For the past 100 years, Boston has been a special place in the world of sports. It was where hockey was introduced to America, as the Bruins were the first National Hockey League franchise in the United States with their inauguration in 1924.
In 2010, hockey history strikes Beantown once more.
On Saturday, the United States' first professional women's hockey team will hit the ice. The puck drops at noon, as the Boston Blades will face off against the Burlington Barracudas from Harvard University's Bright Hockey Center.
Opening in 2007, the Canadian Women's Hockey League is still in its infancy. The league's original four teams include three teams from the province of Ontario (Burlington, Toronto and Brampton) and one from Quebec (Montreal).
Now, the league has dropped below the border, and Boston is the beneficiary.
Coming to life after the National Women's Hockey League dissolved, the CWHL supports itself through donations rather than support from the NHL. The WNBA, on the other hand, is still supported by the NBA despite its lack of self-generated revenue. The WNBA would not be around if it weren't for the support from the men.
Funding isn't as much of an issue for the CWHL. The players do not get paid, and in Boston's case, they have no home arena. The women take to the ice and compete purely for the love of the game.
The rosters are filled to the brim with talent from international play. Boston will be the new home for five U.S. Olympians, including the alternate captain for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic squad, Angela Ruggiero.
With the harsh rivalry between the U.S. and Canadian national teams, many have wondered if there will be any bad blood.
"It's not completely U.S. versus Canada," said Boston general manager Paul Hendrickson. "We do have a bit of a mix of Canadian and Americans on all teams in the league. So I don't think that will be the focus of the rivalry."
There is one rivalry, however, that the Blades are anticipating. Hendrickson expects that Montreal will blossom into a rival, just like in the NHL.
"I do expect a special rivalry with Montreal," Hendrickson said. "There's nothing like Boston versus Montreal in the NHL, and I'm expecting that we see a similar type of rivalry on the women's side."
Hendrickson explained that NHL fans would find excitement in the fast pace and flow of the game. Without the physical aspect of clutching and grabbing by players, fans will experience a game with precise passing and quick puck movement from each end of the ice.
Boston's induction into the league comes at a scary time for women's hockey. In less than a month, the International Olympic Committee will decide the fate of women's hockey in the Olympics. The event's continued inclusion in the Winter Games will come before a panel at the International Hockey Summit in Toronto.
Dominance by Canadian and American squads has threatened the sport. With the CWHL coming into place, European hockey players are invited to play with these high caliber athletes to ensure that the sport is safe from removal from the Winter Olympics.
Excitement for the league's expansion reaches much farther than eastern Massachusetts. Senior Shoshana Levine, captain of the University at Buffalo Lady Ice Bulls, has been playing hockey for much of her life.
"I think [women's hockey coming to the U.S.] is great," Levine said. "Very few Americans know it even exists. I hope Boston gets enough publicity to expand teams to other cities. If it could someday lead to a WNHL that is as widespread as the WNBA, then that would be huge for the sport."
Even as an expansion team, the Blades are confident that they will be able to compete with the Burlington squad this weekend.
"We're looking for a challenging weekend, but we're very confident in the skills and team play," Hendrickson said. "We're looking to come out on top, but we'll be happy just being out on the ice."
Photo: Courtesy of UB Athletics
