The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

For all the speculation about a supposed animosity between the CWHL and the NWHL, both leagues participated in a spectacular showcase of elite women’s ice hockey. The weekend of January 23-24, 2016, shall be remembered as a time that featured two women’s hockey All-Star Games. Hosted at Toronto ’s Air Canada Centre, the second CWHL All-Star Game was played on January 23 and broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet, a prominent Canadian sports network. The following day, the NWHL staged their midseason classic at Harbor Centre, home of the Buffalo Beauts. Taking into account that Buffalo is merely a two-hour drive from Toronto , hardcore women’s hockey fans could easily catch both games live over an unforgettable weekend. Although the NWHL’s All-Star Game was its first, making it a historic event, the reality was that history was a key theme for both games. Toronto Furies blueliner Sena Suzuki, whose experience also involves competing with the Japanese national women’s team, became the...

When the first IIHF World Women’s Hockey Championships were contested in 1990, the star player for the United States was Cammi Granato. For a generation, she would become an ambassador for the game, inspiring a new group of young girls to take up the sport. Among her greatest accomplishments, she led the US to the gold medal at the inaugural Winter Games women’s ice hockey event in Nagano 1998. Becoming the first American women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Fast forward several years and a new a new face in American hockey is ready to emulate her successes. Kelsey DiClaudio may very well be destined to have the same impact as Granato, adding a new dimension to the women’s game. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, women’s ice sledge hockey shall be a demonstration sport. With the US program having earned the gold medal at the inaugural IPC World Sled Hockey Challenge in 2014, it creates a strong sense of momentum that a golden finish is possible in 2018. Taking into a...

Heading into the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, collectors were witness to resurgence in women’s hockey cards. Upper Deck presented the promise for a bright future as its O-Pee-Chee brand featured a unique insert series recognizing the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams. The insert series featured the roster of the 2009 Canadian women’s team that competed at the IIHF Worlds. For players such as Marie-Philip Poulin and Shannon Szabados, these issues would prove to be their rookie cards. In addition, a foilboard card of Manon Rheaume (in her Tampa Bay Lightning uniform no less) was an added attraction, building the momentum of her previous card release in Upper Deck Masterpieces. In the aftermath of Vancouver , Upper Deck issued another insert series titled The Champions. Randomly inserted in 2009-10 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey (released in late winter 2010), the series honored American and Canadian Winter Games heroes past and presented. Collectors would also search for va...

With ESPN Magazine’s 2014 edition of the Body Issue consisting of a strong influence of athletes from the Sochi Winter Games, one of the world’s greatest female hockey players is among the remarkable group. A member of the valiant   US women's hockey team that captured silver in Sochi, Knight graces its pages.  Having scored the first goal for Team   USA at the Sochi Winter Games, she joins the likes of other Sochi stars including Jamie Anderson, Aja Evans and Paralympic athlete Amy Purdy. Definitely one of the faces of USA Hockey, Knight becomes the second women's player next to Julie Chu, a four-time Winter Games participant and the first-ever to capture three straight Clarkson Cup titles, to appear in the Body Issue.  The opportunity to appear in the highly popular magazine is certainly testament to Knight’s remarkable (and growing) popularity. Whatever quality it is that Knight possesses, she definitely has it. Also invited to participate in the famous...

Rivals at the collegiate level in the WCHA and at the international level in the IIHF, Hilary Knight and Noora Raty are looking to extend their careers in a most unique way. Following in the footsteps of ground breaking women such as Manon Rheaume, Erin Whitten, Danielle Dube and Hayley Wickenheiser, they are looking for the chance to compete in competitive men’s leagues. With possible opportunities in Finland and Sweden, the involvement of Raty and Knight may not only help increase the awareness of the sport, it could help create other opportunities in North America. Considering some members of the CWHL’s Montreal Stars have participated in intergender games, there is no question that Stars competitors such as Caroline Ouellette and Charline Labonte are worthy of consideration for AHL or ECHL play. The greatest female goaltender in the history of Finland, Raty shocked hockey fans throughout the world when she announced that Sochi would represent her last foray in female hocke...