If there’s one thing that stands out from watching the Canadian women win gold against the United States in Olympic hockey, it’s that the gap between the two superpowers and the rest of the world is growing at an alarming rate.
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The other side of the coin is that the gap between men and women has never been as small as it is today.
Whether it’s the speed of the players, the sharpness of their passes or the speed of their shots, the women’s game has come a long way since its Olympic debut in 1998. Didn’t you see the tails horses hanging from the back of their helmets in Canada’s 3-2 win over the United States on Thursday, you might not even know you were watching the women.
“Their shooting has improved dramatically,” said three-time gold medalist Jennifer Botterill, who now works as a hockey analyst for Sportsnet. “That’s another great thing about the game. People were like, ‘It looks like a great hockey player — not like a girl playing hockey.
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“There is a level of appreciation for what these players bring. It’s well deserved. »
Recognition of Canadian Marie-Philip Poulin, who became the only player to score in four separate Olympic finals, went even further, with some wondering if she was the most eye-catching player in hockey – not just among players in women’s hockey – of all time.
It’s a legitimate question. And that raises another question: how far are we from Poulin or someone like her playing in the NHL?
It’s an idea that might have seemed impossible in the past. But after Poulin finished the tournament with 17 points in seven games, I’m not so sure that’s so unrealistic anymore. These are Gretzky-type numbers. It’s the kind of offensive production that moves minor hockey kids up an age level.
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Well, maybe it’s time for Poulin – or someone like her – to step up and start playing with men.
“Do I think women could play at different levels of men’s hockey? I think it’s a fun discussion to have,” Botteril said. “But I don’t think that’s where the focus is right now. This is not a race to make the NHL. It is a vision for a sustainable league.
Indeed, having a player in the NHL doesn’t seem as important to the sport as having a unified professional league with fair wages and a TV deal to attract new fans. At the same time, can you imagine what playing in the NHL would do for the credibility of women’s football?
“She’s an incredible player,” Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron said of Poulin on Thursday. “She’s quick, she’s skilled, she has a good shot.”
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And she’s not much smaller than some of the NHL’s current stars. Poulin is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 161 pounds. That’s only five pounds lighter than Montreal’s Cole Caufield, who is the same height.
It’s a big change from what the NHL was like 30 years ago when goaltender Manon Rheaume was playing in an exhibition game with the Tampa Bay Lightning, or even 20 years ago when Hayley Wickenheiser was playing professionally. in Europe. Back then, when hockey was still about grabbing and grabbing and having a fourth line full of heavyweights, a player like Mitch Marner couldn’t even have played in the NHL.
Now the league is full of Marner-type players who rely more on speed, skill, and smarts than size or physicality.
On the contrary, the men’s game is more like the women’s game, rather than the other way around. There’s less control, almost no combat, and more emphasis on finesse. It’s practically made for women.
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A few years ago, the NHL invited a handful of women to compete alongside the men in the All-Star Skills Competition. It was meant to be nothing more than a showcase for women’s football. Instead, it ended up being a humbling experience.
USA striker Kendall Coyne Schofield beat Arizona’s Clayton Keller in the fastest skater event with a time that was only a second slower than Connor McDavid’s, while USA’s Brianna Decker United achieved one of the best times in the first overtaking competition.
So women are fast enough to play in the NHL. And they are quite competent. And in a league where 5-foot-7 Alex DeBrincat is in the top 5 in goals and 5-foot-9 Johnny Gaudreau is in the top 5 in points and William Nylander has just seven hits in 46 games this season , they are also large enough to physically defend themselves.
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But are they good enough? This is a more difficult question.
There is still quite a big gap between men and women, when it comes to their physiology. Even in an NHL that’s getting smaller and more focused on speed and skill, there are still benefits to being stronger.
“I used to play men and you could feel the strength on the stick,” said two-time gold medalist Vicky Sunohara, who currently coaches the University of Toronto women’s hockey team.
“All these players, their strength and conditioning just keep getting better, but you have a ceiling there. I never want to say never, because I think the gap is closing.
In all likelihood, if a woman makes the NHL, it will likely be a goalie, where the physical demands of the sport aren’t as pronounced. At this point, it seems like it’s only a matter of time.
With Cammi Granato and Emilie Castonguay recently hired as assistant general managers for the Vancouver Canucks, more and more women are in positions of power. This should lead to more opportunities for women, whether in management, scouting or behind the bench as coaches.
Soon we could see a first female NHL player.
After all, it looks like they could use more of a challenge.
mtraikos@postmedia.com
twitter.com/Michael_Traikos
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