This post is dedicated to every single female hockey fan out there.

Here we are in 2018 and it still boggles my mind that when it comes to loving hockey(or any sport really), girls and women are told that either we cannot love the game OR we are dictated to on how to properly love the game. If we love it too much or too loudly, we are told that we are obsessed and to quiet down or if we don’t have every single stat memorized we are deemed clueless. Or then there’s the take that tells us that we only love the game for superficial reasons, because we must be attracted to the players or just love the uniforms. Or heaven forbid when we wear our favourite player’s jersey to be told that we either must not know whose jersey we are wearing OR that we are only wearing it because we are attracted to that player. And when those tactics don’t work to dissuade us from the game, we are put against one another.

If we were male, no one would raise an eyebrow or give us constant unwanted commentary as we take in the game.

It’s 2018, and we aren’t going away, there are simply more and more of us discovering our voice declaring our place in the hockey world. We’re here to stay.

At the start of May, I  had an idea to bring female hockey fans together and share our experiences as well as shed light on the game that brings us all together despite rooting for different teams at times. I put out a tweet, asking if any other female hockey fans would be interested in sharing their stories, sharing their voices and the response was overwhelming:

Special thank-you to each and every one of you who took time to be part of this piece! Anyone who missed out or didn’t have time to get their response in and would like to take part in a similar post down the road, let me know and we will set it up! And to those of you stumbling upon this post, please read all of the experiences below. Maybe you’ll relate to the experiences or maybe you’ll see part of your story in theirs or maybe you’ll see hockey in a whole new perspective through someone else’s experience.

Represented below are some incredible women from across the world, many who root for different teams across the league but all united for our love of the game. (And if you’re not following these incredible hockey fans yet, you can remedy that by reading and sharing this post and following all of them on twitter!)

These are some of our stories.

(@Pokeyloo) : “I’ve been an avid fan of the Canucks since I was in my early teens. I cut the team’s pictures out of the Province newspaper and had them on my locker in the early eighties. I grew up wanting Tom Larscheid’s job but didn’t think it was something a woman could do. I did some sports written reporting for TWU(my university) but that was as I got. I know the game well. I love being on twitter during games – it’s fun. My family and friends consider me an obsessive fan but I ask you -if I was a guy, would I have that label? I love hockey, not just the Canucks, love soccer and football also but to a lesser extent. Usually you’ll find me with the guys in the TV room if the game is on during a party. Also, I plan my schedule around games sometimes. I hope the Canucks can win a cup in my lifetime. My favourite players have been Stan Smyl, Tony Tanti, Trevor Linden and Alex Burrows. I’d like to also give a shout out to Jody Vance as one of the first female sports reporters in Vancouver, seeing her in that role always made me feel like it was going to be possible for so many more females yet to come in the Vancouver area.”

Tina Poole (@tpoole00): “I have noticed that times have changed. More and more females are actively blogging and commenting on threads. I am sometimes accused of not understanding the game but they mostly from ignorant males who are passionate about their team. I have always loved sports, especially hockey because I really believe in the values that the team encompasses on and off of the ice. The players inspire me to be the best that I can be everyday.”

Tiera Joy (@TieraBolt): Growing up, I was a figure skater and I was exposed to hockey and the players. However, it wasn’t until I became a mom of a little hockey player that I realized how special the hockey world is. It really is a big, encouraging family. Hockey is so much more than just a game, it’s a culture. That is what drew me in the most. The reason I love the game? It’s exhilarating and no matter the outcome, it has the ability to bring me joy even on the worst days.”

Alexa (@alexaa_speed): “Well, I was born in Russia, so hockey is a big part of my culture. I watched the games with my dad as a child and when I came to America, I was really thrilled to live in a town that was big on hockey (San Jose). I love the excitement and the rush that I feel when I watch. It’s a great way to forget about my problems for a while and just have fun and cheer for my team. Now, I’m Seattle and there’s no hockey team just yet, so I won’t be able to go to games for a while.”

Tanins Nygren(@TannisNygren): “I will admit that first off that perhaps all of those stereotypes that you mention did describe me when I first started to like and watch hockey. There were definitely certain players I became a fan of and even today I can honestly say that is still the case as there are players that I am still a huge fan of despite the fact that they no longer player for the Canucks but that doesn’t mean I am not just as big of a hockey fan as any of my male friends or that I don’t know just much about the sport and in many cases know more.

I grew up in a small city where there wasn’t a lot to do besides going to hockey games and started by being a fan of the WHL and then later the NHL. My love for the game may have started by following specific players and then eventually it become about the Canucks but the bigger fan of the Canucks that I became, the bigger fan of the game itself I became. I will admit that social media has definitely had an impact; whether it’s listening to others opinions, learning stats or the ability to follow the game when I am unable to watch it through tweets. Did I mention how much I HATE regional restrictions? Sometimes, I will say I probably know more stats  than the average fan would know; male or female and find myself repeating them to anyone that will listen.

I not only follow the NHL but having pursued my dream and worked for a sports team, I also am a fan of the WHL, AHL. I recently have been following the NCAA more than I ever have especially when it involves the ability to follow our great prospects. As much as I love the Canucks, it’s not only about one team but I love watching the game whether it means watching them live or on TV, even if it’s watching a game where I don’t like either team such as the first round with Boston and Toronto.

It’s not the easiest thing being a Canucks fan in another NHL city but it doesn’t take long for someone to get to know me before they realize the passionate fan that I am and will not cheer for a team just because that’s where I live. Sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to be a fan of a team when you don’t live in that market but I also think that is what makes me even more passionate and I feel a lot of people will respect that about me.

Twitter has definitely helped me feel connected to other fans and the team despite where I live but it also has allowed me to learn so much more about the game, rules and even the business side of hockey which I am becoming increasingly fascinated with. There will always be those fans that think they know everything and are very negative but what I love is hearing the different perspectives especially when other fans say exactly what I was thinking. Not everyone needs to agree but respect of others opinions and don’t assume that they don’t know what they are talking about. Yes, I am a female so sometimes my emotions do get the better of me, such as the amount of tears I shed during the last week of the season due to the Sedins career coming to an end and you don’t even want to know what I was like being at that final game, here in Edmonton knowing that was the last time watching them but I would like to think that emotion just shows the passionate fan I am.

If I wasn’t a fan of the game, I wouldn’t go to as many games as I do or spend the money and time to travel to see my team because I enjoy it as much as I do.”

Heather Morton (@flyersgrl28): “So, I guess the best place to start is to explain how I got into this sport we call hockey. For as long as I can remember, sports were always a part of my family. My dad played softball and hockey at some points in his life. Him and his friends split season tickets for the Flyers. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard from them about meeting Flyers legends. There are pictures of me as an infant in Flyers gear. My dad is the one responsible for introducing me to hockey and starting this crazy obsession. For years, it was our father/daughter date once a year to go to a Flyers game. I saved every single ticket stub. I never saw a Flyers game at the Spectrum but I’ve seen too many games to count in the same building whether it was the Cores State Center, First Union Center, the Wachovia Center or Wells Fargo Center as it’s currently called. I looked forward to this one game every year. I don’t remember much other than the excitement. I grew up watching the Legion of Doom era and seeing Hextall wreaking havoc on players. I was 9 years old when the Flyers lost to Detroit in 4 games and I remember bawling my eyes out. Eric Lindros was my absolute favourite with John LeClair coming in a close second. I’m still enamoured with the both of them to this day. The one vivid memory I have is my dad waking me up when LeClair had scored his 50th goal of the season. That passion became my passion. As I got older and the ’04-’05 lockout happened, my dad stopped following as closely as he had when I was younger. Mostly because they were really bad in the first two seasons after the lockout. But that was the moment when my passion kicked itself into full gear. With the end of the lockout, came new rules and the end of the old ones. I taught myself the new game and watched all the games I could. It wasn’t until maybe the 2008-2009 season that I really started attending games on a semi-regular basis. And with the emergence on social media, I started connecting with other people who loved the Flyers just as much as I did. I actually met one of my absolute best friends at a Flyers game and in about 4 months I will be Maid of Honor in her wedding. Most of the people in my life, I have met through the Flyers somehow. Whether it’s meeting at a game, socializing on Twitter/Facebook or through mutual friends, hockey has united me with so many different and amazing people and I can’t think of my life without these people now. However, being a female hockey fan or just a female sports fan in general, is not without its difficulties. I’ve encountered men who are intimidated by my knowledge of not just my team but of the whole league. There are girls that like the sport solely on “looks” and how cure some player is. They exist, there’s no denying that. But girls like me and so many others, far outweigh those that only see this sport as skin deep. I follow and am friends with several strong female hockey fans…all fans of different teams. I’m fortunate enough that I know such knowledgeable women. We, as a group of knowledgeable people, have to stick together. I love to talk hockey. I don’t care what team you root for…unless my Flyers are playing them that night!”

Miranda M. (@lovelyminda): “I was introduced to hockey in 2003 when I was 12 years old by by attending a Nashville Predators game that my dad was gifted tickets to. It was a developmental time in my life, and as I started feeling burnt out playing softball for years, my interest in hockey grew exponentially. I really enjoyed just how fast paced the sport was, and quickly I spent the off-season reading hockey books and learning as much as I could about the Nashville Predators and hockey in general.

Of course, I found adversity with being a girl wanting to learn and talk hockey. Nashville in 2003-2004 wasn’t as big of a hockey town that it is now, so many people around me didn’t understand why I was so into it in the first place. I tried to talk to boys at my school who knew I played hockey, and immediately, they would say my points were invalid because I didn’t play (and due to softball injuries, I still don’t). “You just think the players are cute”, they’d say. Within due time, I was dealing with nicknames like “puck bunny”, that every female hockey fan dreads. In the online hockey community I was a part of, some of the women embraced the “puck bunny” insult and took it back–by learning and absolutely schooling the skeptics with thoughtful analysis. I wanted to do just that.

Personally, it was a lot harder growing up than it is now when dealing with the adversity and the belief that “women don’t know sports.” To be frank, I knew a heck of a lot more about the stats part of hockey back when I was trying to prove a point than I do now. In a time like 2006-2007, you could ask me the plus-minus of any Preds player and I could spat it out. Now? Not so much. But that’s because I’ve learned there’s nothing to prove to the skeptics. If they don’t believe that I know hockey, spatting off a few obscure stats won’t do much to change their minds. I’d rather discuss coaching systems, special teams tactics, or even more broader terms to discuss hockey.

Nowadays, I’m a blog contributor to Predneck Nation, a great sports radio show featuring analysis of all Preds games on Nashville Sports Radio. The Nashville media market has heavily embraced women, with many radio shows (like Predneck Nation and Penalty Box Radio) serving as an outlet for female fans and analysts. I don’t feel the adversity as much as I used to, especially now that I’m surrounded by a fantastic squad of female Preds fans who know the sport incredibly well. We frequently have twitter discussions and are quickly turning into a little hockey family with get togethers and “girls nights”.

Hockey is even a part of my job as a ride-share driver. I’ve decked my car out as the “PredsMobile,” where discussions with fans around town contributes to my Predneck Nation column. I talk with passengers all day about all realms of hockey, from Preds to visitors of Nashville. I’ve made sure to know info on at least some of each team so that I can have a fruitful conversation. With the city of Nashville embracing hockey so feverishly the last few years, culminating with the Stanley Cup run in 2017, there are a lot of new fans to the sport who don’t know everything, and I welcome their questions and discussions more than any other discussions. And I’ve definitely had (male) passengers try to correct or “mansplain” the sport to me as if I haven’t been watching for 15+ years. I believe the most egregious argument was so basic, it was insulting–the guy insisted the Preds had never been to the second round before 2017(they had three times). He still refused to believe me when I gave him dates, teams, and the series results by number of games.

The most frustrating part is when people are surprised that I know what I’m talking about. I think once that “surprise” is gone away from every sport, that last little bit of frustration will go away.”

Brandy S. (@BrandyVS0202): “One of the earliest memories I have of hockey is of Peter Bondra, Dale Hunter and Adam Oates leading the Capitals. The culmination of these men’s career with the Capitals was the Stanley Cup Finals, which unfortunately ended with the Red Wings sweeping the Capitals.

The main reason that I am drawn to watching the NHL, despite the Capitals’ playoff woes, is that there is always a chance that they might be able to get past the second round and win it all. It is also interesting watching the player development in the league and how they progress, or digress, each year. The Capitals seem to be able to develop goalies well, as seen with Kolzing, Holtby, Neuvirth, and also Varlamov. Of course, over the past twelve years it has also been fun to watch Ovechkin break records and win the Rocket Richard Trophy seven times in his career.

On the international level, it has been great to see as a US fan, the US women’s hockey team have their success. It is important to show that women can be as successful at hockey as men, and to even overshadow the men’s team as in the US.

On a personal note, the Capitals have been able to help me through some tough times. Being able to cheer them on and them winning the games right after my mom’s death in 2013 helped to distract me from what was going on a little bit. Also, my Capitals loving calico (yes, she watched hockey with me!) passed away right after the Capitals won their first game against the Blue Jackets in the first round. They went on to win the next three games, win the series, and are now headed to the STANLEY CUP FINAL. I have joked somewhat that maybe she is up there smacking them and meowing at them to win a few series.”

Cindy Lemoine (@Cindy Lemoine): “I’ve been a hockey fan for about 4 1/2 years now. I had a crush on a guy who was a fan of the Arizona Coyotes, so I started watching them. To my surprise, even though I’ve never been much of a sports fan, I found myself actually enjoying it. I have a very short attention span and bore easily, which is why I can’t tolerate sports. BUT hockey is so fast paced! I mean, these guys are chasing a 3-inch rubber disc going 40 mph on skates! In one of my favourite interviews with my favourite player, Zdeno Chara, he says it best: “I just love the speed of the game and the physicality.” In what other sport do you see such hard hits and fights? I read once that the effects of the hits in hockey are second only to boxing. Even during penalties, challenges, and reviews, I’m never bored. You have Doc Emrick or other announcers spitting out juicy tidbits about players or the team or the game. You have closeups of some of the players. And, if you’re lucky, you have Wes McCauley as one of the refs giving his legendary explanations.

So one day in the 2013-14 season, the Coyotes played the Bruins. I saw Zee, who reminded me of my friend, and asked him who that was. I was mesmerized by his sheer height and later by his power. Then, I saw the rest of the team. There’s just something about the Boston Bruins: their grit, their no-quit, their heart. I can’t quite put into words, but they wiggle into your heart and won’t leave. I like players on other teams, but I will always be first and foremost and forever a Boston Bruins fan. I love how passionate Boston fans are too. They do not fail to let players know when they are displeased!

We female fans do love the game for more than the players, but I do have to admit Zdeno Chara is the reason I fell in love with with the Bruins and continue to be theirs and his biggest fan. The more I learned about the man, the more I admired him and what he’s done not only for hockey but for sports in general and for his community. If anyone would take the time to get to know him off the ice (and his stats on the ice are impressive enough–this beast will be in the Hall of Fame and his number retired for sure), they would see that every conception that had about hockey and players is probably wrong! Sure the game has changed, even since I’ve been watching, but hockey players are, in my opinion, the toughest athletes out there. And there is something different about them. Maybe it’s because they are mostly Canadian and European, but they seem to be some of the most humble, down-to-earth, approachable, friendly, generous and even smartest athletes ever. They don’t seem to get too embroiled in scandals, nor act like overpaid prima donnas. As Zee often says, they are just “regular guys”. Guys who happen to be able to fist fight on ice skates. Long live hockey!”

Shannon (@Pens_Lynn): “Being a hockey fan and being a woman has it’s ups and downs. For one, men don’t take you seriously and think for the most part that you’re watching because you think the players are “hot!”. Not the case, I have a ton of female hockey fans who know the game better than most men. My husband never even watched hockey with me until recently and it’s been fun to explain the game to him. He is one who takes me seriously because I’m so passionate about the game. Most men on twitter do not take a female seriously when it comes to hockey. I’ve had countless “men” tell me to get back in the kitchen because it’s just assumed that women know nothing. It’s sad, really. I’ve also been told that I watch because I think the players are hot! Funny because I’m 41 years old and in the NHL that’s old! I don’t look at the players like that! I look at the players because they can play and definitely have my favourites but it has nothing to do with them being attractive! I love the game for the game!

My female hockey fans know hockey. They know the game inside and out. It is a great group to be a part of. Female hockey fans are by far the most passionate fans of the game. We analyze the game more. We try to figure out what went wrong, what went right and lean on each other when we’re being told it’s a man’s sport. Yes, there are other female fans from opposing teams who tell you that you don’t know anything and that you just started watching hockey because your team is winning. That crap gets old too! In today’s world where women should be empowering other women, that doesn’t happen in the hockey world; especially when you cheer for opposing teams. Some of it is friendly banter but other women can be down right pathetic about it.

It used to bother me when both men and other women would criticize your reasons for being a hockey fan. Not anymore. I grew some thick skin and now I just say my piece and move on. In reality though, we can all be hockey fans and be passionate about the sport we love without ridiculing others. Friendly “smack talk” on twitter is welcome and expected. Other times, it deserves the block button. In the end, hockey is a great sport. One of the greatest to be honest. Sure there needs to be more change in the head shots area but the game is fast and exciting. I’m proud to be a female hockey fan and have made some great friends who are also female hockey fans and there are men who do realize that women can watch hockey, be passionate about it and love the game just the same!”

Medina Menozzi (@MedinaMarie_PI): It all began with a mullet. Yes…I mean Jagr.

My dad is a huge sports fan, a December baby means that football and hockey were on almost all the time. I remember watching games but I had no idea what was going on. I’d stare at the screen at about 3-4 years old and just watch for something to do with dad. Then I saw him: “Mr. Fancy Hair”, as I called him. Jaromir Jagr and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

My dad said the game went from being just something on TV, to me being fully engaged in the game and asking what everything was that was going on. Within a month, I was talking people’s ears off about everything hockey, sporting Penguins gear and running around going “Mew, Mew, Mew” every time Mario scored. But my favourite was Jagr and when he was on the ice, nothing else in the world mattered. The way he flew on the ice, and the sheer power he had to score goals was awe inspiring to me.

In the town I grew up in, hockey was a bad word. It’s a football town. Period. Maybe a handful of people watched hockey. I remember once playing deck hockey in gym class and being the only one who knew how to hold a stick properly (even though they weren’t regulation size). I was 10, and there I was asking the gym teacher if we were focusing on handling, one timers or passing plays that class. He stood there, befuddled.

It didn’t feel good to be made fun of for being good at something others didn’t really know much about, so after a while, after catching a lot of flack for being a hockey chick, I quit focusing on trying to play and acted like I was disinterested in the game entirely, all the while trying to keep up to date with games and news of the Penguins. That lasted all the way up until college. I wanted to go into sports broadcasting/journalism, but the effects of being bullied for being into sports had a lingering effect, and even my student adviser talked me out of it so I chose another major. I should have stuck with it but that is how it goes.

I even dated a guy back in 2005 who played league hockey over in central PA for a while and told him flat out “I hate hockey.” Clearly that was a lie but he didn’t know that. Boy was he surprised when, after watching a game, I piped up about how one of his buddies on his team had poor stick handling and how if he moved his feet as much as he moved his mouth, he just might be able to add some offensive support instead of constantly getting pinned in the defensive zone every time he touched the puck. They stood there with their jaws dropped, I just smiled.

Now, in 2018, I’m writing for a blog called, “Pens Initiative”, continually having to prove that while YES, I am a woman, I can be just as knowledgeable about hockey as men can. That my fandom for the game, or for a player, comes from the love of THE GAME and their playing ability, not because of their looks. Pavel Datsyuk is one ugly dude, but respect where its due: the man could/still can play (in the KHL). I got into hockey not just to bond with my dad, but because I loved to watch and talk about the game, and I still do to this day.”

Artisia Wong (@artisia_wong): “My name is Artisia. I am 31 years old and live in North Delta, Canada. This is my story about how I got into hockey.

I knew about hockey when I was in elementary school but got really into hockey during high school. I would attend games and watch hockey on TV. My cousin’s loved watching hockey so I would watch the games pretty much every weekend with them.

After high school, my cousins formed a hockey league and I can still say up to this day, I’m their biggest fan! They play every weekend and I try to attend as many games as possible. This season, I might have missed on game. But they won the cup this season!

I hope more ladies love hockey as much as me!”

Kelsey Sagvold (@SeamoreHockey): “Hockey came to me at a point in my life when I needed it most. I live with a rare nerve condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This condition is a rare disease of the nervous system. There is no cure. There is no universal diagnosis of this disease. The FDA has not approved a single medication for this specific disease yet. It is debilitating, progressive, and causes unrelenting pain of the highest level on the MacGill Pain Scale. It leaves no area of our lives untouched. I can honestly say this was the thing that saved me. Learning the game has just grown my passion for it. Hockey is more than just a game to me. It’s what I turn to on bad days and good. I live for Friday and Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

I’ll never forget my first college game. It was an icy, cold North Dakota February evening of 2016, where I found myself standing in a line of thousands of other University of North Dakota students, waiting for a hockey game. Oliver, now my husband, and I stood in that line for what seemed like forever. As the doors opened to the Raplh Engelstad Arena, students pushed and shoved trying to get to the warmth faster. The UND Fighting Hawks were playing the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Throughout three periods of play only two goals would be scored. In overtime, Austin Poganski would be awarded a penalty shot that would find its way into the back of the net. The crowd erupted in cheers, people giving high fives to people they had never met before. It was in those moments that all my pain slipped away, and I knew I needed to find a way to be as close to this feeling and environment as possible.

I kept attending games and watching the NHL on TV. Learning as much as I could. My mom says that hockey is too much of who I am. However, I don’t know where I’d be without it.”

Diana Shank Pitt (@dshank92): I first got interested in hockey back in 2008 when I was 16 and watched some of the regular season and most of the playoffs for the first time. I decided to give the sport a try to see if it would interest me. Growing up here in PIttsburgh was nice since I could watch all the Penguin games and to see the Crosby era with Fleury and co. develop into the team that they are now. I enjoy the constant action whether it be precise skating, posing, odd man rushes, good hits or elite goals and play making that can take place even in low scoring games.

Other sports seem slow by comparison. It’s a sport that is under appreciated and isn’t as popular as others but I feel offers more action and intrigue, especially in the playoffs when compared to basketball or baseball. I find that hockey games pull you in so much with the intensity it brings out in fans, especially in playoff times and how you see the entire town in which a team plays come together. I don’t see this in other sports. The hockey community seems more close knit.

Hockey is more unpredictable than other sports in terms of predicting who will win. Very rarely does the President’s trophy team win the title where as in other sports, it is much easier to predict who will be left standing.

It’s also not often that websites ask us ladies or non-traditional sports fans how they got into the sport. Hockey seems much more open and receptive to the previously non-traditional sports fans whether it be ladies or us lgbt folks. I’ve met a lot of wonderful female hockey fans on twitter.”

Laurel (@PitterTwaited): “Fan since 1992. I must have written a good 5 pages on what it’s like to be a hockey fan, why I’m a hockey fan, and what I love about hockey. I added a few things that ticked me off about being a hockey fan and then realized that almost everything I had written could be coming from both male and female hockey fans and I was supposed to focus on what it’s like to be a female hockey fan.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I talk a lot in real life and type just as much online. So, instead of the exhaustively long tome that I am fully capable of producing on this subject…I shall keep it short and to the point.

The Best Thing About Being A Female Hockey Fan: No waiting in long lines to use the lades room! Yeah! You won’t find that at a baseball game.

The Worst Thing About Being A Female Hockey Fan: The Puck Bunny that shows up to games with the hope of having sex with a player(s), knows nothing about the sport and wears her pink ‘shirsey’ way too tight.

I am a non-peepee dancing, team colours sweater wearing proud San Jose Sharks Female Fan For Life.”

Kayla Martz (@Kayluvsredwings): “Hockey has always been a huge part of my family…I was a late bloomer however. The two reasons I got into hockey were seeing Todd Bertuzzi and Chris Chelios playing. I just liked their attitude on the ice, they had that “extra something”, I guess you could say. After watching a couple games around 2007, I really became active in learning as much as I could. I started by going on a site known as Yahoo Answers Hockey section where I can honestly say I’ve made friends for life. Ten years later and I’ve loved nothing more than being so completely active on what is known as hockey twitter.

For myself, hockey was an outlet when I needed one during some hard years in my life. Being a female fan, I always imagined is nothing different than being a male fan. Until you start loudly voicing your opinions that is. On ‘hockey twitter’, there’s not one day that goes by where I don’t see a girl getting a million questions thrown her way to prove she knows so much about the one sport we all love. Which in my opinion is just unfair. I’m not saying all guys do this but unfortunately this is the reality we live in and will continue to live in. The way I see it is, it’s up to us how we respond to the way some people may look at us as fans. I’ve been very loud about what players I happen to find attractive (James Neal is a stunning example haha!). I just chose not to let it bug me anymore and in a way to make the names your own and wear them like a badge of honour. Being a female fan of any sport is amazing. But being called a ‘puck slut’ who can honestly say, knows more so than the average joe? It’s amazing :).”

Shelley (@MsSunshineplz): “Hockey has been a lot of things for me. It was a way for my older brother and I to bond after living away from each other for years. The Penguins organization in particular always seems to have an impact directly on me.  It started over 10 years ago. It was the first season after the 2nd deployment. My father-in-law had recently passed and we were up for the funeral. Just to get away from everything, we went to an open practice (at the old facility). I watched the good natured fun(they always seem to have) and after practice waited outside (in the 42 degree rain) and they stopped and did pictures and autographs. I remember Marc-Andre Fleury in particular, because he was my then 7-yr old’s favourite player. He not only threw a puck over the glass to her inside but signed it and her jersey in the parking lot. In that couple hours of time, the pain and loss was forgotten for a while. Later that year when we came home for Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to be chosen for hometown heroes. Usually, they only give 2 tickets but they found 3 so our daughter could go. Being able to stand “behind the scenes” for half of the game and ride the zamboni will ALWAYS be an incredible memory.

I’ve encountered several players in the ‘real world’ and they are ALWAYS gracious and polite which further endears the sport to me. It’s hard to put into words exactly why I love the sport so much. The players, the speed, the action, and haha yes the fights. It’s just simply the best sport on the planet to me! The only dark side to it doesn’t even come from the actual sport or the players I’ve encountered. It comes from fellow ‘fans’ on social media that feel the need to ‘test’ my knowledge every chance they get. If I make an occasional emotional based comment, the hell I catch is sometimes endless.

I have everyone from housewives, hockey coaches, semi-pro players, retirees and KHL current players that follow me. Most have never said a bad thing and most tell me my analytic skills of picking a part the game for what is and isn’t working, is spot on. I don’t need validation although I appreciate when the pros tell me I’m right about something and I have stood my ground on many occasions where someone wanted to be a jerk or tell me to ‘get back in the kitchen and leave hockey to the men’. It doesn’t matter one way or another, I will continue to love the sport until I can’t watch it anymore!!”

(@khlee_28): “Why is it so impossible to believe that women can love any sport as much as a man can, or even more? Why is it especially impossible for that sport to be ice hockey? Is it because it’s so rough and since women are supposed to be dainty that they’re not “supposed” to enjoy it? Screw that.

When I moved to Vancouver for high school in 2009, we were on the brink of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada won gold. 2011, the Vancouver Canucks went to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Anyone that was there at that time would inevitably be a fan. It was worse for me, it was at a time where I was going through puberty and trying to figure myself out, I found a whole new world when I found Hockey. Through the sport, I made long lasting friendships, I’m thankful to have something so unifying, it’s unlike any community.

I’m proud to love hockey, I’m proud to love the Canucks. I love the sport. And I love my boys. The Vancouver Canucks will always be a big part of my life. You either accept it or you don’t, you don’t have to question or speculate as to why it’s that way, it just is. I wish it was just commonly accepted that women are big hockey fans too. I don’t want to compromise my integrity by exposing my Canucks tattoo on my side every time I want to justify that I am a major Canucks/hockey fan. I want to not have to prove my love for the game. We are all Canucks. Hockey runs through all our veins.”

Me(@nucksaid): “Growing up watching sports wasn’t really a focus in our house aside from playoffs and the Olympics. One of our neighbours LOVED hockey and the Vancouver Canucks, often invited us over to watch the games. It didn’t take long before the game and the team completely stole my heart.

Falling in love with the game happened slowly and all at once….it became everything. Before you knew it, I was learning as much as I could about the game itself, the team’s history and current roster; memorizing every stat and driving my family crazy with my nonstop hockey talk. It became a part of my every day vernacular and impossible for me to miss a game. And when it became realized that this wasn’t a passing phase, I was gifted my first Canucks jersey(the count now sits at 9 and counting!). It became clear that I needed a bigger outlet other than long detailed Facebook statuses, and conversation. Someone suggested that I try starting a blog, and as luck would have it, I learned that I really enjoyed having a space to write about the Canucks as well as hockey in general. Nucksaid became my space to write.

Prior to starting my blog, attending a minimum of 3-4 games each season at the arena became mandatory including one every year on my birthday to now having become a season ticket holder. Being at the rink with 18,000+ other fans, from the calm before the storm of the game to blades hitting the ice, anthems, puck drop, the roar of the crowd, to the final buzzer, is one of my most favourite places in the whole world. Whether at the rink or watching the games from home or out with friends, whether it’s a win or a loss or whether my team is playing; the game itself has a calming effect on me.

As much as I love the game, my love of it is more often than not put into question by my male counter parts. Either I’m looked down on with derision and forced into having the game ‘man-splained’ to me OR they simply do not believe me that it’s possible for a woman to love the game the way they do and I’m put to the test on every stat in the book. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been to a game and when in conversation about the game or the teams that are playing, every single thing I contribute is put through the google test before believing that I could be right. Or there’s the ones who ask if I know that I’m at a hockey game while decked out in hockey gear with 18,000 strong also dressed the same…but I’m the one confused about my location. Or they tell me that since they don’t like the jersey that I’m wearing representing my favourite player, that I should burn my jersey and the spiral of horrible commentary directed towards myself and other female fans hits the territory of words I cannot repeat.

It’s true that not all men are this way, some do welcome us to the hockey community without the constant testing of our knowledge or forcing us to prove our fandom. Some allow us to be a part of this world and share in the joy and the heartbreak that stems from the game itself and for that I’m grateful. They give me hope that this divide between us and them will not always be, that one day we can simply say we are all hockey fans regardless of who we are and that will be enough.”

I urge you all, if any of these experiences resonated with you or if you know someone who has felt the same, share the post and let’s all make it our aim so that in 2018 the sentiment of “hockey is for everyone”, actually becomes 100% true. We are all hockey fans.

As, always, until next time, nuck said.

Sarah E.L.