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...

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,...

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...