Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Organized women's hockey in TMR began in the early 1960s when the two local high schools pooled their resources and formed a common team to play against other Montreal-area communities. However, the popularity of ringuette took over a few years later and the team was disbanded.

It would take another 20 years before the return of local women's hockey in 1985. A group of players formed a team that played a schedule of exhibition games. Under the ægis of the Recreation Department, it existed under that format for five seasons.

Through the initiative of several women's teams, including TMR's, the federated Ligue de hockey féminin Montréal-Métro (LHFMM) was created in 1990. Since ringuette had been gradually phased out locally, registration for hockey rose considerably with TMR able to enter two teams into the new league.

A few years later, in 1993, a new format came to local women's hockey. For the first time, there would be a selection process involved in forming the entry to the LHFMM with the remaining players drafted onto two entries of equal strength in the newly-formed Women's Recreational Hockey League.

However, compared to men's and minor leagues, local women's hockey has received scant attention through the years. Indeed, for more than eight years, it has also been pretty much my own media radar until I spotted a notice on a glass casing in the local arena.

Similarly to everyone who has ever laced up their skates and grabbed a hockey stick, the women very much enjoy playing the game. Stéphanie Blouin, a 24-year-old forward with the C division Falcons, said it's also a way to stay active since she finished university where she played several team sports.

For 55-year-old Beverley Beauchamp, who spares for the Falcons, the great thing about hockey is that there's no age once you've put on the helmet and hit the ice. "If you can skate and handle the puck, it doesn't matter how old you are," said Beauchamp, a formed physical education teacher, who does both quite skilfully if not quite as fast as the younger players.

With 15 players on the squads and a few absentees each game, everyone gets plenty of ice time. Doing without some years, a coach comes in ready when deciding who should take an extra shift, said veteran Falcons player and manager Hélène Charbonneau. "They all want to play and have a good team."

While many of the Falcons come from other areas, that's not the case with the recreational Eagles team. "They're mostly people from TMR," said veteran player and manager Emmanuelle Laprise. "We have a doctor, a marketing specialist, a few engineers and a few students."

Most are in their 30s with some over 40 and some under 30. The skill level varies more from those just beginning to those who have played for 10 years, she said. With a slight turnover of players each year, a sense of camaraderie develops as it does in many team sports. "You can have some nice plays going on, but it's also a lot of fun."

At the last few Falcons' home games, there were barely 10 persons in the stands, probably mostly family members or boyfriends. With the increasing skill levels in women's hockey, it would be nice to give the "girls" a little more interest and support.

For the historical information, thanks to Bob Mann, Heather Dalgleish, and Geneviève Gélinas.