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focus photo of woman in red and white polo shirt with black pants in ice wheelchair
focus photo of woman in red and white polo shirt with black pants in ice wheelchair
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Women’s Ice Hockey Olympians Making History with NHL Teams

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Katelyn Gearan
Emerson Contributor
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emerson chapter.

So far this NHL season, two female Olympians have practiced with teams. Hilary Knight is thought to be the first non-goalie to ever practice with an NHL team, the Anaheim Ducks. Anne Schleper is the second, practicing with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Both U.S. Olympians used these practices to help raise awareness for International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Girls’ Ice Hockey Weekend on October 11-12. This is an event that is a weeklong campaign to help introduce young girls to the sport.

Both teams participated in the event. Schleper conducted street hockey clinics along with practicing with the Lightning. Both were part of a ceremonial puck drop during the teams’ games within the week.

The steps being taken by the league and these women are huge strides for the sport. Their participation also gives a highlight of their skill and efforts in the Olympics. Both Knight and Schleper were on the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women’s team that won a silver medal.

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Katelyn is a senior studying Marketing Communications and Journalism at Emerson College. She is involved with various marketing groups on campus and hopes to work in the entertainment or sports marketing industry. She spent a semester in Valencia, Spain and can be found at a Red Sox or Bruins game more often than not. You can find Katelyn on Twitter at @katelyngearan or @katelyn_gearan.
Emerson contributor