Easter Seals Kickoff Luncheon - Feb 1, 1999
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INTRODUCTION:
------------

It's great to have this opportunity to talk to you today!
I'm especially honoured to be here supporting such a worthwhile
program as Easter Seals.

The Easter Seals Society is to be commended for its hard work, 
dedication, and commitment over the years to providing services
to children with physical disabilities and to their families.

Although the primary content of my speech today is about hockey,
many parallels can be made to the Easter Seal Society and
the hard work required to run such a collaborative program.

Today I'm going to talk to you about the following things:

  o First, a little about my hockey career.

  o Then I'll talk about some of the goals and qualities that
    help to make an individual excel as a hockey player.

  o Next I'll talk about what I think made Team Canada such a
    strong team when I played for them during the '92 and '94
    World Championships.  These are things that can help any
    team or organization to be successful.

  o Lastly, I'll talk about the importance of contributing
    to the community.

MY HOCKEY CAREER:
----------------

So first a little about my hockey career...

I grew up on a farm near Peterborough and I first started skating
on our pond when I was 4 years old.  
I started figure skating in grade 1, and then in grade 4 I started 
playing house league hockey in Peterborough.
Then I played rep hockey (mainly for Keene) and I also played girls'
high school hockey for Thomas A Stewart.

In my last year of high school when I was playing in the Brampton
tournament, the coach from the University of New Hampshire was there
scouting.  It had always been my dream to play for a University team
(because at that time there wasn't a national team for women), so
you can imagine how excited I was when he offered me a hockey
scholarship!  Needless to say, I jumped on his offer!  And what a
deal ... I got my education paid for, in exchange for playing hockey!
Heck, I would have paid them to LET me play!!

After graduating from the University of New Hampshire, I went to the
University of Toronto to play hockey ... I mean to do a Masters degree
in Computer Science!  I also played in the women's senior AAA league
in the Toronto area.  I'm currently playing for the Mississauga Chiefs
in that same league.

Another highlight of my career was having an opportunity to play
in Europe.  The year after the '92 World Championship, I put my school
on hold and went to Switzerland to play hockey for a women's team in a
small town called Langenthal in the German part of Switzerland.  It
was a great experience to go to another country; I got to live in a
different culture, to meet new people, and to learn a new language 
... and of course, to play hockey!

But, by far, the highlight of my career, was having the opportunity to
play for my country.  I played for Team Canada at the WC in Finland in
'92, and then again in Lake Placid in '94.  Playing for Team Canada was
a real honour and a dream come true for me.  It's one thing to play for
your city or your university, but it was really something very special
to put on that Red and White Jersey and to play for my country.

PERSONAL GOALS
--------------

Now I'd like to talk about what it takes to excel as a hockey player,
about setting individual goals, and what it takes to achieve them.

Firstly, I think if you are to be successful as a hockey player or in
whatever you do, the bottom line is that you must really enjoy what you
do.  I have always played hockey because it's fun.  Things change 
through the years, but one thing that has always remained the same for
me, is the enjoyment that I get from playing.  I think that if you play
for the love of the game, and if you really enjoy it, you'll have a
better chance to reach your potential.

When I first decided that I wanted to tryout for the Canadian National
Team, I committed myself to doing whatever it took to make sure I was
ready for the tryout camps.  I started playing summer hockey with men 3
times a week -- most of the guys were a lot stronger and bigger than me,
so it forced me to work hard.  I also played ball hockey twice a week,
and started lifting weights regularly to improve my upper body strength.

Often you need to make sacrifices in order to achieve a goal.  For
example, I had played centre all my life, but when I tried out for the
national team, I realized that it might be difficult to make it past the
second tryout camp if I tried out as a centre, because there were so
many good players trying out at centre.  I was willing to learn how to
play wing if it meant giving me a better chance of making the team.

Making the Canadian team wasn't easy for ANY of the players.  There's
guaranteed to be lots of ups and downs as you prepare yourself for the
tryouts, but the secret is to never give up.  You have to be very
dedicated and always work hard if you really want to make the team.  All
the players on Team Canada had one thing in common ... they all worked
very hard, and were willing to give that extra effort and to make that
sacrifice for the team.  One of my favourite quotes has always been, "NO
ONE CAN STOP YOU FROM WORKING HARD."

To make the Canadian national team, I think that a certain amount of
natural talent is QUITE helpful.  Your hockey skill level is ALSO very
important.  However, I think there is much more to it than that.
... I think some of the intangibles, like, attitude and work ethic can
also greatly influence whether or not you are selected.
Things like your willingness to learn and to listen to the coaches are more
important than you might imagine, as they make it possible for you to
always improve as a player ... and that really is the key to becoming
a better hockey player.

There are also a number of other things that the coaches look for when
they select a team.  Sometimes it depends on where the WC is being
held.  In '92 when the WC was in Finland, the coaches stressed that
they wanted to select players who they thought would be able to adapt
to playing in a new environment.  They were concerned with things such
as the 6-hour time change, the different food, and of course the
international-sized ice surface.  When the WC was held in Lake Placid,
the coaches told us that they wanted to choose a mature team that would
be able to handle the increased media attention that goes along with
having a WC in the United States.

When the coaches select the team, they take notice of players who have good
leadership skills, players who are good role models, and players who
always have a positive attitude.  If the coaches are having a hard time
deciding between two players, you can be guaranteed that they'll choose the
player who has more of these qualities.  One of the most important qualities
that the coaches look for, is the willingness of a player to put the team 
ahead of herself!

And this leads nicely to what I'd like to talk about next ... team work!

TEAMWORK
--------

Whether you are a competitive athlete trying out for Team Canada, or
a member working together with others on a project such as Easter Seals,
team work is extremely important.  On a hockey team, you can have the
best individuals in the world, but if they can't work together as
a team, your chances for success are limited.  This is especially true
as the competition gets better.

I think that the willingness of the players on Team Canada to put the
team's goals ahead of personal goals, was really important for our success.
The coaches on TC really reinforced how much more important the team was
than any individual. The players had to keep in mind that the team's
success was all that really mattered.  It didn't matter who scored the
goals, as long as TC won the gold.  All the players on the team were
willing to accept whatever role was given to them.  It was important
that we all trusted the coaching staff and realized that no role was
too small to play ... whether it be a checking role, a scoring role,
or a cheering role.

The players on Team Canada were from different parts of the country,
and played on various teams, making it harder to get to know each other.
In 1992, we went to Finland just one week before the World Championship
to prepare.  It was quite amazing how quickly we were able to come
together as a team in such a short amount of time.  We did a lot of
activities that helped to bring us together and to trust one another,
such as, leading each other around blindfolded, doing team skits, and
working together on activities that required cooperation.  I think
this was crucial to our success.  I'd have to say that our ability
to come together as a team was our most important asset.

Before our final game at the '94 WC, the coaches told us that they were
really confident because they thought we had 2 big advantages over the
Americans.  First, our mental preparation:  As well as training
physically, we spent a lot of time preparing ourselves mentally.
We did things like visualizing ourselves doing certain things on the
ice, so when you actually get into that situation in a game, it doesn't
seem so foreign.  We worked on being able to focus on the task at hand,
and to put aside negative thoughts and other distractions.  For example,
if you worried about a goal you missed or a bad play you made, or if you
were distracted by a noisy crowd, you wouldn't have been able to play
your best.

The second advantage that our coaches said we had, was a lot of heart &
determination!  We even each drew a big red heart on our shoulder pads
before the final game, to remind us that it would take a lot of heart
to win the game.  It has always been a trait of Canadian teams to play
with intensity and emotion and to rise to the occasion.  I think we
showed a lot of heart in that final game, and it was a great feeling to
have that gold medal put around our necks.

For me, the most memorable thing about playing for Team Canada was the
feeling I'd get after winning a game ...
  you'd see that Canadian flag slowly being raised to the top of the arena,
  you'd hear that Canadian anthem echoing throughout the building,
  and you'd feel so proud to be wearing that red and white jersey.
It was just a wonderful, undescribable feeling to know that I was a
part of the team.

COMMUNITY:
---------

Once you've been a member of the national team, you recome a recognizable
figure.  You also become a role model for many young aspiring players.

When we first came back from the World Championship, we were really
surprised to have so many kids asking for our autographs.  But as
excited and honoured as we were to give the autographs, we could tell
by the smiles on the kids' faces that they were even more excited to
receive them.

In terms of hockey, there is probably no greater role model than my
favourite hockey player, Wayne Gretzky.  What an ambassador for hockey!
He never gets tired of people being excited to meet him.  I vividly
remember the first time I had a chance to meet him in person.  It was
when I was playing hockey at the University of New Hampshire.  A friend
took us to see the Oilers play the Bruins at the Boston Gardens, and
got us passes to watch the afternoon practices before the game.

We were sitting in the front row watching the practice, when who walked
up into the stands but Wayne Gretzky!  My first reaction was to take my
camera and to point it in his general direction and to click without
even looking through the viewfinder.  Needless to say, I get the prize
for the world's fuzziest picture of Wayne Gretzky!!   But as it turned
out, he was more than willing to come over and have his picture taken
with me and my friend.  We'll never forget this moment!

Now I'd like to talk about how I, as a hockey player, have been
fortunate enought to give back to the community.

After the world championships, I attended several high schools, public
schools, hockey awards banquets, churches, hockey tournaments, and
hockey camps to give speeches, answer questions, show my gold medals,
meet fans, and sign autographs.  I also had many television, radio, and
newspaper interviews.

I was able to give back to the women's hockey community through making
public appearances at girls' hockey tournaments, giving hockey skills
clinics to young girls, and attending public functions at the Hockey
Hall of Fame.

My most enjoyable way that I've found to give back to the global
community combines two of my favourite interests: hockey and computer
science.  I'm sure you've all heard of the world wide web!  Well, in
1994, I created what was to become the world's largest web site
dedicated to women's hockey.  Over 3000 people now visit the web site
daily.  I've had a lot of fun creating the site and making contacts with
people all around the world to help spread the word about women's
hockey! If you're ever on the web, be sure to visit www.whockey.com!

I'm thankful that I've been able to give back to the community in so
many ways.  It's thinking of the young people in need that inspires me,
and I'm sure probably you too as members of the rotary club,  to
continue to contribute to the community. It really is worth it!

CONCLUSION:
----------

I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts about what I feel is important in
terms of both sports and life in general...

I think it's important to take advantage of your opportunities.  I'm really
glad that I didn't pass up the opportunity to play university hockey, and to
go to Switzerland to play hockey.  

And the sacrifices that I made to play for TC, were more than worth it.
Sometimes the best things in life aren't necessarily the easiest to come by.

And finally, not enough can be said about HARD WORK and DETERMINATION.  You can
have all the natural talent in the world, but if you don't have the desire
and motivation to go along with it, you'll never be a top-notch hockey player.
One of the most frustrating things for me, is to see someone not trying ...
especially if they have the natural talent and the potential to do well.
It's those who give that extra effort who will excel ... and this isn't
only true for sports ---> Working hard and giving your best effort are
important for success in all areas of life!

Thank you, and best of luck with the Easter Seals program this year!