Women's hockey Olympians thankful for their opportunities

Julie Chu is thankful for the chance to play hockey on the world stage.

She’s thankful because she’s listened to the regrets of women all over the United States.

“I meet older women wishing they had enjoyed our chances,” said Chu, a forward for the U.S. women’s Olympic team. “A lot of moms out there paved the road for us by encouraging their daughters.

“They really set the path so that I can go and have an easy path, but it’s sad others didn’t have that chance.  Every day we’re trying to break down barriers.

“When I hear a woman say, ‘It’s awesome what you’re doing. I never had that opportunity,’ it makes me stand back and it humbles me.”

The women’s game is young, at least on the international stage. For decades, writes Jamie Fitzpatrick on About.com,“hockey was assumed to be the preserve of men and boys. The organized women’s game … was regarded as little more than a curiosity.”

But that changed in 1990 when eight teams competed for the Women’s World Hockey Championship. In 1998, women’s hockey joined the Olympic mix.

Angela Ruggiero grew up in California, where she never met another female hockey player her age.

She wanted to play for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. She knew nothing about opportunities for women in the game.

“Now,” Ruggiero said with a laugh, “we have little girls who come to the rink and look up to us. We’re role models.”

Jenny Potter remembers the day she heard women’s hockey had been added to the Olympics. She was 19.

“I made it my dream to play in the Olympics,” she said. “I made it my goal.”

Chu shook her head as she considered how long it has taken for her sport to emerge.

“We have it easy in so many ways,” she said. “We don’t have as many barriers.”

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