With the start of the second Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season approaching, women in today’s hockey community reflect on the importance of Manon Rhéaume’s legacy and the impact of her representation.
Along with a list of accolades that includes a couple of gold medals in the women’s International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and a silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Rhéaume was the first woman to play in an NHL game 32 years ago, on Sept. 23, 1992.
The goaltender played for the Tampa Lightning in the preseason and blocked shots from the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.
Jordan Collitan, associate head coach for the Mount Royal University women’s hockey team, coached the Ottawa Charge in their inaugural season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
Even though she was just a toddler when Rhéaume made her NHL debut, the moment changed her life
“Her making that debut was huge for our sport,” Collitan told 660 NewsRadio. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity that I have as an athlete, as a coach, without her and the women before her.”
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Rhéaume also inspired 18-year-old Linnea Hawke, a blue liner for the Cochrane Chaos in the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League, at a young age,
She says her life changed when she took out a book about the goaltender in her elementary school library.
“I think it just kind of sparked my hope for playing somewhere really high, like high level,” Hawke said. “It was just a very interesting story, and it just proved that … anything’s possible.”
Her admiration of Rhéaume increased greatly following the establishment of the PWHL. Hawke says the PWHL fills a hole that was left by the loss of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folding in 2019 and the loss of the Calgary Inferno.
“It was a heartbreak to everybody because it’s kind of lost that league for women and just … left them with not a whole lot to play. So I think when the PWHL opened up, it really sparked up that hope again there is somewhere to play,” Hawke said.
Collitan says women’s hockey is in a great place right now, but only because of women like Rhéaume, who proved to young girls everywhere that hockey is not just for boys.
“Women’s sports in general has been exploding at the moment. It’s in the media. It’s visible. People can see the impact that women’s athletes can have,” she said.
“What a cool time to be a part of it as a female athlete and also as a coach.”
The two both say the creation of the PWHL has been critical to addressing inequality in women’s hockey, a step that may have never been taken if it weren’t for Rhéaume’s legacy.
“People are starting to appreciate the game for women, and it just kind of makes you think the teams like Chaos or Edmonton or Calgary, like, we don’t have PWHL teams yet, but we have the junior teams, so people might start showing up to those games,” Hawke said.
The PWHL was founded in late June 2023 and began play on Jan. 1, 2024. In the inaugural season, the PWHL referred to each team with a PWHL prefix.
In early September, the league unveiled the nicknames and logos for each of its six franchises for the upcoming second season. Those are the Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, New York Sirens, and the Toronto Sceptres.
The 2024-25 PWHL season will consist of 30 games, though a start date hasn’t been announced yet.