The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

While the obligations of the real world place many women’s hockey players into a difficult crossroads, Mallory Deluce has engaged in a labor of love. Although her playing career saw her reach great heights with gold medals for Team Ontario and the Under-22 Canadian Team, an NCAA Frozen Four title, complemented by a stint with the Toronto Furies, Deluce is reaching even bigger heights as an airlines pilot. Many women’s hockey players have the game in her blood, with previous generations having played. In Deluce’s case, it was flying that was in her blood as her father and brother both work as commercial pilots. Currently a First Officer of the Air Georgian team, which flies routes for Air Canada, she is also a spokesperson for Air Georgian’s Cadets Program. In between winning the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four and being selected by the Toronto Furies in the second-ever CWHL Draft, Deluce earned her private license at the St. Thomas Flight Centre in southwestern Ontario. For her instrume

Leading in to the Sochi Winter Games, just one trading card set featured women’s hockey players (the Topps US Olympic and Paralympic Set ). The set had cards of Hilary Knight and the Lamoureux Twins, marking a disappointment for women’s hockey card collectors who were expecting a wider selection. In a hobby where there are very few trading cards of female athletes of any sport available (except Topps’ Allen and Ginter Sets ), the aftermath of Sochi breathed new life into the hobby. The 2014 Crown Royale hockey card set featured five women’s hockey players in its Fans of the Game insert set. Of note, the players in the set included Tessa Bonhomme, Jennifer Botterill, Meghan Duggan, Julie Chu and Meghan Agosta. Unfortunately, each card had a limited print run of 99 per card, making it a very difficult pull for collectors. While each card was autographed, they were difficult to find in the secondary market. Taking into account that the Meghan Duggan card marked the first time that sh

Fair play paid positive dividends for Natalie Spooner and Meaghan Mikkelson in the semi-finals (11th leg overall) of The Amazing Race Canada. Having left Peake’s Wharf in Charlottetown at 4:32 am, the hockey heroines were among four times that had to drive over the Confederation Bridge towards New Brunswick. Upon reaching one of Canada’s first four original provinces, the drive continued for another 140 kilometres to Shediac, known throughout Atlantic Canada as “the lobster capital of the world.” As a side note, this marked the first time that the program ever held a leg in New Brunswick. While the brother/sister team arrived at Shediac first, they were lost en route to their destination, leaving the door open for Spooner and Mikkelson to be the first team to arrive. The first challenge in the race may have also been the easiest of the entire race. Arriving at an Acadian birthday party at a local Dairy Queen (of note, the fast food giant is also a sponsor of the program), the ra

With the goal of becoming the first female competitor in the Firefit Nationals to break the two-minute barrier, Amber Bowman’s determination and perseverance is an inspiration to all who compete. At the 2014 Firefit Nationals, Bowman extended her sparkling legacy with another overall title. Having played hockey at the NCAA level with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Bowman would also play professionally in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with the Brampton Thunder, Burlington Barracudas and the Toronto Furies. As a side note, former Furies teammate Amanda Shaw is a firefighter in Hamilton. In the middle of the jubilation of winning her third national title, Bowman encountered desolation as she was viscerally close to breaking that elusive two-minute barrier. Of note, she would share her experience on social media, describing how close she was to achieving her long-time goal. During preparations, Bowman found herself across the finish line with a time of 1:58. Sadly, the dummy’

As Canada gets the honor of hosting the IIHF Women’s World Championships in 2016, the venue shall shift to the Pacific coast for the first time in Canadian hockey history. Kamloops, British Columbia shall be the host city for the event as Canada looks to avenge its gold medal game loss from 2013 (the last time that Canada hosted the event). Coincidentally, Kamloops had placed a bid to host the event in 2013, but lost out to Ottawa, Ontario’s bid. The six previous times that Canada hosted the IIHF Women’s Worlds, the province of Ontario hosted four times (1990, 1997, 2000, 2013). Interior Savings Centre and McArthur Island Sports and Event Centre shall host a total of 22 games during the event in 2016.  Of note, the city of Kamloops does hold a connection to Hockey Canada’s newly appointed president and CEO, Tom Renney. Having once coached there, he led the Kamloops Blazers to the Memorial Cup in 1992. Kamloops becomes the second city in Western Canada to host the IIHF Worlds.

Carrying on in the tradition of elite goaltenders at Northeastern, Taylor Crosby joins the program in the autumn of 2014. Starting with Chanda Gunn, who would play for the United States national team, other prominent goaltenders included Leah Sulyma (who once made 100 saves at the Canada Winter Games), Florence Schelling, who earned a bronze medal at Sochi 2014, and current backstop Chloe Desjardins. The younger sister of Sid “The Kid” Crosby, she is doing more than following in his footsteps. Of note, her father, Troy was a goaltender drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. Eight years younger than her brother, she began playing at the age of 10, while her brother was competing with the Rimouski Oceanic. Coincidentally, future Clarkson Cup champion goaltender Jenny Lavigne attended the Oceanic training camp. Despite the age difference, Sidney would shoot pucks at her while she was 14. Prior to Northeastern, she would compete at the prep school level at Shattuck St. Mary’s,

Having won the Clarkson Cup for the first time in franchise history, it has only increased the importance of the role of the Toronto Furies as outstanding hockey humanitarians. From participating in the Furious Hockey Tournament (hosted by Deirdre Norman) to the Toronto Pride Parade, the Furies have proven to be remarkable ambassadors for women’s hockey in Canada’s largest metropolis. Once news spread about the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket Challenge, it did not take long for videos to appear on social media featuring numerous Furies players proudly participating. Having become a pop culture phenomenon during the summer of 2014, the objective is to promote awareness of the disease while raising proceeds towards research. While the origins are unclear (Sports Illustrated acknowledged former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates as the one who helped make it popular), the on-air personalities from Golf Channel’s Morning Drive participated in a live challenge

The ninth leg of the second season of Amazing Race Canada found Natalie Spooner and Meaghan Mikkelson returning to Canada along with the remaining competitors. After sweeping the pair of race legs in France, the hockey heroines were looking for a seventh victory. A strong start provided the impression that it was possible. The Roadblock challenge found the teams getting behind the wheel at the International Centre of Advanced Racing. Dressed in racing gear, Mikkelson would engage in a series of high-speed turns. Looking very confident behind the wheel, Spooner could not help but compare Mikkelson to female racing superstar Danica Patrick. A quarter drift and a reverse 180 comprised the turns for the Precision Driving challenge with Mikkelson finishing first. Reaching the landmark Atwater Market ahead of the remaining competitors, Spooner and Mikkelson contemplated the Fast Forward. With Mikkelson acknowledging that such a challenge involves high risk in exchange for high rew