Rivalry Series brings awareness to women’s hockey

High-calibre female athletes rarely see the same attention as their male counterparts when it comes to support and game turnout, though members of the national women’s team say events like the current Rivalry series between Canada and the United States help grow the sport.

“The more we can see it, the more we can talk about it, that’s what makes women’s hockey more popular,” captain of Team Canada, Marie-Phillip Poulin told CFJC News.

“Obviously, we know every four years it’s part of the Olympics, but it’s more than every four years. It’s every year. We train hard and we want to showcase women’s hockey.”

In the last few years, female hockey players have seen big strides in exposure, even seeing National Women’s Team forward Sarah Nurse appearing on the front of NHL 23.

“I think you can tell, people have been more aware of women’s hockey,” Poulin said.

“You can tell it’s been changing. I think the growth and the pace of the game also changed and you can see a lot, but there’s still improvement to do.”

According to the captain, women’s hockey still needs more exposure on television and social media.

The athletes say playing in front of a full house only adds to the game on the ice, which makes for a more exciting game to watch.

“The fans who come out see the speed of the game, the intensity of the game,” Jenner said.

“It was a really fast-paced game in Kelowna to start the series off and I think it’s only going to get more intense as it goes on – it’s usually what happens in a series.”

The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. at Sandman Centre for Game Two of the Rivalry Series before shifting to Seattle at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

by Sydney Chisholm

Rivalry Series brings awareness to women’s hockey

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