AUTOGRAPHS

Why Is Womens Hockey So Popular

Are you aware of how much womens ice hockey has increased in popularity?  Hockey has typically been a men’s sport, not a women’s sport.In the last 10 years, women who play ice hockey has increased by 350%. However, the number of women’s professional ice hockey leagues is still significantly smaller than men’s professional hockey leagues.  Still, you might be surprised at how many girls hockey teams there are.

The first woman became an official professional ice hockey player in 1970.  It was then that the Marquette Iron Rangers signed Karen Koch on as a contract ice hockey player.In 1998, the Winter Olympics first included women’s ice hockey as a medal sport.  During that year, the United States won the gold medal. The silver medal went to Canada, and the bronze medal went to Finland.It might surprise you to know that the NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, had a women goaltender in some preseason ice hockey games in 1992.  Manon Rheaume is the first and only woman to play a National Hockey League preseason exhibition game.She also played a number of minor league ice hockey games from 1992 to 1997.Minor ice hockey leagues in North America have also had a number of women ice hockey players.

There is one major difference in ice hockey rules and play in womens ice hockey leagues.No checking is allowed in women’s ice hockey.  This is also a big difference in the youth ice hockey league rules.Youth girls hockey does not permit any body checking unlike the boys hockey which does allow checking.The referee gives penalties for any checking when it happens ice hockey for girls.Women in ice hockey wear full face masks.  You will not see the same fighting and roughness in womens hockey either.  As more girls discover women’s hockey by watching the Winter Olympics, it is likely we will continue to see usa national hockey increase in popularity.

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