Game Changers: Three of the Most Influential Figures in Women’s Hockey

Kendall Coyne Schofield

Schofield has been so influential that I did a whole post about her last week! As captain of Team USA, a mom, and the first woman to compete in the NHL all-stars skills competition, Schofield has been a trailblazer for women on and off the ice. In the 2019 All-Star Competition, Schofield finished less than a second behind the winner, Connor McDavid in the speed competition, showing woman around the world that they too can possess skills just like male players can. Schofield is setting records and breaking down the barriers put in place in the hockey world. She is known for her speed and skill, showing off these talents in multiple Olympics, and Women’s World Championships. Beyond her impressive on-ice skills and accomplishments she is also a published author and a voice of advocacy for girls in hockey. She works as a broadcaster as well as a youth hockey coach, also running her own camp for young hockey players. Schofield has done amazing things for the game of women’s hockey and will go down in history for all that she has accomplished.

Cammi Granato

Granato made history by becoming the first woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Granato’s early years of hockey consisted of playing on boys’ teams and taking a break during her last two years of high school due to the contact of play and her small size. After being offered a hockey scholarship, she continued her career on the ice at Providence College. During this time she became a founding member of the US National Team and helped to win a silver medal at the very first Women’s World Championships. Granato also served as captain for the US National Team in the 1998 Winter Games, the first games in which women’s hockey was an official sport. This team upset Team Canada by taking the gold. Granato was also the first woman to ever scout in the National Hockey League. These achievements are only some of what Granato accomplished in her career, leading her to be the first woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Blake Bolden

Blake Bolden is known as the Jackie Robinson of female hockey. She was the first black female to take the ice at a professional level. She started off playing minor hockey in Ohio and went on to play at Northwood School. At this point she was also competing in the first U18 World Championship for Team USA, winning gold in both the 2008 and 2009 tournaments. After that she went to Boston College, participating in 3 Frozen Four tournaments, earning awards and receiving honors. Post college she went on to play for the Boston Blades in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and for the Boston Pride in the National Women’s Hockey League. In 2019 she reclaimed her hardest shot title in the NWHL All-Stars competition and was also awarded defensive player of the year. She was the first black player to be drafted in the first round of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the first to compete in the National Women’s Hockey League. She now works for the Los Angeles Kings as their Growth and Inclusion Specialist and Pro Scout. She works to make herself visible to black and brown youth and show that they too can achieve all they want to and more in women’s hockey.