Parenting often feels like a series of small victories, each one celebrated with the same enthusiasm as a championship win. My five‑year‑old son now assembles Lego sets on his own, while my seven‑year‑old daughter has discovered the thrill of hockey, a sport that has become a shared family ritual.
Last weekend she watched the Montreal Victoire capture the PWHL’s Walter Cup, and the excitement was palpable as the team’s star, Marie‑Philip Poulin, was crowned MVP.
Inspired by Poulin’s performance, we named our family dog Marie, a tribute that blends our love of the game with a personal connection to the sport’s rising stars.
A Personal Connection to the Ice
The Professional Women’s Hockey League is more than a league; it is forging new pathways for young girls to see themselves on the ice, and its expansion to Detroit next season has us counting down the days.
I recently spoke with Victoire coach Kori Cheverie about the league’s ‘jailbreak’ rule, a strategic nuance that adds a fresh layer of excitement and forces coaches to rethink traditional tactics.
Abby Roque’s daring goal that put Montreal up 2‑0 in the third period was a moment that reminded me why the human feeling behind sports is so compelling — it’s the raw emotion that turns a game into a story.
From the arena in Detroit where my daughter first fell in love with hockey to the living room where we cheer for the next generation of female athletes, the journey feels both personal and universal.