Her Hockey

There’s not much to say about that Canada-U.S. gold medal game last night except for: Wow.

In a 2-0 shutout, goaltender Shannon Szabados was a fortress, frustrating any American attempts that made it through the shot-blocking, physical Canadian defensive system.

Marie-Phillip Poulin demonstrated her ability to load and shoot faster than just about anyone else in women’s hockey. Her goals in the first period were so quick, so perfectly placed. At only 18, she’s been touted as the story of the 2014 Olympics but apparently she decided 2010 was the right time.

But Szabados and Poulin were not the only stories of last night’s game. It was efforts like Hayley Wickenheiser and Sarah Vaillancourt blocking key shots that fended off 5-on -3 U.S. power plays. Veteran Jennifer Botterill lead her line with calm and clarity, doing all the small things, and ended up assisting the first—and winning—goal. Youngster Haley Irwin played with a toughness and determination that was inspiring. And the list goes on.

The CTV Olympics website is reporting this morning that Team Canada snuck in two extra games against a BC midget boys’ team during the Olympic tournament so they could stay sharp. Good on ya, Mel Davidson. Good coaching decisions were evidently a huge factor in this game as well.

Canadian defenseman Becky Kellar attributed the win to their preparation of over 60 games.

Whatever magical combination of factors led to last night’s shutout victory, it sure felt great. It was nice to see the Sid, Brodeur and the rest of the men’s team in the rafters, taking it in. Wayne Gretzky, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michael J. Fox were also in the crowd.What a night.

Way to go, ladies!

The Swedish women’s hockey team beat Canada at the 2008 Four Nations’ Cup. They beat the U.S. to take silver at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. But last night just wasn’t their night.

Canada came out of the gate last night banging and crashing, passing like a single entity and shooting bullets. They scored five times in the first period. Hayley Wickenheiser broke the record for goals scored in Olympic play, surpassing Danielle Goyette’s record of 15. Meghan Agosta brought her tally for this Olympics alone to eight goals and two hat tricks. The second period saw seven Canadian pucks said past Swedish goaltender Kim Martin, who eventually left the net. Sweden broke the shut-out in the third period as Katrina Timglas finally found some space between Canada’s Charline Labonte and the side of the net. Canada scored one last time, bringing the finally score to 13-1.

So what happened last night? Were the Swedes ill-prepared? Women’s hockey is definitely developing at the international level but the best players are still so young. The Swedish superstar line of Enstrom, Ostberg and Myren are all still in their teens. Canada combines the young talent of phenoms like Poulin and Agosta with the maturity of veterans like Ouellette and Wickenheiser.

After losses to the U.S. at the last two IIHF World Championships, Canada has worked harder than ever this year with grueling training camps and a season playing the Alberta AAA midget boys. Plus, they’ve had a six-game series with the U.S. leading up to the Olympics.

It’s simple: they’re better than ever

As I watched Canada look like they were on a power play for most of the time Sweden was at full strength, I was torn. I love watching Canada dominate and score. They’re like a fine wine or a piece of poetry. It’s beautiful.

But I was wincing because I anticipated all the comments in the newspaper this morning about how women’s hockey should be cancelled as an Olympic sport because of the lopsided results.

The best female hockey players in the world are criticized and penalized for being too good.

That just doesn’t make sense.

Most people I’ve talked to about last night’s 18-0 hammer job of Team Canada over Slovakia have one of two reactions. The most common is: “Poor Slovakia. What a blow-out.” The other comment is: “How ridiculous. What a joke. There are only really two teams in women’s hockey.”

I disagree with both views. I don’t feel badly for Slovakia at all. It’s their first year at the Olympics. They’ve already won their victory just by showing up. The amount of depth, experience and preparation they’ve had in their Olympic program compared to that of the USA or Canada is negligible. If I were a Slovakian hockey player, I would be honoured just to be on the same ice surface as Team Canada. And they competed well. They should be proud.The only way their program can improve is by coming and storing up Olympic experience.

And it’s not true that there are only two teams in women’s hockey. Finland and Sweden have each beat the USA or Canada. International programs are improving with more skill and talent surfacing each year. And the scores are comparable to the types of scores in men’s ice hockey when it first became an Olympic sport.

Patience, my friends. The women’s game is growing well at the international level. Let’s give it some time to develop!

Most of us don’t get to go to the Olympics, me included. But I got a taste of Olympic excitement last night in Ottawa, Canada, when I watched Team Canada and Team USA battle through overtime and a shootout at Scotiabank Place in front of a record-breaking crowd of 16,347.

Canada continued their six-game winning streak against the USA with a 3-2 win, thanks to Jayna Hefford’s shootout goal.

USA started the game with intense pressure and it seemed the first three or four shifts were all in Canada’s end, with Canada unable to clear it out of the zone.

But Canada’s doggedness paid off and they managed to create some good chances in the first period, including one in which Sarah Vaillancourt roofed it over US goaltender Jessie Vetter’s shoulder. Team USA answered shortly after with a gritty, crease crashing effort, jamming it past Kim St. Pierre.

The score remained 1-1 through the second period. Canada had some pretty moments — especially when Vaillancourt and Hayley Wickenheiser played on the same line — but their passes just weren’t connecting when it counted.

There was plenty of body contact and Canada was called for roughing several times. When it looked like a fight was brewing, however, the players turned and skated away — a testament to their emotional control.

At the beginning of the third period, Meghan Agosta picked up a loose puck in the slot and found the back of the net to make the score 2-1. In the final minute, Canada took a penalty and Team USA pulled the goaltender for a six-on-four attack. With only 17.2 seconds left on the clock, Team USA’s Julie Chu tied the game with a point shot.

A five-minute four-on-four overtime yielded no change on the scoreboard and it went to a shootout. The third shooter, Jayna Hefford finished off the game with a sweet move in which she took Vetter to one side of the net and tucked it in the other.

It looked like the recent release of veteran defencemen Gillian Ferrari from the Olympic roster has taken its toll on Team Canada, though, as the D struggled to clear the puck and gave it away too many times. Despite winning seven of the last 10 games they’ve played against the US, Team Canada will need to tighten its defence if we hope to continue to fend off Team USA, who came too close for comfort last night.

While Team Canada coach Melody Davidson probably didn’t think a shootout was the best way to win this game, for a fan it was unforgettable.

photo by Kevin Allen

Finishing a St. Lawrence University career last year with 103 points wouldn’t be as remarkable if Annie Guay were a forward. But the Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec native plays defense. And she has a slapshot that knows how to find the net.

That shot is something her Montreal Stars teammates are thankful for. Guay helped the Stars win the first-ever Clarkson Cup national women’s hockey championship last year.

“Annie has a strong slapshot. She is great at supporting the attack,” says teammate and Stars captain Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux. “I love playing with Annie. She brings intensity to the game and in the room.”

Guay’s intensity developed early on. When she was barely out of toddlerhood, she started playing hockey in the streets with her older brother. She played organized hockey at only four years old.

Participating in minor hockey from such a young age and with such talent and intensity led Guay to a spot on Team Quebec in 2001 at the age of 16. She played in the Canadian Championship in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, and again in 2003 at the Canada Winter Games.

“A coach once told me that being confident in my abilities would take me a long way,” she says.

He was right. When Guay was 19, she made Team Canada’s Under-22 team and began a scholarship to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. At St. Lawrence, Guay played with Team Canada teammate Sabrina Harbec and the two managed to transfer their chemistry from one team to the other. The U22s won the MLP Cup in Germany in 2005 and Guay took home honours as the best defensemen of the tournament. In 2007, Guay found herself scoring her first international goal with the senior national team against the USA at the Four Nations Cup in Kitchener, Ontario. She played on Team Canada until 2008.

“Making Team Canada was a great moment — it propelled my career to a whole new level,” says Guay. “I started training every day and became a full-time committed player. Wearing the maple leaf on my jersey was very special.”

For a full profile of Annie Guay, visit www.cwhl.ca.

photo by Kevin Allen

Any parents who doubt that hockey teaches values should meet former Olympian Sami Jo Small.

They’ll sign their children up, guaranteed.

You can sense her warmth, grace and leadership from the first handshake and smile. The Mississauga Chiefs’ goaltender is grounded, committed and inspirational.

“Sami Jo Small is a person who works very hard at whatever she is doing,” says Sommer West, Small’s teammate and the Chiefs’ captain. “Sami is a good-hearted and kind person to all. She always takes the time to talk with kids and any fans waiting around to see her. She’s a great ambassador for the sport.”

At 33, Small is one of the generation of hockey players that had no choice but to play with the boys. She started skating at the age of two in her hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba and graduated to organized boys’ hockey at five years old, eventually ending up on the Winnipeg Warriors Midget AAA team. She also played men’s varsity hockey at Stanford University.

“I had an older brother and wanted to do everything he did, from skating on the outdoor rinks to street hockey to organized ‘real’ hockey,” says Small. “Women’s hockey wasn’t even on my radar because I rarely saw another girl playing and when I was growing up women’s hockey wasn’t an Olympic Sport.”

Her first time on the ice with other girls was when Small played in the Canada Winter Games for Team Manitoba. But she never envisioned playing women’s hockey at an elite level until 1997, when she decided to try out for the National team.

Small played with the Olympic team in 1998 and went on to win two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2002 and 2006 as well as five world championships.

Now, she’s involved with Team Canada in a different way: Small is engaged to Billy Bridges of Canada’s Olympic sledge hockey team.

For more about Sami Jo Small, check out her full profile at www.cwhl.ca.

At 5’4”, assistant captain Lindsay Vine is one of the smaller players on the Burlington Barracudas. But the 28-year-old league veteran is not a small presence.

She’s a grinder, a playmaker and an encourager on the Barracudas, using positive talk to motivate her teammates. She steps up with effort and attitude when her team is down.

Pat Cocklin, the Barracuda’s head coach, says that Vine sets the tone for the rest of the team.

“She is a great leader who plays on both sides and has great offensive skills,” says Cocklin. “She is a very important part of the puzzle. She leads by example, doesn’t miss practices, works hard and plays within the system.”

Vine has grown into her leadership style. She’s always been a valuable member of her team; in the 1999-2000 season, Vine played for the Mississauga Chiefs (NWHL) and was awarded Rookie of the Year. The following year she was offered a scholarship at Niagara University, where she continued to grow as a player.

Along the way, Vine learned valuable lessons. For one thing, she learned that when other players look up to you, you can speak up and generate energy for the team. As a natural playmaker, she also had to learn to pull the trigger.

“When I was younger, often times I would give up the shot to pass the puck. As I have gotten older, I’ve realized that I need to take my opportunities and shoot to score,” she says.

Battling on the boards and coming out with the puck is another strength Vine brings to the Barracudas — and she may have learned it playing boy’s hockey growing up. In her hometown of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, minor hockey numbers were small. Vine’s father’s friend Jacques Lajeunesse was lacking players on his Junior Tyke team. Vine’s father suggested that his daughters join the team to boost numbers. So Vine, her older sister, Carla and twin sister, Morgan all strapped on skates and joined the team. She was only four years old that year but she attributes much of her love of the game and early skill development to her first coach, Lajeunesse.

To read more about Lindsay Vine and the Burlington Barracudas, go to www.cwhl.ca.

This past week, the Leaside Girls’ Hockey Association blew the whistle on the City of Toronto, claiming that the city is leaving girls’ hockey out in the cold.

The association is accusing the city of discrimination against girls’ hockey by giving prime ice time to men instead of girls. The city is supposed to make youth hockey — both boys’ and girls’ teams — a priority over adult leagues.

I decided to check out if this phenomenon exists in my own city of Guelph, Ontario. I spoke with the Judy Dezell, the houseleague convenor for the Guelph Girls’ Hockey Association (GGHA). Here’s what  she had to say:

“[The City of] Guelph is getting better, but I will be honest — the University [of Guelph] is far better,” said Dezell. “Boys’ hockey is a business and a lot more organized and influential…our ice scheduler consistently reminds the city that equal opportunity is required.”

Dezell went on to explain that the University of Guelph offers good ice times to girls’ hockey because the head coach of the women’s varsity team, Rachel Flanagan, advocates for girls’ hockey with university administration.

Guelph, like many other cities, faces an overall shortage of available ice time. There was a new recreational centre with twin ice pads slated for development in the city’s growing south end but it has been postponed. Meanwhile, the city of Guelph’s brand new, state-of-the-art City Hall cost the city a cool $42,890,635.

Maybe the real problem is the way cities choose to spend their money. It’s not right for arenas to give ice to men and boys over girls, but they’re caught in a difficult position. There’s not enough ice to go around. I can’t blame the men for not wanting to give up ice time; I would be disappointed if I had to give up my women’s league ice time to kids, even girls. If the numbers of women and girls playing hockey are at an unprecedented 75,000 and climbing, it’s time to build more arenas… for everyone.

Photo: Tannis Toohey, Toronto Star

From Cassie Campbell-Pascall’s CBC blog post Oct. 29:

“Last Saturday night, a dinner was hosted at the Calgary home of Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson. Guests included the 26 current members of the national women’s hockey team, who are training full-time in Calgary and vying for a position on the final roster of this year’s women’s Olympic team…

The team was surprised this particular evening by Tom Bitove and Pat McEleney, who represented the other board members from the Telus Going For Gold golf tournament…Every year it has tremendous support and the familiar faces of some of the key executives from Boston Pizza, Kinross Gold, GMP Securities, The Keg, Cara Restaurants, MLSE, Red Bull Canada and others.

What is so special about this golf event and this dinner last Saturday was that Pat and Tom proudly announced that 100 per cent of all money raised was being donated directly to all 26 players …

Each player was presented with a cheque for $10,000… It was an emotional moment for all involved.”

It’s so refreshing to hear about these industry and business leaders stepping up to support women’s hockey financially.

I just wish it weren’t only Olympic team support.

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and the Western Women’s Hockey League (WWHL) are the homes of these same female Olympians in non-Olympic years. The eastern Canada-based, player-owned CWHL and the privately owned WWHL host the most elite women’s hockey in North America.

The CWHL doesn’t pay its players. The league struggles for adequate sponsorships. It’s the female NHL. It holds a female Stanley Cup — called the Clarkson Cup — that pits the CWHL champs against the WWHL top teams. It’s stellar hockey. And it needs more money.

What? In Canada? There’s something wrong here. This is a country that spends loads of money on hockey, and the “pro” female league is mainly run by volunteers. The players are volunteers. There are a few sponsors such as Scotiabank, Molson and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, but it’s not enough.

It’s a chicken-or-egg marketing problem. Most female hockey fans barely know the league exists. The CWHL doesn’t have the budget to do a large-scale marketing initiative, so it can’t get decent financial backing. It can’t get decent financial backing, so it can’t do a large-scale marketing initiative.

What’s so unfortunate is that it’s such a great product. It’s near Olympic-level hockey. While you can’t beg, borrow or steal a ticket for Vancouver 2010, you can park right by the door at Icelands Arena in Mississauga, Ontario and watch gold medalist Sami Jo Small play for $7.

C’mon Canadian businesses, step up.

She has earned the right to captain the deep bench of the Brampton Canadette-Thunder. As a veteran who played on Team Canada for 10 years and earned Olympic gold, Lori Dupuis is a serious competitor.

At 5’9” Dupuis holds her own in the corners and doesn’t like to come out without rubber on her stick. Her efforts often impact the scoreboard since Lori’s regular linemate is Jayna Hefford, one of the CWHL’s leading scorers and another Olympic gold medalist. Although Hefford is currently centralized in Calgary with Team Canada, Dupuis doesn’t plan to back off on setting up her teammates to score.

“I often play with players who are scorers, because my role is to play big, work hard in the corners and get them the puck,” says Dupuis. “I hate to lose and I will do what I can to help the team accomplish the win.”

Dupuis’ ability to control the play combined with her intensity and competitive spirit has served her well. She captained her varsity team for three years of a 1991 to 1997 stretch with the University of Toronto. Meanwhile, Dupuis joined Team Canada in 1995.

She played in the 1998 Olympics, the first-ever for women’s hockey, when Canada came away with a silver medal. Dupuis also won three world championships with Team Canada in 1997, 1999 and 2000. But the experience that’s permanently etched in her memory is being part of the 2002 Olympic team that captured gold in Salt Lake City.

“It was an experience I will never forget. When I see clips of the final game of 2002 or see something Olympic, I get goose bumps,” she says. “Playing for Canada was an honour, something I didn’t ever want to end. It was one of the proudest moments of my life, standing listening to our National Anthem after winning gold.”

For more on Lori Dupuis, visit the Canadian Women’s Hockey League website.