Hockey…  As a girl growing up in rural Minnesota in the 1980’s seeing a girl play hockey was a rarity. Lucky for me there was a girl a year ahead of me that played on the boys high school team. She put up with a lot of grief and insults and everyday she got on the bus with her gear bag and a HUGE smile. She loved the game, she loved being a hockey player. It defined her. Good thing for us she was not the only girl that lived for hockey.

Then it happened. 1998.That was the first Olympics that Women’s Hockey was part of the events. This was the beginning of a larger movement. Today, girls youth hockey is one of the fastest growing sports. These young women are working just as hard with just as much passion as their male counterparts. The drive to be the best, to shoot the hardest, to score the most goals, get the most points to be the top in the division is just as intense and competitive as the boys. There is a glaring a difference that becomes extremely evident after High school.

Today boys have options, High School or Junior Gold. Junior Gold has been a terrific program to give male athletes another avenue to play the game they love. The pride of being part of that is irreplaceable.  After High School there are opportunities to tryout for the Junior Leagues, College…..

The opportunities available  for young men  is not mirrored in the world of women’s hockey. Starting at the High School level, if a girl doesn’t play for the  high school  team she doesn’t have Junior Gold as an option. There are  few 19u teams in comparison to the number of Junior Gold teams. Post High School the number of colleges and Junior Leagues are also disproportionate to that of Men’s Hockey.

I am fortunate in life to have four daughters, my oldest never has played hockey but you couldn’t ask for a more dedicated fan, to the point that as a high school student  she has been named Executive Director of Broadcasting for our local cable access station that broadcasts youth hockey games. My middle daughter is a goalie, yes a goalie that has all those fabulous goalie characteristics that make a mother proud of her focus and drive. My twins, one plays left wing, ever a fierce  competitor and puts team before self. The other twin… She has played goal for her Special Hockey team and has taught me what being part of a team truly means. Also, to the list of being fortunate I have been part of growing hockey in Minnesota from the youth association level to the district level as well as being part of the Disabled Hockey Committee and a founding member and past President of one of my greatest moments in hockey… The Minnesota Warriors. With all of that being said I have not accomplished what I have set out to do. That is where juniorhockey.com comes in, my goal is to grow Women’s Hockey.

I believe that through coverage on juniorhockey.com about women’s 19u Tier I and Tier II as well as junior leagues is the necessary next step. By networking with the teams, coaches, directors, players, supporters and the equipment manufactures that work with the unique needs of women that we as a whole can be part of the growth of women’s hockey. The idea of recognizing the dedication of these young women and potentially giving more opportunity for growth so that more doors open for women’s hockey is what has driven me to write for juniorhockey.com.

I firmly believe that there are so many more opportunities out there for Women’s Junior Hockey  and with the work and dedication that has been established as ground work we can only build up and expand. In  the days, weeks, months and potentially years to come my goal is to provide a link between readers, players -past present and future, coaches, fans, families  and teams; to keep you up to date with what is occurring in Women’s Junior Hockey and what lies just beyond that. I look forward to seeing growth and love for the Women that play.