Women's hockey gets royal treatment it deserves in Peterborough

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

The Kawartha Lakes region is one of the most beautiful parts of Ontario. I have been there camping with my family and eating the famous Kawartha Dairy ice cream. But this past weekend was my first visit to this university town for hockey — specifically women's hockey. And the excitement was palpable. 

When I walked into the Peterborough Memorial Centre, the entire arena was buzzing. The ice was freshly Zambonied, and there were people in their seats a full hour before puck drop. It is no surprise that Peterborough hockey is a passion here; its hockey history speaks for itself. 

The Peterborough Petes are one of the OHL's most storied teams and the oldest — created in 1956. They are also the only team in major junior hockey to be owned by a board of directors. The Petes are a non-profit organization and proudly maintain that ownership model. They are volunteer-based and accountable to the community. They collaborate with community businesses and partners freely.

I wasn't surprised when I heard of a collaboration between the Petes and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association. The PWHPA is an organization that was born when the CWHL folded. The fact that there is no sustainable women's professional league for hockey, soccer or basketball in Canada is a huge problem. We boast some of the top women's players in the world. I have argued that supporting Canadian women's hockey is imperative, and helping hockey culture evolve into an anti-oppressive place is also necessary.

While we celebrate women's hockey, it is important to recognize the manner in which the Petes collaborate with various community agencies and businesses, especially those they would not have in the past. On the morning of the game, I met Charmaine Magumbe, the chairperson of the Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough.

The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Magumbe grew up in Toronto as a hockey fan; Darryl Sittler was one of her favourite players. She moved to Peterborough with her family after living in Zimbabwe for a few years. She loves Peterborough and is a valued member of the community.

Magumbe and I sat at Smitty's restaurant on George Street having pancakes while she explained the town's history to me. She told me in the 1950's Peterborough was known as a "sunset town," which I thought meant a retirement community. But what that actually meant was that Black and Indigenous folks were not permitted to be seen anywhere after dark. I was stunned. I thought that predominantly happened in the U.S., but apparently some small towns in Canada also had those policies. Magumbe told me that Peterborough is currently 96 per cent white and the remaining four per cent is a melange of newcomers to Canada or folks who moved to Peterborough from larger cities. 

Magumbe is co-owner of Zingha, an Afrocentric social business that offers anti-racism education. When the Petes approached her, she was happy to support the PWHPA game and share her work with the community. As a hockey fan, she was also excited to watch the game. 

This underlines that for a small Canadian town, there are many truths. There is a way to create spaces that support women's hockey and build a connection to all communities through the sport. This requires intentional practice, which is what the Petes are doing right. 

What I saw over the weekend was a junior team and an entire community enthralled by the women players and proud of their community. Team Sonnet (Toronto) was going to take on Team Harvey's (Montreal) at the home of the Petes — a first time for both the OHL team and the PWHPA.

I spoke with Jayna Hefford, senior consultant with the PWHPA and a Canadian hockey legend. She told me the Petes and PWHPA collaboration is important because it also offers business opportunities.

"There's a big demand for the game, and there's business opportunities, and the ability to bring new fans to the building," she said. "A lot clubs, be it OHL clubs, CHL clubs or NHL clubs, are understanding that it is agreeable to their business to bring women into the building whether that is as a player or a fan."

While the PWHPA is working hard to create a sustainable league, it is also quite beneficial for the men's teams and leagues as well as the Petes were expecting a crowd of about 3,000.

"We wanted to show the sports community that there is absolutely a demand for women's hockey when there is proper financial and marketing resource put behind that," said Shelbi Kilcollins, director of marketing and growth for the Petes. "And we're going to see that in the stands [Saturday] night."

Kilcollins is a longtime supporter of women's hockey and is familiar with the challenges PWHPA players face. Many players, staff and coaches work full-time jobs during the day, train in the evenings and compete on weekends. Like many other women's leagues, they can't rely solely on their hockey salary. They also manage their equipment and handle their travel arrangements by themselves. This is why Kilcollins wanted to make sure that they were treated as they deserve.  

"We wanted to give these athletes the premier experience they deserve. And just basic stuff, everything from getting their bags tagged, giving them good meals, a proper place for warm-up. All of that was top of mind when planning this."

It might seem odd that this doesn't already happen considering that the players of the PWHPA are some of the best in Canadian hockey altogether. 

The entire Canadian Olympic hockey team usually plays with the PWHPA, but just not this season because it is an Olympic year and they have obligations with Hockey Canada. But they still come and support. I chatted with Beijing champions Jocelyn Larocque and Jamie Lee Rattray, who brought their gold medals to the game and supported their friends and teammates and received a standing ovation from the crowd for the ceremonial puck drop.

Supporting each other in the PWHPA is an important part of this hockey community. Liz Knox is a retired goaltender and advisor to the PWHPA. But when they needed her, she answered the call. She originally thought it was a joke.

"I got a call this morning at, like, 6 a.m, from our GM [Rebecca Michael]," Knox said on Saturday. "This game was rescheduled and so the rosters were a little thin tonight. So the goalie who was expected to start for Team Harvey's tested positive on her rapid test.

"Danielle Sauvageau [Harvey's GM and head coach] called our team and said, 'we need a goalie!' I thought she was joking. She said, 'you gotta go in net!'

So Knox (lovingly known as 'Knoxy') a full-time firefighter, geared up, even though she hadn't played at a pro level in more than three years. In a fun twist, her wife, Kristen Richards, played on the opposing team. 

This is a lesson that while no one is greater than the game, the game can affect us all in a wonderful way. Women's hockey is a gift and we should remain vigilant in protecting and supporting it. 

Team Sonnet might have won 4-1 against Team Harvey's, but there is no doubt that the biggest winner was women's hockey.