It appears that I have a little too much love for some of the boys. I'd like to give a shout out to a few very deserving women that have managed to break the testosterone barrier:
Manon Rheaume
Manon Rheaume was the first woman to play in a Junior A men's hockey game. She played one game for Trois-Rivieres of the QMJHL during the 1991-92 season.
Her claim to fame is that she is the first woman to ever play in a professional hockey game. She was signed as free agent by the Tampa Bay Lightning on August 8, 1992 and played in an exhibition game (Tampa Bay Lightning vs. St. Louis Blues) on September 23, 1992. Her first win in a professional hockey game was a 9-6 win in a start with the Knoxville Cherokees of the ECHL.
Manon is Canadian and has played for Team Canada for many years. Source:
Manon Rheaume
Hayley Wickenheiser
She is a player for the Canadian women's
ice hockey team. In 2003, she became the first woman to play professional hockey.
Her performance at the 1998 Olympics impressed Men's Team Canada General Manager
Bobby Clarke so much, that he invited her to participate in the
Philadelphia Flyers rookie camps in 1998 and 1999.
In 2003, Wickenheiser became the first woman to suit up in a Men's professional hockey league, at a position other than goalie, when she played for
HC Salamat in
Finland. During this season, she also becomes the first woman to score a goal playing in a Men's professional league. Over the course of the season, Wickenheiser plays 23 games, scoring 2 goals and adding 10 assists.Wickenheiser joined a European league to play professional hockey, as the game is more open and less physical than North American leagues. This attempt to play professional hockey was not an entirely smooth process, as Wickenheiser was initially slated to play in
Italy, until the Italian Winter Sports Federation ruled that women were ineligible to play in a men's league. She also turned down an offer from
Phil Esposito to play for the
Cincinnati Cyclones of the
ECHL. Finland's Hockey Federation unanimously supported letting women play in a men's league, allowing her to debut with Salamat on
January 10,
2003.
Hayley Wickenheiser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If anyone knows of another notable female that played with the boys, please post so they get their due recognition.
