A (brief) History of Women’s Hockey
Queen's University Hockey Team (Kingston, Ontario), 1917
As we get psyched for the Women’s Hockey Finals tonight, let’s take a look at how we’ve gotten to this momentous point in Women’s Hockey. According to the Canadian Hockey Association, the first recorded women’s hockey game took place in 1892 in Barrie, Ontario, while “Total Hockey,” the official encyclopaedia of the NHL, places the first game in Ottawa, where the Government House team defeated the Rideau ladies team in 1889.
By the turn of the century, women’s hockey teams were playing across Canada. Photos suggest that the standard uniform included long wool skirts, turtleneck sweaters, hats and gloves.
Isobel Stanley, Lord Stanley's daughter
This first era of women’s hockey peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, with teams, leagues and tournaments in almost every region of Canada and a few areas of the United States. Some of the best Canadian teams met annually in an East-West tournament to declare a national champion. The Preston (Ontario) Rivulettes became the first dynasty of women’s hockey, dominating the game throughout the 1930s.
The organized women’s game declined after World War Two and throughout the 1950s and 1960s was regarded as little more than a curiosity. Hockey was assumed to be the preserve of men and boys, an attitude confirmed in 1956 when the Ontario Supreme Court ruled against Abby Hoffman, a nine-year-old girl who challenged the “boys only” policy in minor hockey. Hoffman had already played most of the season with a boy’s team, disguising her sex by dressing at home and wearing her hair short.
A revival began in the 1960s. Most girls attempting to join boys teams were still rejected. But women’s hockey slowly gained ice time, and as the new generation of players grew up they demanded a chance to play at colleges and universities. Canadian intercollegiate women’s hockey began in the 1980s and the NCAA recognized the game in 1993.
An international breakthrough came in 1990, when eight countries contested the first Women’s World Ice Hockey Championship. Participation grew exponentially in the decade that followed. Women’s hockey made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Games in Japan. In 2002 the Mission Bettys of California became the first all-girls team to enter the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament, one of the world’s largest youth competitions.
Today the number of female hockey teams and leagues is at an all-time high. Mixed gender teams are also more common, especially in youth hockey. The game remains a male-dominated culture, but girls and women face much less of the obstruction and prejudice that frustrated their predecessors.
A few women, including goaltenders Manon Rheaume and Erin Whitten, have played on men’s professional teams at the minor league level. In 2003, Hayley Wickenheiser joined Salamat of the Finnish Second Division and became the first woman to record a point in men’s professional hockey, finishing the regular season with one goal and three assists in 12 games.
Although applauded by most fans, Wickenheiser’s move inspired debate about women’s and men’s hockey. Some say elite women’s hockey will never grow if the best players migrate to men’s leagues. The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel, has declared his opposition to mixed teams.
“I don’t understand why anyone should feel threatened,” said Teemu Selanne, the NHL star who is part owner of the Salamat team. “This is the best women’s hockey player we’re talking about. It’s not as if five or six women are going to start appearing on every men’s team.”
The National Women’s Hockey League began in 2000, giving top players on both sides of the border a chance to play outside the college or international systems. The Western Women’s Hockey League was established in 2004.
For a great read and further history lessons on Women’s Hockey, check out “Women on Ice” by Wayne Norton, published by Ronsdale Press.
February 25th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
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February 26th, 2010 at 12:48 am
hey this blog is great. I’m glad I came by this blog. Maybe I can contribute in the near future.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Came across your site…I’m very interested in Canadian University Hockey (men’s and women’s) – was Project Coordinator for Dogs on Ice: History of Hockey at University of Saskatchewan – will keep reading your site. Take care.