Trish Minor never played hockey. It wasn’t until after her twin girls, Chelsea and Courtney, were born that she took any interest in the game. Now, she’s the ultimate hockey parent: chauffeur, chief fan, and, in her spare time, vice-president of Girls Hockey Calgary.
“It started ten years ago when the girls were about six,” she told me recently, during the announcement that the national midget championship is coming to Max Bell Centre in Calgary April 19 to 25. “Chelsea came to me one day and said, Mom, I want to play hockey. I was a little surprised but we decided we’d let her try it and Courtney decided she wanted to play too.”
“That was ten years ago. Now they’re playing on separate teams. Chelsea’s a forward for the Flyers, who are in first place. Courtney plays defense for the Bruins. Both of them are in Grade 11 and both of them are thinking about going on to university.”
“And both of them are really looking forward to this national championship. It’ll be pretty competitive after Christmas because only one Alberta team will be in the tournament. There are 12 teams in the Alberta league: six in the north and six in the south, including three teams in Calgary. So, it’ll be a great experience for all the girls.”
This inaugural nationals will involve five teams: Pacific (Alberta and BC), West (Saskatchewan and Manitoba), Central (Ontario), Atlantic (Maritimes) and a host team. Quebec has opted not to be represented the first year. The Alberta champion will play the BC champion for the Pacific berth. The host team will be the Calgary team that goes the furthest in the playoffs.
“This championship has been a long time coming,” says Julie Healy, director of female hockey for Hockey Canada. “In 1997 we had 3,000 registered players in female hockey across the country.
Last season we had 12,000. We’ve got more girls than ever before playing at this level. We’ve got midget girls teams in every province. So this championship is a wonderful addition to developing the base of the game.”
“ESSO has been supporting the growth and development of women’s hockey since 1994,” said
marketing representative, John Harding. “We’ve had a national championship for women but the game at the adult level is concentrated in three or four provinces. At this level we can play a role in a truly national championship and assist in skill development for the players. That’s what we’d like to do.”
“The Western Women’s Hockey League and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League will hold its own national championship in March of 2009,” said Healy. “The western provinces still have a western shield tournament and the Martimes are looking at a similar event. We’re hopeful we can have a truly national women’s championship in the future. But right now, given the number of young women playing the game at this level, this championship is far more important to Canadian female hockey development.
Lois Mitchell, who chaired the inaugural women’s world U-18 tournament in Calgary last January, will co-chair this tournament along with Alberta Midget Girls League President, Byron Stephens. The Delta Bow Valley will be the host hotel.
Now, the only question to be answered is, will one of the Minor twins, Chelsea or Courtney, will be in the tournament. The answer will be forthcoming later this winter at a hockey arena near you.
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