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ARCHIVED - Backcheck: a Hockey Retrospective

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Women's Hockey

"Women's Hockey: A Proud Past, A Bright Future", an essay by Brian McFarlane

Photograph of women playing hockey outdoors at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, circa 1890

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Isobel Stanley, the graceful skater in white, was the daughter of the Stanley Cup's donor, Lord Stanley of Preston. This remarkable snapshot, taken at Ottawa's Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General of Canada, is thought to be the earliest photograph ever taken of women playing hockey.

Earliest known photograph of women playing hockey, taken at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, circa 1890. Isobel Stanley, Lord Stanley's daughter, is wearing white

Photograph of London's Wimbledon Skating Club, 1893

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London's Wimbledon Skating Club, 1893

Photograph of Eva Ault, wearing skates and holding a hockey stick, 1917

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As a star with the Ottawa Alerts, Eva Ault was one of the best-known women hockey players.

Eva Ault, January 1917

Photograph of a female hockey player on an outdoor rink

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"Queen of the Ice" -- No. 2 of the Canadian Hockey Girl Series, 1903

Photograph of the Gore Bay hockey team, 1921

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Gore Bay hockey team of Manitoulin Island, Ontario, 1921

Photograph of the Queen's University hockey team, Kingston, Ontario, 1917

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1917 Queen's University team. Back: Flora E. Abernethy, Nelida Vessot, Jessie McArthur. Middle: Muriel E. Whalley, Charlotte Whitton, Bessie Farrell. Front: Bernice Clapp.

Queen's University hockey team, Kingston, Ontario, 1917

Photograph of Abby Hoffman in her hockey gear, 1955

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In 1955, at age eight, Ab (Abby) Hoffman cut her hair short and joined a boys' hockey team as a defenseman. Everyone thought she was a boy, until just before an all-star game that required players to submit their birth certificates. When her secret was revealed, Abby became an overnight sensation. Soon other young women began trying out for boys' teams.

Abby Hoffman, 1955

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