Tag Archives: women’s hockey

Canadian women pick up Olympic slack

Canadian bobsledder extraordinaire Heather Moyse flashes her inhumanly perfect chicklets with her 2010 gold medal. Photo borrowed from www.heathermoyse.com
Canadian bobsledder extraordinaire Heather Moyse flashes her inhumanly perfect chicklets with her 2010 gold medal. Photo borrowed from www.heathermoyse.com

Obligatory shout out to Canadian athletes in Sochi this month, all of whom are representing Canada with style and grace. A special set of props go to our Canadian women, who have in the past few days tipped the hardware scales in favour of the women during the 2014 Winter Games. Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse joined an elite group in defending Olympic gold this week, taking first overall in the four-heat, two-(wo)man bobsleigh competition. In related news, Moyse may just have the most perfect teeth in the history of, well, teeth.

Dentistry aside, she and Humphries had an uphill battle in the third and fourth runs of the bobsleigh, as first-time American competitor Lauryn Williams and her partner Elana Williams pushed the Canadians to the final run before relinquishing the top spot. All of this despite undergoing hip surgery and taking nearly two and a half years away from sliding after the Vancouver Games. On the US side, Williams only started bobsledding in 2012 after taking a break from a career as an Olympic-level track star. She previously won gold at the Summer Games with the American 4x100m sprint relay.

Twice more, women took centre stage. Jennifer Jones skipped her rink to the first-ever perfect Games in curling history, going undefeated through the round robin and playoff matches. Team Jones beat a jittery Swedish rink, who made Canada sweat for eight ends before coming apart in the ninth. It’s the first Olympic medal for Jones & Co, and the first Canadian gold in women’s curling since Sandra Schmirler won the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.

On bigger ice down the road, Marie-Philip Poulin provided the heroics to bring Canada its fourth consecutive women’s hockey gold this morning. The United States was this close to wresting hockey supremacy away from Canada, up 2-0 with less than five minutes to play. Then goals by Brianne Jenner and Poulin sent the game to sudden death overtime. Poulin capitalised upon a rare 4-on-3 power play, as British referee Joy Tottman called a flurry of penalties — sending the Americans packing and the Canadians into a celebratory frenzy.

I’ve yet to see any stats on CBC viewership, but apparently NBC’s online feed was live-streamed on more than 1.2 million computers in the United States alone. That number is higher than any other piece of programming in the network’s history with the exception of this year’s SuperBowl.

Now it’s up to the men. Brad Jacobs skips the men in the curling final, and Sidney Crosby looks to lead the hockey squad past the Americans in the semi-final on Friday morning. The only advice one can give them is, “Boys, play like girls.”

 

Esso Cup pic #4 – Frederique Maringer

Québec’s LHFDQ Nord won the province’s first-ever national Midget AAA title, coming from behind to beat Ontario 5-2 in the gold medal game of the 2013 Esso Cup.

Frederique Maringer readies a wrist shot during the 2013 Esso Cup. Québec Nord took the gold medal with a 5-2 win in the final game. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Frederique Maringer readies a wrist shot during the 2013 Esso Cup. Québec Nord took the gold medal with a 5-2 win in the final game. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Podcast: Leafs & Habs & Midgets, oh my!

Jason & Chris examine the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and somehow wind up talking about Derek Roy and the Canucks. Along the way, they utilize as many metaphors as you can shake a dead horse at. Or something.

Episode 52: Leafs & Habs & Midgets, oh my!

• Intro
• Sofa Surfer Girl / Regularity
• Ovi’s back
• 2013 Esso Cup in Burnaby
• NHL Eastern Conference playoffs
• Time for a Change
• Thanks for Listening

Esso Cup pic #3 – Alyson Matteau

Representing Québec in this year’s Esso Cup, and may I add appearing in Saturday’s gold medal game at 6pm, is LHFDQ Nord. Anchoring the blueline is the tournament’s tallest player, Alyson Matteau. The native of Blainville, QC stands 5’11” before she laces up the skates. Considering female skaters at the Midget level who top 5’7″ are considered a power forward — Nord teammate Valérie Audet leads the tournament in scoring with 12 points in six games, and she’s listed at just 5’4″ — Matteau is hard to miss when she’s on the ice.

In five preliminary round games, Matteau had a goal and two assists, and has been dominant in defensive play in front of her goaltenders. (And yes, in case you’re wondering, mademoiselle Matteau’s father just happens to be named Stéphane, and yes, he’s that Stephane Matteau, the one with the Stanley Cup ring.)

Alyson Matteau anchors the Québec blue line, dominating the front of her own net with her physical play and threatening opposition goaltenders with a hard point shot. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Alyson Matteau anchors the Québec blue line, dominating the front of her own net with her physical play and threatening opposition goaltenders with a hard point shot. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

 

Esso Cup pic #2 – Hailey Smyl

In British Columbia, there aren’t many hockey names more recognizable than that of Smyl. Stan ‘the Steamer’ won back to back Memorial Cups with the New Westminster Bruins before settling into a 13-year career that defined Vancouver Canucks hockey for a generation. His brother Harvey Smyl may not have had quite as much impact on the ice, but has become one of the top junior coaches in the game, and still helms the BCHL Junior A Chilliwack Chiefs.

Fraser Valley Phantom captain Hailey Smyl skates to the bench after consulting with the referee in Esso Cup action. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Fraser Valley Phantom captain Hailey Smyl skates to the bench after consulting with the referee during a break in Esso Cup action. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

So it should come as no surprise that Hailey Smyl, daughter to Harvey and niece to Stan — a hard-working, emotional player who leads by example — finds herself wearing the captain’s C for the Fraser Valley Phantom, one of the region’s top midget teams.

2013 Esso Cup schedule and results

More after the break.

Continue reading Esso Cup pic #2 – Hailey Smyl

Esso Cup pic #1

We at Pucked in the Head have long flicked nose candy at lamestream media pundits and “personalities” who seem to think they should be above reporting anything less than the very highest level of sport. These are the Vancouver hockey writers who huff and puff when asked to cover hockey that doesn’t involve teams named ‘Canucks’. These are the radio pundits who whinge and rant when (rightly) informed that their job is, in fact, to report on all sporting events that happen in the area, not just the ones with the most impressive pre-game meals.

What these small-minded folk don’t realize is that the biggest and best in the country, like Bob McKenzie, Ron MacLean and Jeff Marek, for instance, still follow the ranks of minor pro, college, junior, and — gasp — even women’s hockey. The Esso Cup features the best young female hockey players in Canada, and the 2013 tourney is being held in Burnaby, BC this week. Look for pics and a feature or two over the next few days, and let’s hope certain local sports talk blowhards get over themselves long enough to give the tournament some love as well. These young ladies are the next Wickenheisers, the next Pounders, the next Spooners. They’re the next generation of Olympic Gold Medallists and World Champions. They work hard out there on the ice, and gosh darn it they deserve the attention.

Regina Rebels forward Teah Anderson readies to take a 20-foot wrist shot in preliminary round action at the 2013 Esso Cup in Burnaby. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Regina Rebels forward Teah Anderson readies to take a 20-foot wrist shot in preliminary round action at the 2013 Esso Cup in Burnaby. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

And hey, while we’re spotlighting pictures of women in sport — Ms Anderson above, and yesterday’s post about tennis phenom Eugenie Bouchard — let’s give a gander at Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Chyna, who let loose with a wicked slap shot during a post-game shootaround at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre last month. I swear to Gaustad, she put this one-timer top cheese, off the far post and in. Badass.

Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Chyna Bruce Lees a one-timer off the post and in during a post-game shoot around at the AESC. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Chyna Bruce Lees a one-timer off the post and in during a post-game shoot around at the AESC. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend: Vancouver Angels vs Richmond Ravens

The puck dropped on the final game of the Vancouver Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon, a 1-1 draw between the Vancouver Angels and Richmond Ravens. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Vancouver Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend, which featured 24 minor hockey teams from across BC skating on Rogers Arena ice, concluded with a resounding call of “LET THE GIRLS PLAY!” Okay, it wasn’t the first female hockey game of the event, but with the leaps forward the women’s game has made over the past few years, it seemed fitting that the Vancouver Angels and Richmond Ravens Atom teams would face off to the final puck drop on Sunday afternoon.

These 9- and 10-year-old ladies played to a 1-1 draw, even tying the shootout before shaking hands and heading off the ice for tours of the Canucks dressing room and the chance to grill their own coaches in the media room. (Loads of pictures after the jump.)

Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.

Continue reading Canucks Minor Hockey Weekend: Vancouver Angels vs Richmond Ravens