November 1, 2001

Girls of winter

By Jeff Warren
jwwarren@uwo.ca

Hockey coach Derek Whitney yells encouragement to one of his players from his spot behind the bench. Smiling, Jamie returns to the bench, greeted by a succession of high fives from the other players on the team.

Jamie's shot failed to elude the goaltender but the effort was there. And despite the fact Whitney's team is trailing 1-0 late in the third period, he is clearly pleased with the effort he is getting from his girls.

The hockey season is only a month old, and in a chilly rink in London, girls' hockey is in full force. This sight is becoming more familiar in arenas across the country as interest in female hockey is growing.

It never used to be this way. Hockey was once always considered a boys' club. Now, Canada's game involves the whole family.

Just ask Whitney, whose house is littered with a shin pad here, an elbow pad there and the oft reiterated mantra of the eager player, "Dad, I need to get my skates sharpened!" Whitney, despite his coach's status, is also a proud hockey parent of four girls.

"The girls came to us. We didn't push them into it," says Whitney. "But it's great because it is an affordable, fun alternative as a winter sport."

His daughters, Shannon, 22, Kristen, 19, Megan, 16, and Lisa, 14, have played, or are currently playing, hockey. Lisa, who plays for her father on the London Devilettes Bantam BB club, admits the choice to play hockey was simple.

"All my sisters were playing and it looked like fun so I decided I wanted to try it."

Photo by Jeff Warren

Allison Rutledge, centre, listens to a pre-game talk with her teammates.

Lisa is not alone in her assessment of the game's lure. Allison Rutledge, 16, plays goal for the Intermediate AA Jr. Stangs, an elite team formed by a partnership between the University of Western Ontario women's team and the London Devilettes. This year is Rutledge's first playing girls' hockey after having played on boys' teams growing up.

"I made the switch from boys' hockey to girls' hockey because of my lack of exposure to universities and also because I wanted to be more involved in the social aspect of the hockey team," she says.

As a girl playing on a boys' team, Rutledge was often left out of the equation, spending most of her time away from the team because of her gender. This meant getting dressed for games in the most interesting of places.

"Do you know how boring it is getting dressed by yourself ... in a boiler room?"

Now, Rutledge feels more at home playing for the Jr. Stangs. She can be herself and she can now dress with the team - in the dressing room.

"I enjoy playing hockey because it's social and I'm a very social person," says Rutledge.

She also realizes there's more chance of her being scouted by universities if she's playing with other girls.

"Now more than I ever I enjoy it because I'm holding the key to my future in my own hands and it's up to me to decide whether or not I'm going to drop it or skate with it. I find that that type of an award at the end makes everything along the way so much more enjoyable."

Bev Harper, president of the London Devilettes Girls Hockey Association, is aware of a growing trend among players like Rutledge.

"Girls like the team concept involved in team sports. They like the game," she says. "They have seen their brothers play hockey and want the opportunity to participate themselves."

And participate they have. According to Harper, entering this year, their 16th year in existence, the London Devilettes saw a climb in registration to 632, up from 602 the year before. This includes girls aged six to 20. These numbers are especially impressive for Harper considering London used to draw players from small communities around the city. However, the popularity of girls' hockey in the last four years has found its way back into these small towns as teams begin to sprout up all over Ontario.

"Girls are going back to play in their own communities," says Harper. "But London's increase in registration is fairly good because it indicates growth coming from inside the city."

This growth has made the London Devilettes one of the largest girls' hockey organizations in the country. From Tyke to Intermediate, the Devilettes are successfully represented every year. Last year the Devilettes brought home provincial championships at both the Atom AA and Peewee BB levels.

London is just one of many cities in the province experiencing an increase in registration. The Ontario Women's Hockey Association's 2001 executive report shows that the number of teams registered with the OWHA last year was 1,674, compared with 411 nine years earlier. In 1992-93 there were 6,333 girls playing hockey in Ontario; there were 24,732 last year.

Now that the numbers are there, Harper believes recognition will soon follow.

"It will always continue to grow," she says of girls' hockey. "It just has to overcome the barrier of not being recognized as being good hockey."

Fran Rider, executive director of the OWHA, also believes that exposure is the best thing for girls' hockey right now.

"There is a perception that they can't play or shouldn't play," she says. "The calibre is always there but getting the word out is the problem."

Rutledge agrees the calibre of play is high, having now experienced it first hand.

"Girls are much, much smarter than boys, but they are far from being as intense," says Rutledge. "By that I mean girls are not as worried about the outcome of the game and they aren't as in your face. Instead, girls' hockey is much more of a finesse game."

As a coach and parent, Whitney concurs with Rutledge's assessment of the girls' game, adding the entertainment value is still prevalent.

"You don't have to be big or physically strong to do well," says Whitney. "Individual smarts and skill can be good enough. This makes it much more entertaining hockey."

What it all comes down to, though, is the game of hockey itself, explains Rider.

"It is natural that girls and women want to play. They don't just want to watch because hockey is a great game. It's the best there is. There is an attraction and an addiction to hockey that just comes with the game itself."

And so back at that chilly rink in London, as if scripted in a book, as if the world were watching, because, in a way, it is, Whitney looks at the score clock and signals to his goalie to come to the bench. The extra player is sent out onto the ice and with just half a second left to play it happens.

The crowd erupts. The girls on the bench jump up and down, hugging each other. The ice surface becomes at once a scene of euphoria and misery. Whitney smiles.

"Great shot Jamie!"