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Burnaby girls hockey gaining steam

The excitement is real. Six-year-old Isabelle had given a presentation to her class on the topic, and relaying it to a reporter once again brought out the joy she feels when she’s playing hockey.

The excitement is real.
Six-year-old Isabelle had given a presentation to her class on the topic, and relaying it to a reporter once again brought out the joy she feels when she’s playing hockey.
“It’s fun to play because hockey is a special sport,” she said. “It’s fun to score goals, and you can meet new friends.”
Those are just some reasons why hockey is growing all around Canada among females, with Burnaby Minor Hockey Association’s Wildcats program experiencing a nice little boom.
Now at 70 players and five teams, the Burnaby program is gaining traction and is eagerly inviting newcomers to lace up the skates and give the game a try.
“We have grown substantially over the last three years, but Burnaby has had girls teams for some time,” remarked Echo Lee, BMHA’s female hockey coordinator.
“In general, girls hockey is growing faster than any demographic.”
But that isn’t anything new – as girls in hockey has been a mainstream story since Y2K.
With the creation of the IIHF world championships in 1990 and the addition of women’s hockey into the Winter Olympics in 1998, the popularity has expanded exponentially, with girls cheering on nations and finding role models to emulate. Cities like Burnaby have developed and implemented accessibility requirements for their facilities, with ice times enabling more teams to play and practice.
Kimi Chan, coach of Burnaby’s novice team, said these opportunities have enabled more girls to experience a sport that in the past had been considered mostly a male domain.
“It’s not a boys’ game, or a girls game, it’s a Canadian game and everyone can play,” she said. “It’s wonderful just seeing the girls develop and having fun.”
Although the boom in Burnaby trails the likes of North Vancouver or the Tri-Cities, Lee said the second annual Come Try Hockey-Esso Fun Day this Sunday (2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Kensington Park Arena) can speed things along.
The event, which invites girls ages five to 10 to gear up and hit the ice for a fun time, helped create a new team last year. While registration is officially closed, Lee said others can still sign up by going to www.burnabyminor.com. Because skates and equipment are provided, registration ensures the right size equipment is available.
“Last year’s was a huge success. We had more than 80 girls come out,” said Lee. “We only had enough equipment for one (ice) session but ended up holding another one because of the demand.”
Her aim is to attract enough players to add two more teams – about 24 more players – while creating more smiles and memories.
“We’re one of just two associations affiliated with the boys association,” she noted. “It’s working because we share resources and great support from the executive.”
In her first year playing, Isabelle has chalked up a lot of firsts – scoring her first goal, playing in net.
She notes that while some may not skate well at all when they start, everyone learns quickly and joins in the fun.
“I have a teammate who could only take two steps before falling down, and now she’s a pro.”