November 9, 2008

Canada lost captain Hayley Wickenheiser for all but the first period of the game. Wickenheiser suffered a right leg injury late in the first and her absence was acutely felt in the shootout.

Sweden defeated Finland to take third place.

In other big hockey news, Angela Ruggiero made history this week at 4 Nations as she took to the ice for Team USA for the 206th time, surpassing Cammi Granato’s previous record of 205 games played for the United States. 

Many only know Ruggiero from her TV appearance on The Apprentice but her sports career is on par with players like Mia Hamm.  Like Hamm, Ruggiero was fifteen when she made her national team debut.  At 18 she won gold in the inaugural Olympics for women’s hockey.  The Harvard grad has been a world champion twice and has been named the best defender of the world championships or the Olympics six times.

In 205 total career games, Ruggiero has amassed 55 goals and 119 assists for 174 points.  She might not have won “The Apprentice” but she’s tops in our book.

Congrats to Angela and Team USA - Well done ladies!

November 5, 2008

In  opening round-robin play yesterday, the Canadians whooped Finland 6-0.

The score would have been more lopsided against Finland, the bronze medallist at the world championship behind runner-up Canada, if not for the work of goaltender Noora Raty.

Raty, named the top goaltender at the world championship in April, made 43 saves!

Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser, who plays professionally for a men’s hockey team in Sweden, had a goal and two assists to help the Canadian women to their win.

Later in the day, the U.S. women enjoyed a  5-2 win over Sweden .

Team Canada will face the USA on Thursday evening, at 7 pm (EST). The Canadian team heads into Thursday’s game against the U.S. on a rare two-game losing streak against its archrival. It’s the first Canada-USA game since the U.S. won the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship by defeating Canada in the gold medal game in April 2008 in Harbin, China.

A world championship isn’t on the line, but the victor is guaranteed a berth in Sunday’s gold-medal game at the Four Nations.

Held since 1996, the 4 Nations (previously 3 Nations) tournament has been won by Team Canada every year except 1997 and 2003, where the victory went to Team USA.

Need a refresher on ice hockey lingo? Check out the Pretty Tough Playbook.

October 11, 2008

 A 15-year member of the U.S. Women’s National Team beginning in 1990, Granato is the program’s all-time scoring leader with 343 points (186 goals) in 205 games. She achieved international fame in 1998 when she captained Team USA to the first Olympic gold medal in women’s ice hockey history.

An ambassador to the women’s game, Granato has appeared on the front of a Wheaties cereal box and carried the American flag for Team USA during closing ceremonies of the 1998 Olympics. She’s also served as a role model for thousands of teenage girls who never would have realized their dream of playing collegiate or international hockey if not for her.

Last night, Granato was most deservedly inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. She become the first female of 138 members in the Hall and was honored during a ceremony at Magness Arena on the campus of the University of Denver. 

NHL legend Brett Hull said he’s privileged to be entering the Hall alongside Granato.

“I’d put Cammi’s impact on the game and the team she played for right up there with what the 1980 Olympic men’s team did for hockey in this country,” Hull said. “She’s done just as much, if not more, for grass roots hockey at that level. I don’t think they could have picked anyone better to be the first woman inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.”

“To know I was the first woman, it was a pretty nice feeling,” she said of the honor.

If you’re a fan, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum is  can be found in Eveleth, Minn (”The Capital of American Hockey”). According to their site, you can experience the thrilling game action and inspiring achievements via physical displays, exhibits, video, theater and memorabilia. Try your skills on the replica rink, see the #4 Zamboni, watch the 1980 Olympic Team as they take home the Gold and more!

May 16, 2008

American Cammi Granato and Canadians Geraldine Heaney and Angela James became the first women inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, which is housed inside the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. There are now 163 players and builders from 23 countries enshrined in the hall.

Granato, who played 15 years, captained Team USA and won Olympic gold in 1998, gave an impassioned and eloquent acceptance speech that was both personal and representative of all female players.

“To be among the first women in the Hall of Fame is hard to put into words but it’s extremely special to me. I’m incredibly honoured. I grew up playing with boys and shared the same dream as my brothers.”

“It was really hard for me to accept that I couldn’t play for the Chicago Blackhawks. Because I was a girl I couldn’t have that dream. I want to thank the IIHF for giving me another dream.”

Heaney, who won seven gold medals at the worlds and one at the 2002 Olympics, was choked up at the event as she had recently suffered a death in the family.

“She was a huge hockey fan and a supporter of me. I’d just like to say this is for you, Kath,” Heaney said at the podium.

James was also emotional and cognizant of their role in female hockey history as she accepted her place in the hall.

“We were very fortunate we had the opportunity to play so many years. We’re just the start of many more to come. We’re going to hopefully continue to see a great game for years to come.”

Boarding
penalty given to a player for flagrantly knocking another player into the boards.

Boards
wooden and glass walls that surround the rink.

Body Check
using the hip or shoulder to impede the progress of a player or knock into a player.

Breakaway
one-on-one scoring opportunity between the puck carrier and the opposing goaltender.

Butterfly Save
goalie drops to her knees and points her toes out, creating a “V” shape with the goal pads to prevent the goal.

Changing on the Fly
substitution of players without stopping the play.

Charging
infraction in which a player deliberately checks another player after taking more than two strides.

Check
used to gain the puck from an opponent; sometimes indicates a player that is being covered closely in one on one defensive

Coast to Coast
player skates from their end to the opponents end without passing or losing the puck.

Crease
semicircle in front of the goal known as the goaltender’s privileged area. No players are allowed inside the goalie’s crease.

Crossover
skating technique is which one skate is placed in front of the skate on the opposite leg.

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Well, the writers at Sports Illustrated tackled the question and came up with  a list. Of the  25 athletes they chose, only two are women. Of course, the picks are debatable and ours would be vastly different. Because being tough isn’t enough, we’re going to put together a list of  the top “Pretty Tough” athletes!

First on the SI list?  Golfer Tiger Woods based on his determination and focus in dominating the world of golf. The list also included six National Football League players, three National Basketball Association players, two Major League Baseball players, two boxers and two ultimate fighters. Rounding out the 25 were a sled dog racer, a bull rider, a tennis player, a NASCAR driver and a hot dog eating champion.

#10 Chrissie Wellington
What makes her tough: The gritty Wellington, 31, won the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in her Kona debut. She’s the first British athlete to take the event. The month before, she made her Ironman pro debut and won in Korea. Stunningly, she’s admitted that she never used a heart-rate monitor or had a V02 max test, both required parts of any tri-athlete’s training manual.

Defining moment: At Kona, Wellington ran a 2:59:57 marathon for a 9:08:45 winning time. “If it was a sauna on the bike, it was an oven on the run,” she says.

Old school match: Paula Newby-Fraser, the eight-time Queen of Kona.

#20 Hayley Wickenheiser
What makes her tough: No player in women’s hockey drives to the net with such purpose and fury. Wickenheiser has grown from teen phenom to grande dame of Canadian hockey, carrying the weight of her country and game every time on the ice. Sadly, she isn’t allowed to body check.

Defining moment: She played pro hockey against men in Finland as a way of challenging herself. Sure, Kirkkonummi Salamat was a second-division club, but in 23 games, Wickenheiser acquitted herself well.

Old school match: Angela James, a forward who starred for Canada in the ’90s, or possibly tennis legend Billie Jean King. Wickenheiser is really new school

Who would be on your list?

March 22, 2008 - DULUTH, Minn.

With the game on, Swede Kim Martin, a finalist for the 2008 Patty Kazmaier Award given to the nation’s top Division I women’s hockey player,  stopped 28 shots to lead Minnesota Duluth past Wisconsin 4-0 Saturday at the NCAA women’s hockey championship.

The win was the school’s fourth championship in eight years, and first since 2003. Wisconsin beat UMD 4-1 in the women’s Frozen Four final last year for its second straight crown but fell short of the desired three-peat.

Defending champions, the Wisconsin Badgers, hope to claim the team’s third straight NCAA title.

Link

March 09, 2008

Today, the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Committee announced the field of eight teams which will compete for the eighth NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. The 2008 Women’s Frozen Four will be hosted by the University of Minnesota Duluth, March 20 and 22, at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. 

Eight teams were selected for the championship. Of the eight teams, the top four teams are seeded. Harvard enters the tournament as No. 1 seed followed by Minnesota Duluth, New Hampshire and Minnesota.  Last year’s winner, Wisconsin, will be back to defend their championship.  Keep an eye out for Harvard’s Sarah Vaillancourt, recently named All-Ivy first team and unanimous Player of the Year.

Frozen Four Bracket

Olympians Kimmie Meissner (U.S. Figure Skating) and Scott Gomez (USA Hockey) and three-time Olympic medalist Chad Hedrick (US Speedskating) are encouraging those who have never tried ice skating to take advantage of the free lessons being offered by participating ice skating rinks.

“The great thing about National Skating Month is that families can go to any participating rink for free lessons and all sorts of other fun events,” said Meissner, the reigning U.S. champion and 2006 World champion. “It’s a sport and a pastime for people of all ages, and I encourage everyone to visit their local rinks to see how they can get involved in this wonderful activity.”

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