The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

With Canada Post having released a series of NHL stamps for 2013, women’s hockey fans are left to wonder when will the hockey heroines be subject to the stamp treatment? As the sport has grown by a quantum leap since the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, there are many women from the game who are more than worthy of their own opportunity to be immortalized. From the outset, Canada Post could certainly recognize the women that are part of the Hockey Hall of Fame and IIHF Hall of Fame. Angela James, Geraldine Heaney and Danielle Goyette (only in the IIHF Hall) were part of the sport's rebirth and established themselves as world class superstars. In addition, Cassie Campbell, the first female recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada would be a suitable choice as well. The first modern day superstar in the sport, Campbell captured the hearts and minds of young female fans a generation ago.  After the successful 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, a great opportunity to feature various meda...

In the middle of the gap between 1998 and 2007 (when no significant hockey card company was producing cards with the likenesses of several women’s hockey players), there was one female player that happened to be the exception; Charline Labonte. Having played with the now defunct Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, she became the second woman since Manon Rheaume to play in the league. Her first season with the Titan was during the 1999-2000 campaign. Joining the team at 17 years old, she would appear in 26 contests, while logging a mark of four wins, nine losses and two ties. Despite a goals against average of 5.22, she logged a respectable .841 save percentage. The following season, she only appeared in two games while logging 28 saves, respectively. Upper Deck featured a card of her in their 1999-2000 UD Prospects Set . Her card number was 54, the same number she donned on her jersey. That set also included the likes of future NHL starts such as Jay ...

As the third woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Geraldine Heaney’s road to greatness was one filled with glory, accomplishment and sacrifice. With a career that spanned 27 years, this long-time fan favorite and hockey hero has transcended generations. Called the Bobby Orr of women’s hockey, the connection emanates courtesy of the event that put Heaney on the global hockey map. Although the 1990 IIHF Women’s Worlds had introduced an entire nation of hockey fans to Heaney, she had already been playing for 11 years. Her gold-medal winning goal against the US resulted in Heaney tumbling to the ice after she scored, similar to Bobby Orr after he scored the Stanley Cup winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in 1970. While Heaney will forever be remembered for that glorious goal, she also participated in a long lost hockey event; the 1987 Women’s World Hockey Tournament. Held in North York, Ontario and organized by Fran Rider of the OWHA, the event was not sanctioned by the I...

After Classic folded in the late 1990s, the thought of women appearing on cardboard in the near future seemed dismal. It would take the Nagano Winter Games to serve as the catalyst to reintroduce the fearless, frozen females of hockey back on cardboard. As Nagano 1998 represented the first time that women’s hockey was contested at the Winter Games, the sport earned its long overdue recognition as a world class sport. Part of the effort in stimulating interest came via food company General Mills. A proud sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Team for several years, they made their presence felt in women’s hockey. In the autumn of 2007, cereal boxes were now adorned with the images of Canada’s female hockey heroes. The images of athletes like Cassie Campbell (along with Brendan Shanahan on Maple Frosted Wheaties), Nancy Drolet (Reese Puffs) and Geraldine Heaney (Apple Cinnamon Cheerios) were now on store shelves throughout Canada. It would also create a demand from hockey collectors in ...

Although the number of women’s hockey cards issued over the years is considerably low, the potential for growth is encouraging. In recent years, female players have appeared in various sets released by Upper Deck such as World of Sports and Goodwin Champions. Credit for the initial appearance of women’s hockey players on cardboard goes to the likes of the now defunct Classic Games. In later years, other companies such as Canadian-based In the Game and Upper Deck followed suit. Classic broke ground by featuring the likes of Manon Rheaume, Cammi Granato and Erin Whitten on numerous card issues. While Rheaume opened doors for the awareness of women’s hockey, she would also help pave the way for women to appear on hockey cards. After signing a contract with the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning, Classic Games would feature a card of her in their 1992-93 draft picks set. It would mark the first time a woman appeared on a hockey card. Despite its low value (a common factor among many card...

Joining the likes of Caitlin Cahow and Molly Engstrom, Karen Thatcher becomes the third Boston Blades player to announce her retirement from the US National Team in 2013. A notable figure in New England women’s hockey, her first brush with fame occurred in 2002 when she was the recipient of the Boston Bruins John Carlton Award. She would follow with a solid career for the Providence Friars women’s hockey program in the Hockey East Conference. With the Friars, she earned All-America status, the Sarah Devens Award, and the Hockey East Player of the Year Award After a silver medal with the US team at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, Thatcher joined the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Boston’s inaugural game on October 30, 2010 would also signify her debut with the black and gold. Logging an assist in a 3-0 victory against the Burlington Barracudas, the October 30 contest signified a great start to the beginning of her Blades career. Her first goal with the Blade...

One of the most influential US players in CWHL history, Caitlin Cahow has retired from the US National Team. The winner of the 2008 Bob Allen Award (given to the most outstanding women’s player in the United States), Cahow is only the second born US captain to lead a team to the Clarkson Cup (which she did with the Boston Blades in 2013), Cahow is a living legend in American women’s hockey circles. Her debut with the Boston Blades came on October 30, 2010 in a contest against the Burlington Barracudas. While she was held pointless in a 3-0 win, her following game would yield impressive results. Cahow would log one goal and two assists as part of a 6-4 triumph on Halloween 2010. She would finish her inaugural season with the Blades with 13 points in 23 games. For the 2012-13 campaign, Cahow would inherit the team’s captaincy and help the Blades to their first regular season championship. Having logged 14 points, her maturity and acumen were key factors in the black and gold enjoyin...

First Relegation Game goes to a shootout with strong goaltending on display With the heartbreak of not being able to compete for a medal, Sweden competed against the Czech Republic in the relegation. Despite qualifying for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, Sweden had to cope with the fact that demotion was a harsh reality. The moment the puck dropped, the Swedes came out aggressively on offense. Their attack was complemented by the Swedish defense stifling the Czech offense. During the first half of the opening frame, the Czechs only managed one shot on net. Radka Lhotska was given the assignment of starting between the pipes for the Czech Republic . She was peppered with shots throughout the period. Lisa Johansson fired a slapshot that bounced out of her glove. With Katerina Flachsova of the Czech Republic serving a penalty for body checking, the Swedish persistence began to pay dividends. Johansson would manage to score the first power play goal of the tournament...

Russia prevails as Sweden is off to the relegation round Heading into the contest, there was a must-win feeling for Sweden as a loss would place them into the relegation round. As one of the premier women’s ice hockey programs in the world, the Swedes were hoping to end the round robin on a winning note. Standing between the pipes for Sweden was Valentina Lizana. Having faced 14 shots in the first frame, she played valiantly. The only goal she would allow in the first came courtesy of a power play. With Erika Grahm serving a penalty for body contact, Anna Shibanova would release a slap shot from the blue line that was tipped in by Russian captain Yekaterina Smolentseva. Sweden struggled to muster an offensive attack as they registered five shots in the frame. With three total penalties in the period, the emphasis was neutralizing the Russian power play. Near the end of the first frame, Sweden started to apply some pressure on Nadezhda Alexandrova as Pernilla Winber...

Germany prevails over Czech Republic with anticipation of quarterfinals Heading into the final day of competition in Pool B of the 2013 IIHF Women’s Worlds, Germany needed a win to stay alive in anticipation of qualifying for the quarterfinals. With a tough opponent in the Czech Republic , a loss would place either team in jeopardy of competing in the relegation games. A strong German power play made the difference in this contest. Marie Delarbre opened the scoring for the Germans on the power play. They would follow in the second period with another power play marker. While the Czechs outshot Germany in the first period, the club struggled with penalties. Heading into the final frame, the Czechs faced a 4-1 deficit. Katerina Becevova signified a goalie change but the Czech squad was frustrated. While the Czechs managed to score twice in the third, the Germans prevailed by a 6-3 tally.   The captain of Germany , Susann Gotz was excited about the possibil...

Mrazova leads Czech Republic to 6-3 victory with three point performance A hard skating match with great determination was the theme of this exhibition match at the CIH Arena in Rockland , Ontario . After a visceral 10-1 loss to Finland on March 29 in Smiths Falls , Ontario , the Czech Republic was hoping for a better result versus the Ottawa Gee Gees. Cassie Seguin, an alumnus with the Canadian Under-18 team was the starting goaltender for the Gee Gees. During the first period, she was a solid presence between the pipes as the Gee Gees were outshot. Denisa Krizova of the Czech Republic was the first player to test Seguin as she released a powerful shot. Following Krizova, Lucie Povova (who plays at the NCAA level with the Northeastern Huskies) shot in heavy traffic but Seguin was prepared. Klara Chmelova, who once attended the CIH Academy in Rockland , weaved her way through traffic but Seguin stoned her as well. Eventually, Seguin would get some offensive...

An emotional match for Sara Seiler saw her face-off against her former club team, the Carleton Ravens university women’s team. The contest began with a ceremonial face-off featuring Sue Scherer, the first captain of the Canadian Women’s Team that captured gold at the inaugural IIHF Women’s Worlds in 1990. Early on, the Germans believed that they had captured the first lead of the game. In the Ravens zone, Sara Seiler made a cross-ice pass that bounced off the skate of Ravens defender Kaylee Welk. While the puck found its way in the net, the goal was disallowed. Manuela Anwander of Germany proceeded to record a few shots on Ravens starting goaltender Tamber Tisdale. While there was a lot of back and forth with clean skating, both clubs struggled to assemble an offense. Germany ’s Maritta Becker was called for hooking in the first penalty of the game. With the Ravens on a power play, they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Ivonne Schroder, the starting goaltender...