Top Women’s Hockey Stories (10 to 6)

Once the New Year’s Eve ball drops on Times Square at midnight, the 21^st century will be twenty-five years old. In recognition of the past quarter-century, we continue our list of the 25 most significant women’s hockey stories over that period. These women’s hockey events have captivated fans from around the globe, and inspired women, and especially young girls, for generations to come.

10. Sarah Nurse makes the cover of EA Sports NHL23

Just months after helping Canada win Olympic gold in Beijing, Nurse graced the cover of NHL23, the widely popular video game produced by EA Sports. She became the first woman in the history of the gaming franchise’s hockey edition to be so featured, smiling in front of a graphical palm tree backdrop alongside Trevor Zegras, then of the Anaheim Ducks. Although not an on-ice event, it was a monumental milestone for women’s hockey visibility.

9. Finland robbed of 2019 World Championship gold

After Finland upset Canada in the semi-finals, it had a chance in front of a home crowd at Espoo Metro Areena to dethrone the defending Olympic and World champion Americans from their lofty perch. With the teams deadlocked at 1-1 in overtime, Petra Nieminen converted a rebound from a shot by teammate Jenni Hirikoski, appearing to have secured the gold medal for her country. But after a ten-minute video review, the referees inexplicably ruled that there was interference against USA goalie Alex Rigsby, who had come out of her net to play Hirkoski’s shot, but was not fouled in any way. The apparent goal was waved off, and the Americans eventually prevailed in a shootout. In a show of solidarity, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association paid its players the same amount of bonus money as if they had rightfully been awarded gold.

8. Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, shine at NHL All-Star skills

Less than a year after winning Olympic gold, both American players were invited to participate at the 2019 NHL All-Star Game festivities. Coyne Schofield entered the Fastest Skater competition following the withdrawal of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon due to an injury. She mesmerized the crowd at SAP Center in San Jose, completing a lap in 14.346 seconds to finish seventh in the event, one spot ahead of Arizona’s Clayton Keller. Meanwhile, Decker registered an unofficial time of 1:06 in the Premier Passing event – three seconds faster than winner Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton – only to initially be denied compensation because “she was just merely ‘demonstrating’ the event,” and her time wasn’t recorded by the NHL. Equipment maker CCM stepped in and awarded Decker $25,000 after the hashtag #PayDecker went viral on social media.

7. Canadian Women’s Hockey League folds

After twelve seasons of operating as the top women’s hockey league in North America, the CWHL abruptly ceased operations in the spring of 2019, just weeks after the Calgary Inferno skated off the ice as that season’s Clarkson Cup champions. Throughout its existence, the league never paid its players to play, but was the top circuit available for the women, especially for Olympic-level athletes and present-day Hall of Famers. Despite an attempt to generate revenues via a partnership with two Chinese-based teams, the business model was deemed to be unsustainable.

6. USA wins 2018 Olympic gold, ending Canada’s streak

Two decades after the United States won the inaugural women’s Olympic hockey gold medal in Nagano, Japan, the Americans were finally able to snap a run of four straight championships won by Canada at the Winter Games. In the third period of the final game, Monique Lamoureux scored the equalizer, sending the proceedings to an eventual shootout knotted at 2-2. Her twin sister Jocelyne went on to score the shootout winner, goaltender Maddie Rooney outdueling counterpart Shannon Szabados for the victory.