Proud Past, Bright Future: One Hundred Years of Canadian Women's Hockey

Janet Money, formerly the sports editor of the Woodstock Daily
Sentinel-Review, is a freelance writer and editor in London, Ontario.

Brian McFarlane, the dean of Canadian sports writers with more than 40
books to his credit, has produced an important and entertaining history
of a game that has experienced a boom in popularity and has just been
accepted as an official Winter Olympics sport.

McFarlane traces the roots of the women’s hockey back to the 1890s,
when it was enjoyed by, among others, the family of the Governor
General, Lord Stanley. In addition to donating the cup that became
emblematic of men’s professional hockey supremacy in North America,
Stanley is also to be recognized for his encouragement of the women’s
game.

Women’s hockey grew through the turn of the century and thrived until
the 1940s. But before then, there were some very interesting
personalities and teams. McFarlane brings the Preston Rivulets to our
attention; their 438-2 won-loss record through the 1930s is unparalleled
in hockey (perhaps in any sport), and they won numerous national
championships before the tournaments were discontinued (but revived in
1982).

The revival of female hockey that began in the late 1960s is traced
through to the 1990s, when a sanctioned international tournament in
Ottawa was televised across Canada. Girls’ hockey enrolments
skyrocketed, and the future of the game as a fixture in this country
became assured.

The sticky questions of girls-only hockey vs. integrated hockey are
given attention through the Ontario cases of Gail Cummings and Justine
Blainery, who challenged “no girls” rules and won—to the dismay of
women’s hockey organizations, who want to preserve the good thing
they’ve got going. The story of Manon Rhéaume, the first Canadian
woman to play professional hockey (in the minor leagues) is the lead-in
to this section. McFarlane is for the most part a chronicler, not an
analyst, and simply presents the discussion without drawing conclusions.

This important volume includes rare and fascinating archival photos
from the author’s collection in addition to pictures he’s gleaned
from elsewhere.