The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

As professional women’s hockey experienced its first season since 2010-11 (dating back to the CWHL and the now-defunct WWHL) which saw two championships contested, the result was an exceptional number of historic firsts. Adding to the sense of history was the fact that there were many unique coincidences and connections, contributing to a new chapter of six degrees of separation in women’s hockey. The inaugural Isobel Cup was contested in Newark , New Jersey , home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, and captured by the NWHL’s Boston Pride. With the win, Boston became the first women’s hockey city to capture women’s hockey titles in two separate leagues. The Blades captured the CWHL’s Clarkson Cup in 2013 and 2015, while the Pride became the NWHL’s first-ever champions. Although the Pride enjoyed the jubilation of being crowned as champions, it was an event noted by compassion as the squad dedicated their Cup victory to Denna Laing, who suffered a career-ending injury at the inau...

The feeling of optimism that opens the Calgary Inferno’s fourth season is defined by an energetic and exciting offense that evaded the club for several seasons. Off-season trades for Haley Irwin and Bailey Bram were complemented by the free agent signing of Rebecca Johnston. Considering that Irwin and Johnston each won their second Winter Games gold medals at Sochi 2014, it supplies Calgary with two of its most accomplished players on offense. Complemented by Bram, the first woman from Manitoba to compete on Canada’s U18, U22 and Senior Teams (she won gold at the 2012 IIHF Women’s Worlds), it composes a titanic trio that transform the franchise into Clarkson Cup contenders. Coincidentally, all three of them were selected in the landmark 2012 CWHL Draft, which would lay the foundation for a new generation of CWHL superstars. Irwin and Bram were selected by the Brampton Thunder, although Irwin would end up playing for the Montreal Stars, while Johnston was drafted by the Toronto...

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...

While the world of women’s hockey is dominated in international play by Canada and the United States, the borders in the global game are slowly dissolving. Last season, All-World goaltender Florence Schelling spoiled Canadian hockey fans by competing with the CWHL’s Brampton Thunder. In January 2014, Sweden’s LHC Dam (also known as Linkoping) has reciprocated by bringing Bailey Bram into the fold. Truly a historic signing, it recognizes the value that women's players from North America mean to the growth of the game globally. Ironically, Bram was Schelling’s teammate with the Thunder for the 2012-13 season.   The sojourn to Sweden represents the third country where Bram shall play competitive hockey. In addition to her native Canada, she played four years of collegiate hockey in the United States with Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. Reputed as a great team player and a friendly personality, Bram is the perfect ambassador for the game in Sweden.     ...