Women's Hockey Questions
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womenshockeyDo you have any questions regarding women's hockey that you'd like to have answered? This is the place to ask!
Post your question as a comment on this post. If you know the answer, click the 'Reply' button below the specific comment.
spoonikkelsonFeb 06 at 2:26 PM
What are the biggest names coming up in the next CWHL Draft?
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Icing_On_The_RinkMar 03 at 2:32 PMΔ
I have no idea who will actually be registering for the draft, but there's another issue: many top players who are coming out of the NCAA/CIS this season (ex. Halli Krzyzaniak) will be focused on national teams for the 2018 Olympics, making this next draft unusual. Lara Stadler and Ann-Renee Desbiens who are Patty K Award finalists this year have been drafted by the NW (and could change their minds to play in the CW, like Masch did), but they'll both spend next season focusing on the Olympics, so I doubt they'll express any interest in either league. This will be a wide-spread problem next season so we might see many lesser-known players registering for the draft.
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spoonikkelsonMar 03 at 10:17 PM
yeah krzyzaniak had been posting on insta about it being her last year of college so i was hoping she would be entering the draft (and also hoping that being from the prairies, she would want to play in Calgary) but the Olympic year complicates things. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Desbiens did like Masch did and switched leagues, especially if she wants to be a part of the national team. But I guess we'll have to worry about that next season
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Icing_On_The_RinkMar 04 at 12:16 AM
I'm also sad to be losing our international players next year to the Olympics, not just our Canadian/US players. Except for Nachi Fujimoto, the other Japanese players (Suzuki, Takeuchi, Hosoyamada) are on Team Japan, and Gavrilova will be joining Team Russia. It'll be interesting to see if non-national team international players register for the draft. Since the pickings will be a bit slim due to the Olympics, it might be a good opportunity for more average players to get their foot in the door. We'll see.
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spoonikkelsonMar 04 at 3:45 PM
yeah on one hand i'm sad to be losing all national team players but on the other hand i'm pretty excited to get to watch an olympics where i know players who aren't on team USA or Canada. Normally all the players on team russia (for example, this applies to every non north american national team) are complete strangers to me when it comes to watching the olympics but now i'll at least know of a few of them. i'm also excited to see new players enter the leagues because of the olympics. just means there will be an even greater number of players for me to be a fan of.
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Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 03 at 3:43 PM
The 2018 Olympics are right around the corner so I had some Olympic/CWHL/NWHL related questions. I wasn't very involved in the CWHL prior to the 2014 Olympics, so I don't remember how things worked last time around.
How will the Olympic year impact the CWHL schedule?
When do Hockey Canada/Hockey USA start making big cuts to their rosters?
Do the national team members take off the entire CWHL/NWHL season, or do they attend games when they can or after they're cut?
The Olympics are in the beginning of February. Do the national team members return to their league teams for the playoffs?
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KeeperFeb 04 at 6:50 AM
The only way in which the CW schedule will be affected will be the probability that there will be no CW games over the ten days that our women are competing in February.
Cuts are on going starting in September right up until Christmas. The last cuts are usually in Mid December. 3 Players that know that only too well are Courtney Birchard, Bailey Bram and Vicki Bendus, all Thunder players at the time of their Christmas cuts.
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KeeperFeb 04 at 7:15 AM
Most players cannot attend the games because they tend to be sequestered in their camps. Although Team Canada players may take in some Calgary games because that is where they train. Some players come back if they are cut early. Janelle Kohanchuk and Tessa Bonhomme both came back to the Furies after they were cut but the late cuts Bram, Birchard and Bendus didn't. I think in their case having gone through the physical and emotional draining that happens during the Centralization only to be the last cuts takes a lot out of the players. So it depends on individual players.
As for the Olympians that return after the Olympics. It varies. None of Brampton's players came back. Spooner was the only Furies Olympian to return. Ouellette, Rougeau and Labonte all came back to Montreal and Mikkelson didn't come back to Calgary for over a year because of injuries and babies. Almost all of the Blades came back, I did mention that before regarding their double overtime heartbreaks. Oh yeah, I forgot Julie Chu, she returned to Montreal. So, mostly they do come back.
Just as a little aside, the Olympics just about killed the Brampton franchise. Not only did they lose the 5 players (2! On the roster, and the 3 Bs., but they lost Sheri Piper and Lori Dupuis to retirement, although Dupuis came back as the new GM, they lost their two Goal tenders, Florence Schelling to Switzerland and Liz Knox who went to play in Australia-she came back the next year a better goalie). It's no wonder Brampton has had a tough time bouncing back. But they've come a long way since then.
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Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:22 PM
I've looked over old stats and I remember being surprised by Brampton's poor performance. Your explanation about their roster being decimated certainly explains that.
I kind of figured that the cut players would choose to take the rest of the season off. That heart-break would be tough to get through. It'll be sad to lose those players for a whole season, but it's understandable. It's nice that the players who compete at the Olympics do return to their teams for playoffs. I find it surprising that all of the Team USA players came back after that heartbreaking loss.
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Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:24 PM
Thought it'll be sad to lose the national team players for most (or all) of the season, like other people have said, it'll be a good chance for lesser known players to shine and get on people's radars.
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KeeperFeb 04 at 5:29 PM
Yeah they came back only to suffer another heart-breaking loss. Britni Smith scored with one second left in overtime giving Toronto their one and only Clarkson Cup.
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Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:32 PM
That story is really ironic, considering what you just told me about Britni Smith's history with Hockey Canada! That was probably her way of giving the international hockey community the finger... LOL!
One second left in OT??? That's amazing!
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KeeperFeb 04 at 9:56 PM
I was fortunate that year to have witnessed two of the greatest women's hockey games ever played, one within weeks of the other. One was with 1500 other people in the Real Sports Bar across from the Air Canada Centre where the CBC was filming us watching the game. I even got interviewed by the CBC, what fun . It was high drama at its best. A few weeks later I had the privilege of volunteering at the final game between Boston and Toronto. I was ringside the whole time and it was an unbelievable experience. It was definitely a memorable few weeks for me. So I can imagine the players were over the moon during that time.
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KeeperFeb 04 at 9:57 PM
I hope I was able to help out with some of your questions.
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mywitfailsmeFeb 07 at 12:37 PM
You really have. You're a great resource for CWHL history Keeper. I really appreciate having you around here. It's really cool to learn all these older facts and information from before I knew the CWHL existed.
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KeeperFeb 07 at 2:31 PM
Well I'm glad that people like you and Icing on the Rink and spoonikkleson are around promoting the CW with such passion which encourages others to come on board. This is helping the CW and the NW grow. You provide me with a platform to share what I know. I'm not sure I would do that otherwise. You and the others have the skill and the energy and the passion for this work. Keep it up. I'll share what I can. I don't know if you realized this but you and the others are pioneers. Even five years ago information on the CW was not being shared in this manner. If there is significant growth in the leagues you along with the others will have played a huge roll in that growth. The great thing is that most of you don't live in CW or NW cities, so you may not get to many games, but there you are promoting women's hockey. Amazing!
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Icing_On_The_RinkMar 03 at 2:46 PM
I really appreciate this comment, thank you! Like @mywitfailsme stated, your knowledge about the CW's history is an amazing addition to this site. I love hearing your stories which give us glimpses into the personalities and day-to-day lives of the players, but I also love hearing about the previous generation of players (Botterill, Bendus, Wick, Ruggiero, Hefford etc).
Interest in women's hockey is growing exponentially, as is the available information, but there's a big focus on current players, and I'd hate to see the real pioneers being forgotten. For example, it's really sad that lots of current fans don't know who the CW Jayna Hefford Trophy is named after. When you share your knowledge about the earlier generations of players, you're teaching those names and their accomplishments to the next generation of fans (like me).
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Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 03 at 3:47 PM
Why has Ann-Sophie Bettez been ignored by Hockey Canada since 2011? This article discusses her hockey accomplishments and poses that exact question, but doesn't provide any answers. Any thoughts?
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KeeperFeb 04 at 6:42 AM
I can't give any specifics, but hockey Canada does play favourites. If you are in their sphere of favourites you thrive and if not you struggle. I can think of a number of cases where you know players have the skills to play for Team Canada and they just get ignored. Cases other than Bettez have happened in the past. The Toronto Furies had two of the best defenders in the world, one, Britni Smith was in the program but could not break into the inner circle. To my mind, at the time, she was one of the better defenders in the CW. She had great defensive skills, could set up a break out so beautifully and throw gorgeous tape to tape saucer passes. She was big and tough and could jump into offensive situations with great timing. Evidence of that was her Clarkson Cup winning goal against Boston. She had great leadership skills as well. The others on the team looked to her for direction. She did a lot of organizing for the team as well. At her time the team did not supply warm up gear so Britni took it upon herself to find a supplier and get the gear for the team. She was s big promoter of team unity. In talking with her parents, they seemed at a loss to explain how Britni was left off of the program. The other player from the Furies that was a mystery cut was Tessa Bonhomme. She was one of the best skaters on the team and demonstrated all of the skills necessary to be not only a top flight player, but a team leader. She was unceremoniously cut from the Olympic roster. That remains a big mystery as to why she was cut. Now she was fighting the shingles at the time and she did have a bit of a messy break-up with her then figure skating boyfriend, but her superior skills were undeniable. Now both of these women have landed on their feet. Britni is an assistant coach st an US university and has re-appeared in the National program as a coach with the under 18 national team. And well we all know where Tessa has landed. She is a talented women's hockey expert wth Sports Net and TSN. So it is evident that the Bettez conundrum is something that has been and is on-going. The list of players that should be there is actually endless. But next year we will be treated to some Bettez heroics in the CW and she won't be overshadowed by anyone.
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Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:29 PM
Bettez's exclusion has stuck out for me because she's one of my favourite players, but it's sad that her case is not an anomaly. I've never heard of Britni Smith - which is definitely my loss. If she had been part of Team Canada, she probably would have had a higher profile. A lot of people only talk about women's hockey in relation to the Olympics (without mentioning any professional league which the player might be in) so the non-national team members slip through the cracks.
So Bettez isn't one of Hockey Canada's favourites, huh? Well - that's definitely their loss! On one hand, it's very exciting to have great players on Team Canada, but on the other hand, it'll be nice to have players of Bettez's caliber playing the entire CW season. Hockey Canada's loss will be our gain!
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KeeperFeb 04 at 10:03 PM
I think you're right about Bettez. She is a treat to watch. She has great speed and is very creative. It's no wonder that Montreal is perennially near the top of the league, with players like her to back up Ouellette and Poulin. I have heard the same question that you have asked so many times since she has been in the league. I think she and Jess Jones are the two best players not on the national team.
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Post your question as a comment on this post. If you know the answer, click the 'Reply' button below the specific comment.
spoonikkelsonFeb 06 at 2:26 PM
What are the biggest names coming up in the next CWHL Draft?
ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkMar 03 at 2:32 PMΔ
I have no idea who will actually be registering for the draft, but there's another issue: many top players who are coming out of the NCAA/CIS this season (ex. Halli Krzyzaniak) will be focused on national teams for the 2018 Olympics, making this next draft unusual. Lara Stadler and Ann-Renee Desbiens who are Patty K Award finalists this year have been drafted by the NW (and could change their minds to play in the CW, like Masch did), but they'll both spend next season focusing on the Olympics, so I doubt they'll express any interest in either league. This will be a wide-spread problem next season so we might see many lesser-known players registering for the draft.
ReplyShare
spoonikkelsonMar 03 at 10:17 PM
yeah krzyzaniak had been posting on insta about it being her last year of college so i was hoping she would be entering the draft (and also hoping that being from the prairies, she would want to play in Calgary) but the Olympic year complicates things. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Desbiens did like Masch did and switched leagues, especially if she wants to be a part of the national team. But I guess we'll have to worry about that next season
ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkMar 04 at 12:16 AM
I'm also sad to be losing our international players next year to the Olympics, not just our Canadian/US players. Except for Nachi Fujimoto, the other Japanese players (Suzuki, Takeuchi, Hosoyamada) are on Team Japan, and Gavrilova will be joining Team Russia. It'll be interesting to see if non-national team international players register for the draft. Since the pickings will be a bit slim due to the Olympics, it might be a good opportunity for more average players to get their foot in the door. We'll see.
ReplyShare
spoonikkelsonMar 04 at 3:45 PM
yeah on one hand i'm sad to be losing all national team players but on the other hand i'm pretty excited to get to watch an olympics where i know players who aren't on team USA or Canada. Normally all the players on team russia (for example, this applies to every non north american national team) are complete strangers to me when it comes to watching the olympics but now i'll at least know of a few of them. i'm also excited to see new players enter the leagues because of the olympics. just means there will be an even greater number of players for me to be a fan of.
1ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 03 at 3:43 PM
The 2018 Olympics are right around the corner so I had some Olympic/CWHL/NWHL related questions. I wasn't very involved in the CWHL prior to the 2014 Olympics, so I don't remember how things worked last time around.
How will the Olympic year impact the CWHL schedule?
When do Hockey Canada/Hockey USA start making big cuts to their rosters?
Do the national team members take off the entire CWHL/NWHL season, or do they attend games when they can or after they're cut?
The Olympics are in the beginning of February. Do the national team members return to their league teams for the playoffs?
ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 6:50 AM
The only way in which the CW schedule will be affected will be the probability that there will be no CW games over the ten days that our women are competing in February.
Cuts are on going starting in September right up until Christmas. The last cuts are usually in Mid December. 3 Players that know that only too well are Courtney Birchard, Bailey Bram and Vicki Bendus, all Thunder players at the time of their Christmas cuts.
ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 7:15 AM
Most players cannot attend the games because they tend to be sequestered in their camps. Although Team Canada players may take in some Calgary games because that is where they train. Some players come back if they are cut early. Janelle Kohanchuk and Tessa Bonhomme both came back to the Furies after they were cut but the late cuts Bram, Birchard and Bendus didn't. I think in their case having gone through the physical and emotional draining that happens during the Centralization only to be the last cuts takes a lot out of the players. So it depends on individual players.
As for the Olympians that return after the Olympics. It varies. None of Brampton's players came back. Spooner was the only Furies Olympian to return. Ouellette, Rougeau and Labonte all came back to Montreal and Mikkelson didn't come back to Calgary for over a year because of injuries and babies. Almost all of the Blades came back, I did mention that before regarding their double overtime heartbreaks. Oh yeah, I forgot Julie Chu, she returned to Montreal. So, mostly they do come back.
Just as a little aside, the Olympics just about killed the Brampton franchise. Not only did they lose the 5 players (2! On the roster, and the 3 Bs., but they lost Sheri Piper and Lori Dupuis to retirement, although Dupuis came back as the new GM, they lost their two Goal tenders, Florence Schelling to Switzerland and Liz Knox who went to play in Australia-she came back the next year a better goalie). It's no wonder Brampton has had a tough time bouncing back. But they've come a long way since then.
ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:22 PM
I've looked over old stats and I remember being surprised by Brampton's poor performance. Your explanation about their roster being decimated certainly explains that.
I kind of figured that the cut players would choose to take the rest of the season off. That heart-break would be tough to get through. It'll be sad to lose those players for a whole season, but it's understandable. It's nice that the players who compete at the Olympics do return to their teams for playoffs. I find it surprising that all of the Team USA players came back after that heartbreaking loss.
ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:24 PM
Thought it'll be sad to lose the national team players for most (or all) of the season, like other people have said, it'll be a good chance for lesser known players to shine and get on people's radars.
ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 5:29 PM
Yeah they came back only to suffer another heart-breaking loss. Britni Smith scored with one second left in overtime giving Toronto their one and only Clarkson Cup.
1ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:32 PM
That story is really ironic, considering what you just told me about Britni Smith's history with Hockey Canada! That was probably her way of giving the international hockey community the finger... LOL!
One second left in OT??? That's amazing!
1ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 9:56 PM
I was fortunate that year to have witnessed two of the greatest women's hockey games ever played, one within weeks of the other. One was with 1500 other people in the Real Sports Bar across from the Air Canada Centre where the CBC was filming us watching the game. I even got interviewed by the CBC, what fun . It was high drama at its best. A few weeks later I had the privilege of volunteering at the final game between Boston and Toronto. I was ringside the whole time and it was an unbelievable experience. It was definitely a memorable few weeks for me. So I can imagine the players were over the moon during that time.
1ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 9:57 PM
I hope I was able to help out with some of your questions.
1ReplyShare
mywitfailsmeFeb 07 at 12:37 PM
You really have. You're a great resource for CWHL history Keeper. I really appreciate having you around here. It's really cool to learn all these older facts and information from before I knew the CWHL existed.
ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 07 at 2:31 PM
Well I'm glad that people like you and Icing on the Rink and spoonikkleson are around promoting the CW with such passion which encourages others to come on board. This is helping the CW and the NW grow. You provide me with a platform to share what I know. I'm not sure I would do that otherwise. You and the others have the skill and the energy and the passion for this work. Keep it up. I'll share what I can. I don't know if you realized this but you and the others are pioneers. Even five years ago information on the CW was not being shared in this manner. If there is significant growth in the leagues you along with the others will have played a huge roll in that growth. The great thing is that most of you don't live in CW or NW cities, so you may not get to many games, but there you are promoting women's hockey. Amazing!
2ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkMar 03 at 2:46 PM
I really appreciate this comment, thank you! Like @mywitfailsme stated, your knowledge about the CW's history is an amazing addition to this site. I love hearing your stories which give us glimpses into the personalities and day-to-day lives of the players, but I also love hearing about the previous generation of players (Botterill, Bendus, Wick, Ruggiero, Hefford etc).
Interest in women's hockey is growing exponentially, as is the available information, but there's a big focus on current players, and I'd hate to see the real pioneers being forgotten. For example, it's really sad that lots of current fans don't know who the CW Jayna Hefford Trophy is named after. When you share your knowledge about the earlier generations of players, you're teaching those names and their accomplishments to the next generation of fans (like me).
ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 03 at 3:47 PM
Why has Ann-Sophie Bettez been ignored by Hockey Canada since 2011? This article discusses her hockey accomplishments and poses that exact question, but doesn't provide any answers. Any thoughts?
ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 6:42 AM
I can't give any specifics, but hockey Canada does play favourites. If you are in their sphere of favourites you thrive and if not you struggle. I can think of a number of cases where you know players have the skills to play for Team Canada and they just get ignored. Cases other than Bettez have happened in the past. The Toronto Furies had two of the best defenders in the world, one, Britni Smith was in the program but could not break into the inner circle. To my mind, at the time, she was one of the better defenders in the CW. She had great defensive skills, could set up a break out so beautifully and throw gorgeous tape to tape saucer passes. She was big and tough and could jump into offensive situations with great timing. Evidence of that was her Clarkson Cup winning goal against Boston. She had great leadership skills as well. The others on the team looked to her for direction. She did a lot of organizing for the team as well. At her time the team did not supply warm up gear so Britni took it upon herself to find a supplier and get the gear for the team. She was s big promoter of team unity. In talking with her parents, they seemed at a loss to explain how Britni was left off of the program. The other player from the Furies that was a mystery cut was Tessa Bonhomme. She was one of the best skaters on the team and demonstrated all of the skills necessary to be not only a top flight player, but a team leader. She was unceremoniously cut from the Olympic roster. That remains a big mystery as to why she was cut. Now she was fighting the shingles at the time and she did have a bit of a messy break-up with her then figure skating boyfriend, but her superior skills were undeniable. Now both of these women have landed on their feet. Britni is an assistant coach st an US university and has re-appeared in the National program as a coach with the under 18 national team. And well we all know where Tessa has landed. She is a talented women's hockey expert wth Sports Net and TSN. So it is evident that the Bettez conundrum is something that has been and is on-going. The list of players that should be there is actually endless. But next year we will be treated to some Bettez heroics in the CW and she won't be overshadowed by anyone.
ReplyShare
Icing_On_The_RinkFeb 04 at 5:29 PM
Bettez's exclusion has stuck out for me because she's one of my favourite players, but it's sad that her case is not an anomaly. I've never heard of Britni Smith - which is definitely my loss. If she had been part of Team Canada, she probably would have had a higher profile. A lot of people only talk about women's hockey in relation to the Olympics (without mentioning any professional league which the player might be in) so the non-national team members slip through the cracks.
So Bettez isn't one of Hockey Canada's favourites, huh? Well - that's definitely their loss! On one hand, it's very exciting to have great players on Team Canada, but on the other hand, it'll be nice to have players of Bettez's caliber playing the entire CW season. Hockey Canada's loss will be our gain!
1ReplyShare
KeeperFeb 04 at 10:03 PM
I think you're right about Bettez. She is a treat to watch. She has great speed and is very creative. It's no wonder that Montreal is perennially near the top of the league, with players like her to back up Ouellette and Poulin. I have heard the same question that you have asked so many times since she has been in the league. I think she and Jess Jones are the two best players not on the national team.
1ReplyShare
