The infographic below, Skating Through Women’s Ice Hockey, is presented to you by Tucker Hockey (www.tuckerhockey.com).

The Sports Archives would like to summarize some of the facts regarding Women’s Hockey as illustrated in the infographic.  Girl’s and women’s hockey is growing at a tremendous pace as demonstrated by the continued growth in participation at the high school and college levels.  There will no doubt be a time in the not too far distant future, that women’s hockey will start to see more growth and more of a fan base.

Here are some historical facts with regard to Women’s Hockey:

1. The Canadian Hockey Association states that the first recorded women’s hockey game
presided in Barrie, Ontario in 1892.

2. According to “Total Hockey”, the official encyclopedia of the NHL, the first game was played in Ottawa, where the Government House Team defeated the Rideau ladies team in 1889.

3. Women’s hockey proliferated in the 1920s and 1930s, with teams, leagues and tournaments in almost every region of Canada and even a few areas in the U.S.

4. The Preston Rivulettes of Ontario were like the Montreal Canadiens of Women’s hockey having dominated the game throughout the 1930s.

5. Girl’s hockey, however, was struggling and hit a major obstacle when the Ontario Supreme Court ruled against 9 year-old Abby Hoffman, a girl who challenged the “boys only” policy in minor hockey.

6. In the 1980s, Canadian intercollegiate women’s hockey was formed and the NCAA recognized the game in 1993.

7. In 1990, eight countries participated in the first Women’s World Ice Hockey Championship and by 1998, women’s hockey was introduced to the Nagano Olympic games in Japan.

Today, women’s hockey is dominated by Canada and the United States and continues to thrive as some of the Scandinavian countries are starting to emerge with Sweden winning a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics.