Wednesday, February 2, 2011 /
If you’re a hockey fan in this country, you are familiar with Cassie Campbell-Pascall, one of the game’s most recognizable faces. As a player, Campbell won two Olympic Gold Medals, (2002, Salt Lake City and 2006, Turin). She also won an Olympic silver in 1998, (Nagano), and is a six-time World Champion.
What you may not know is that in the years since she last hit the ice, Campbell-Pascall has still been heavily involved with the game. Of course, there has been the broadcast work, including the iconic Hockey Night in Canada. But Campbell-Pascall has done more than just cover the game from the broadcast booth. As a current board member for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, she has been focused on growing the game she loves from behind the scenes.
Campbell-Pascall played most of her minor hockey in Brampton, Ontario. She recalls memories of 7:15 a.m. practices at the now demolished Rosalea Arena, and playing in the Brampton Canadettes annual tournament. As one of Canada’s most talented female players and gifted leaders, Campbell-Pascall became a mainstay on the Olympic team. However, she mentions that now, the Olympics are not the only goal for young players.
“Of course, the Olympics are every little girl’s dream,” she sais. “But only 20 girls make that team; what happens to the others is important, it is essential for us to have a league because it gives girls another dream.”
Campbell-Pascall also mentions the long-term benefits from having opportunities to play the game into university and beyond. With a new baby, Campbell-Pascall relates her elite sport experience to motherhood.
“In sport, nothing comes easy, so with my daughter, it’s all about how I can I be better than I was yesterday.”
That attitude has certainly served her not only at home but in her on-going community work, as she hopes to help grow the CWHL into a household name.
“It is important to get the league to that next level, and right now, our challenges are getting the funding,” she mentions.
With all the honours bestowed upon our hockey heroines, sometimes, financial comfort isn’t one of them.
“We have national team players literally paying to play hockey, compared to Sweden or Russia where players at least make some money,” she adds.
The monetary challenges go beyond paying the players as currently the CWHL needs the finances to assist with the cost of growth as well.
Although budgets are tight, sponsorship dollars are starting to come in, largely due to a re-organized infrastructure and good management. In addition to long-time supporter Scotiabank, the CWHL has added Pepsi, Bauer and Blackstone, in the last year.
“With a great on-ice product, in markets where hockey thrives, the CWHL is an enticing property for companies looking for exposure to active individuals, as well as families,” comments Callum Ng, partner at NG Farrell Marketing, the league’s Western Canadian marketing rep.
Campbell-Pascall adds that big sponsorship dollars aren’t the only way to get involved. “You can even sponsor one player in the league,” she says.
The cost of playing hockey is one thing, but as Campbell-Pascall demonstrates, the rewards are enormous and it is certainly not far from her mind that she owes a lot of it to hockey.
But as she gives back, she is careful to note, “no one is concerned about the credit,” (in reference to growing the CWHL). Words that echo the same leadership that led Canada to Olympic Gold, and experience that the CWHL can only be too happy to have.
The CWHL has Ontario teams in Brampton, Burlington and Toronto. Schedules, ticket information and results can be found at www.cwhl.ca.
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