2002 Esso Nationals Guest Speaker - Andria Hunter
March 9, 2002

INTRODUCTION

It's a real honour for me to be here tonight, and to have this
opportunity to speak to you.  I'd like to start by congratulating all
the teams and players who have qualified for this prestigious event.
Félicitations à toutes les joueuses et à toutes les équipes.

I'd like to thank the communities of Renfrew and Arnprior for the
hospitality and enthusiasm that they've shown in hosting this
event, and the many volunteers who have dedicated their time.

I'd also like to thank the Ontario Women's Hockey Association and
the Canadian Hockey Association for their continued support of
women's hockey over the years, and their involvement in this event.
I'd like to thank Esso, Bauer Nike Hockey, and the RoyalBank Financial
Group, for their financial support of the 2002 Esso Nationals.

I'd also like to congratulate those athletes who represented Canada
so proudly at the Olympics and brought home the gold medal.
Your perseverance in the face of adversity was certainly an
inspiration to all of us!

However, there *is* one little request that I'd like to make.
You know that plan of building up the US's confidence by letting them
win the exhibition games, just so you could crush all their hopes
in the final when it actually mattered?  Well, some of us here at home,
especially those with weak hearts, would prefer if you didn't make it
quite so dramatic next time!  OK?  :-)

But seriously, what I'd like to talk to you about tonight is the
evolution of our game, our responsibilities as role models, and a
little about some of my hockey experiences and what hockey means to me.

EVOLUTION OF OUR GAME

I started playing hockey 16 years ago, err, I mean, 26 years ago -
wow, it's hard to imagine it has been that long!  At that time, it
wasn't the norm for girls to play hockey.  When I was 8, I started
bugging my parents to play hockey --> no offense to figure skaters, but
I had had enough of those figure 8s.  :-)

I was fortunate enough to have grown up in the Peterborough area, where
pretty much everybody except the cat plays hockey, and to have had
supportive parents who were willing to *let* me play.  That might not
seem like a major issue these days, but at that time, one of the major
stumbling blocks for girls' hockey was that parents didn't think it was
an appropriate sport for their daughters to play.

When I was growing up, it was never my dream to play on the National Team
because at that time, it wasn't even a possibility.  My goal was to play
university hockey, which at the time was one of the highest levels.
I was fortunate enough to fulfill that goal, by playing for the
University of New Hampshire, and then for the University of Toronto.
And who knows, maybe some day I'll even pull a Judy Diduck and go back
to university to play hockey again!  :-)

It was during the time that I was playing university hockey that we
heard the incredible news that Canada would host the first women's
World Championship!  It became a dream of every female hockey player,
including myself, to play on the women's national team one day.  Since
that first world championship, the interest in female hockey has grown
tremendously -- within ten years, female hockey registration in Canada
quadrupled!

Since then, an incredible number of opportunities have developed in
female hockey.  Apart from the house leagues and competitive leagues
that are now common throughout Canada, we have girls' high school teams
cropping up everywhere.  We've also seen expansion at the university
level, including the newly formed Canadian national championship for
women's university hockey.

There are provincial championships, an under-18 Hockey Challenge, and
of course THIS championship, which has been around for more than 20 years.
Canada has an under-22 National Team, and as we all know, a national team
which now competes in the Olympics, as well as in the World Championships.
We've certainly set the standard for other countries to follow!

To give you an idea of the progress that has been made over the course
of just the last five years, I'd like to use my current team, the
Mississauga Ice Bears, as an example.  Five years ago, we played 50-minute
games out of an arena with very limited seating, and the players each
paid $600 to play.  Now, we play full 60-minute games out of a brand
new facility that seats over 5 thousand fans; we have 15-minute pre-game
warm-ups; we play for free; and we even have our own dressing room.
Last year, our owner, Mercedes-Benz Meray Motors, even provided a brand
new convertible sports car specially painted in the team's colour for the
player-of-the-week to drive around in!

Not only have the opportunities in our game progressed, but so has its
exposure.  It's quite unlikely that any of you watched the gold medal
game of the '92 World Championship on TV, well unless you happened to
be in Finland, since it wasn't broadcasted in Canada at all!  We've
certainly come a long way since then.  Canada's Olympic gold medal game
this year was watched on CBC by an average of over 4 1/2 million
people, making it the 4th-most-watched show in the history of the
network.  It was watched by more people than all but one Stanley Cup
game, which is extremely impressive!

While there may not be 4 1/2 million people tuning in tomorrow to watch
the games, it's great that once again women's hockey will be televised
throughout Canada.  With the increased exposure that women's hockey is
getting, comes increased responsibility...

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS ROLE MODELS

All of you who are participating in this Esso National Championship are
true role models. It doesn't matter whether or not you've played on the
national team or if you'll be playing in the medal games tomorrow.
There are many young players who look up to you, and aspire to play
hockey at the same level.  It's especially important that we conduct
ourselves in a manner that's suitable for others to emulate, both on
and off the ice.

My current team, the Ice Bears, has one fan who comes to almost all of
our games.  This young girl absolutely idolizes our team - you can hear
the excitement in her voice when she cheers us on.  It doesn't mattter
what the score is, she's always very positive and cheering non-stop.
It's interesting but before following our team, she had never even considered
playing hockey, as she suffers from a developmental coordination disorder.
But she has become so enthusiastic about hockey that she has started to
learn to skate, and wants to play hockey next year!  She even told me
that her dream is to play for the Ice Bears one day.  Many times we may
not even realize the impact that we can have on younger players and fans.

Eight years ago, I started a web site for women's hockey, and it has
given me a great opportunity to be in contact with people from all over
the world, who are at various stages of the game.  You wouldn't believe
how many email messages I've received from people, both young and old,
who have watched elite women's hockey on TV and have since decided to
start playing themselves!

I think it's tremendous that many elite women's hockey players have
been great role models and have given back to the sport by contributing
to the development of the game.  Many have become coaches, managers,
officials, spokes-people, TV commentators, or have started their own
hockey schools.

FUTURE OF THE GAME

But I think women's hockey is at a crossroads.  On one hand, our game
is poised to see an incredible increase in interest, both in terms of
the number of players, and in terms of its recognition.  On the other
hand, we must ensure that our game progresses by promoting its greatest
asset: a cleanly and intensely-played, skillful brand of hockey.

One of the reasons why the Olympic hockey, both men and women's, was so
enjoyable to watch was because the emphasis was on speed, skill, and
intensity.  I was surprised by how many people I talked to afterwards,
that commented on how this brand of hockey was a breath of fresh air.
We're now at a point in women's hockey where we're trying to sell
the game at the elite level.  If a fan comes to a game and sees
a slow, boring, clutch-and-grab brand of hockey, how likely is this
fan to come again?  I believe we really need to think about the kind
of game that will attract new fans, ... and players.

What is it that makes a hockey game fun to watch?  Well for me, it's a
fast-paced game with nice passing plays, end-to-end rushes, hard shots,
sensational saves, and great scoring plays!  I like a game played with
tenacity and intensity, where each shift is played like it's the last!
I truly believe that women's hockey possesses all of these qualities,
and I'm excited at the prospect of more people discovering it!

I think that we, as players, must be proud of how we play the game, and
set an example for future generations of players.  As hockey players
and as human beings, we must respect our teammates, our coaches, our
opponents, and our officials.  Most importantly, we need to respect the
safety of all players.  There's no place in hockey, let alone women's
hockey, for such actions as elbows and punches to the head, and cross
checks from behind or into the boards.  These brutal acts can all lead
to serious injuries, such as concussions, that can seriously affect a
person's future quality of life.

I think, ultimately, the responsibility for how we play comes down to
*us*, the players.  Just because the referee doesn't catch something, or
just because someone tells us to do something dangerous to a fellow player,
doesn't mean we should.  In the long run, we will all benefit from
playing responsibly, as will our game.

MY EXPERIENCES

I'd like to now talk about some of the experiences that I've had
playing hockey.  I know I'm really fortunate to have grown up during a
period with so many positive changes in women's hockey.  There were a
lot of trail-blazers who helped to advance the game to the current
level, but never got to experience some of the opportunities that are
available today.  I'm truly grateful for these people, and I hope there
will be even more opportunities for players in the future.

Definitely, one of my most memorable hockey experiences was playing on
the national team, and winning the gold medal for Canada at the World
Championships.  Until you've had this experience, you can't begin to
imagine how wonderful it feels: just to wear that red and white jersey,
and to hear the Canadian anthem playing after you've won a game!
It sure makes all the hard work and dedication worthwhile!

Another memorable experience for me was taking a year off university to
play hockey in Switzerland.  I had fun playing hockey; I experienced a
new culture; and I learned a new language.  One of the most rewarding
things I'll remember about Switzerland are all the nice people I met and
the fun I had interacting with them.  It's one thing to visit a country
as a tourist, but you can really appreciate the culture by living with
the people.

I also fondly remember my university hockey days.  During the Christmas
break when I attended the University of New Hampshire, our team used to
come back to the university 2 weeks earlier than the other students, to
do nothing other than practice and play hockey ... it was great!
We practiced four hours a day, hung out with our friends, and watched TV
and movies.  We had no homework or work of any sort, and to top it off,
we were even paid a small daily allowance!

I remember a song by Billy Joel that used to come on the radio in our
dressing room at about this time.  The main chorus went like this:
   "This is the time to remember, cause it will not last forever.
    These are the days to hold onto, cause we won't,
         although we'll want to."
And I remember our coaches telling us that we should really cherish
these times --> these times when we're young and playing organized hockey,
as these will truly be some of the best days of our lives -- and yes,
I couldn't agree more!

I decided a couple of years ago that this season is going to be my last
season playing competitive hockey.  It's just time for me to move on to
other things in life.  I know I'll always be involved in hockey in some
capacity ... it'll be hard enough not playing at this level, I couldn't
imagine not being involved at all!

I've been talking about it for so long, that I didn't think it was
really such a big deal.  I mean, everyone retires at some point.  But
I've found that I have been starting to feel a little differently as
the season winds down and I've been playing in some of my last few games.
At first I was thinking that it was just the monthly emotional mood swing
that I'm sure most of you women, and probably some men, are familiar with,
but then I realized what was happening.  I was starting to think about
all the great things in hockey that I was going to miss.

As well as playing a game that I'm absolutely passionate about, I know
I'll miss the fun of hanging out with my teammates, practicing, road trips,
the competition, and best of all, just being part of a team.  There really
are so many great things that hockey has to offer!

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts about what I
feel is important in terms of both sports and life in general.  These
are some of the points that I often try to get across to young kids
when I've given speeches in the past, but I think they are important
for everyone.

First, I think it's important to take advantage of your opportunities.
We are *so* fortunate to have so many wonderful opportunities available
to us today.

I also feel strongly about the importance of leading a balanced life.
It's great to be a keen athlete, but I think you're missing out, if all
you have in your life are sports.  I think it's important to find a
suitable balance between the various elements of your life, such as
your school or work, your sports and hobbies, and your personal life.

I also think that it is important to respect our game and our
opponents.  We need to have a vision for women's hockey that will take
our game to the next level, and hopefully attract new players and fans
to the game.

And finally, not enough can be said about hard work and determination.
You can have all the natural talent in the world, but if you don't have
the desire and motivation to go along with it, you'll never achieve your
full potential.  One of the most frustrating things for me, is to see
someone not trying ... especially if they have the natural talent and
the potential to do well.  It's those who give that extra effort who
will excel ... and this isn't only true for sports ---> Working hard and
giving your best effort are important for success in all areas of life!

Thank you, and congratulations once again to the players who are here,
and best of luck to those of you who will be playing in the medal games
tomorrow!  Bonne chance demain!