first and very best reactions to the canceling, from players. Gabriella Fundaro caught up with her a week later to check in some more.

Listen:

On the Bus With Cammi & AJ - Ellen Weinberg Hughes

I can’t tell you how much I love that former stars in women’s hockey are becoming more visible in the sport. The ‘99er’s are visible, so too should be hockey’s 98’s. Weinberg Hughes is of course a famous hockey mom, but before that she was a Team USA hockey player and won a silver medal at World’s in 1992. She shared stories about playing hockey in Dallas growing up, being recruited for soccer and choosing a school with hockey too (UNH) and walking on to the hockey team. She’s a great story teller, and moms and hockey moms will love what she has to say. Give it a listen!