It feels like just yesterday I was sitting on the couch with my family watching the Canadian women’s hockey team win gold against the USA in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Hearts racing as the Canadians, down 2-1 with three minutes left in the game, were putting everything they had out on the ice. Hope slowly fading as the clock ticked down. That is, until Marie-Philipe Poulin earned her nickname “Captain Clutch” scoring the tying goal with fifty-five seconds left and taking the game to overtime. An overtime where she once again scored the game winning goal against the US, securing the gold medal for team Canada.
I was only eight at the time, but I remember the feeling. The sense of pride I had not only in Canada but in the women who made it happen. I had always loved watching hockey. In fact, I’m a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan. But this was something different. Seeing ponytails whip around the ice on live television, showing off their skills; it was inspirational. From that point on, Poulin was my idol. And hockey: it was my life. At the time, I had been playing for years, but it wasn’t until this game that I really began showing it off. I was one of only two girls in my grade who played hockey and I made sure everyone knew it. There was not a single no uniform day that went by where I wasn’t sporting my “She Plays Hockey” hoodie and you can guess what sport I always voted for in gym class. Even though it was never my dream to play professionally, I never let my passion for the sport die. I was there for the love of the game and continued to play until I was eighteen and aged out of my league.
This year, as I sat on the couch watching yet another Canada versus USA Olympic Women’s gold medal game, I couldn’t help but reflect on just how far the industry has come. Over the past twelve years, representation for women’s hockey grew up alongside me. For much of that time, however, it was a fragile mess of unstable and underfunded leagues. Brief glimpses of these incredible women in the Olympic spotlight once every four years would grab some attention just for them to be forgotten when it was over. However, with efforts by the veteran players that pushed for better wages and better conditions, the unification and respect of women’s hockey was demanded. In 2023, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was established, and women’s hockey finally began getting the recognition it deserves. In the past three years, this league has continued to expand, growing from six teams to eight. The stands remain filled as each team’s fanbase continues to grow, and with that, women’s hockey is being taken more seriously than ever.
But this recognition isn’t just about getting these women professional working conditions and a livable wage in return for their talents. It’s about increasing the visibility of women’s hockey and creating stronger representation. Inspiring young girls to pick up a stick, to aim to get better, and to be proud of their sport just as I was inspired twelve years ago. It’s about encouraging girls to dream of going to the big leagues and making it a true possibility—a chance that did not exist too long ago.
Beyond the ice, the athletes of the PWHL are dedicated to this goal. These women know what it is like to be a young girl in a sport that wasn’t designed to support their development. They want to change this structure and narrative so that girls don’t need to play on boy’s teams in order to succeed, just as many of them had to do. Key contributors to the creation of the league itself, like Marie-Philipe Poulin of the Montreal Victoire and Hamilton local Sarah Nurse of the Toronto Sceptres, regularly volunteer their time to funding girls’ hockey programs. In fact, they were the inspiration for the Tim Hortons x Barbie x PWHL collaboration. The PWHL has also launched a Mentorship Program with Strong Girls United dedicated to connecting current athletes with youth and fostering inclusive spaces for girls to thrive.
Just as I sat eagerly watching the gold medal game in 2014, young girls sat watching that same rivalry face off in 2026. Except this time, they won’t grow up thinking that hockey is a boy’s sport. They won’t feel like nobody cares to watch the women play, and hopefully rather than only seeing a hobby, they’ll see the possibility of a career path.
Unlike 2014, Canada fell short in overtime this year. With that, the Olympic careers of several influential athletes who have shaped this team and been pioneers for women’s hockey have likely come to an end. While I am personally heartbroken to see the women that influenced my hockey journey retire without one last gold medal, I am also hopeful for the future. I find comfort in watching the rookie players on team Canada, knowing they will step up to continue inspiring the next generation of women’s hockey. And as team Canada evolves, it’s good to know we can still find our vets continuing their legacies in the PWHL.
This time around, the spotlight on women’s hockey will not go out with the Olympic flame.