Yesterday, the Leaside Wildcats Atom C team that I help coach, played 2 terrific games at the Ontario Provincial Championships. After cruising past our first opponent of the day, we advanced to the quarterfinal in the evening.

I am so proud of the way the girls battled last night. We were behind for the entire game, but they never gave up and kept giving 100% effort the whole way. Sure, they would rather be playing in this morning’s semi-finals and are sad to see their successful season end, but they certainly have nothing to be ashamed of. Not only did they advance to the quarterfinals in the Provincials, they won 2 league championships in the last month - and are certainly the most enthusiastic group of girls I have been around in a long time!

It can be easy to lose perspective when you have been playing at the highest level of your sport for a while and are consumed by your own team’s games and your own individual performance. Although I have been training young female players off the ice for years, this was the first time (in a long time) that I have worked this closely with an entire team both on and off the ice.

I am privileged to have had some amazing coaches and teammates growing up with the Leaside Wildcats organization. I truly believe that I would have never had the opportunity to receive a scholarship to an Ivy League university, try-out for Team Canada or play in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, had it not been for the tremendous support and education I received as a young player in the Leaside organization. It was my personal experience in girls hockey that was the major driving force in my decision to pursue an education and career in player development.

It has been 10 long years since I played for the Wildcats and I am ecstatic to be helping out the girls hockey association that gave me so much as a young player. Each and every time I work with the girls, I am reminded of all the great friends I made playing girls hockey. Every tournament trip and every dressing room laugh-a-thon we had over 10 years ago feels like it happened only yesterday.

So thank you girls for constantly renewing my passion for the female game.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for next year!

Kim