The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

Rogers Centre in Vancouver served as the backdrop for a special celebration in Canadian hockey. With Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson having retired, said celebration served as the epilogue to what has already shaped up to become a memorable 2014. Members of the Canadian men’s and women’s gold medal winning contingents at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games were joined by the Under-18 national women’s team who experienced their own golden glory at the IIHF U18 Women’s Worlds. Such a gathering was more than just a special event, it was an opportunity to reward the efforts of players, coaches and support staff with a special memento. Honored with a championship ring, the members involved with Sochi received a square shaped diamond encrusted ring in silver. The U18 team received a gold ring with the Hockey Canada logo composing the top. Taking into account that the heroes of women’s hockey consider the Olympics their Stanley Cup, a ring is very appropriate. All Stanley Cup champions...

Heading into the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, one of the key components for the Canadian national women’s team was definitely change. From new faces at every position to a new coaching staff, many members of Canada’s contingent were truly Winter Games rookies. In a semi-final game against Switzerland, a pair of rookies, Natalie Spooner and Melodie Daoust, would score their first-ever goals in Winter Games competition. Having broken the Toronto Furies franchise mark for most goals scored in one season, Spooner was certainly eager to get on the scoreboard for Canada. At the 7:29 of the opening frame, Spooner would manage to score on Swiss goaltender Florence Schelling (who faced 69 shots against Canada in the preliminary round), with the assist credited to Hayley Wickenheiser. It represented a significant milestone for Spooner, as she logged her first-ever goal in the Winter Games. Canadian captain Caroline Ouellette beat Schelling with a slapshot but the goal was disallowed due...