Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame Induction June 1, 2007, Evinrude Centre, Peterborough, ON I would like to start by saying how very proud I am to be from such a HOCKEY TOWN as Peterborough. When people ask me where I'm from, I proudly tell them that I'm from Peterborough -- where EVERYONE plays hockey, except the cats and dogs! And in actual fact, that's not quite true, because our dog Jug played quite a bit of pond hockey -- mostly just stealing the puck! I was very fortunate to have grown up in an area that had opportunities for girls in hockey so early. - The Peterborough Girls Hockey Association was just getting started, when I first began to play. - Even a village as small as Keene had girls hockey. - Peterborough also had a girls high school hockey league, much earlier than a lot of other cities. - Ontario was a leader in female hockey, with the Ontario Women's Hockey Association providing provincial championships at every level. None of the other provinces even had a separate organization to look after the needs of their female hockey players. It's quite possible that if I had grown up elsewhere, and didn't have the same opportunities when I was younger, I wouldn't have made the national team. I am TRULY thankful for those players and organizers who went before me and paved the way! I would like to thank my parents for their overwhelming support throughout my whole hockey career. I was extremely lucky to have very giving, supportive, and outgoing parents. They were open to the idea of me playing hockey and other sports, during a time when not all parents were letting their little girls participate. My parents drove my sisters and I to countless games and other events. I don't know how many times my mom picked me up after high school when I had stayed late for sports ... and actually I'll probably never forget it ... I'd be standing there, hanging out with my friends, waiting to be picked up (you know, trying to be cool like a typical teenager), and she'd pull up in the little Honda Civic station wagon ... and you'd hear ... beep beep ... beep beep ... [and I'd discretely walk to the car like this (hand covering forehead)] My dad was also very involved. He made hockey rinks at home so that I was able to start skating when I was just 4 years old. He also taught my sisters and I a little about working hard by giving us lots of oppportunities to help him out on the farm. Of course he'd try to make it seem like he was doing ME a favour. Since he knew I wanted to stay strong for my sports, he'd say something like, "I have a really good muscle-building job for you..." of course usually it involved bringing in hay or wood, picking stones, or shovelling manure! I'd also like to thank my husband (Marc) ... my sisters (Leslie & Nancy) ... my relatives ... and my friends, for all being so supportive. They often attended my games, even if it meant travelling long distances. It was always really encouraging to see their familiar faces in the stands. I'd like to say a special thanks to my Aunt Marg for being such a dedicated team manager (& coach a few times too) during the 6 years that I played for Keene in the early eighties. She was responsible for scheduling anywhere from 60-80 games per season for us ... and this was in addition to practices! If we had a break in our schedule, you could be sure that she'd be on the phone, lining up extra exhibition games or tournaments for us! I was fortunate to have had a number of exceptional coaches along the way. In high school, one of my most influential coaches was my soccer and field hockey coach, Mollie Cartmell --> even though she was into that OTHER kind of hockey ... where they only let you use one side of the stick, and they make everyone shoot right, and of course I happened to be a leftie! She taught me a lot about teamwork and what it takes to be successful. The coach who contributed the most to my development as a hockey player, and who I feel was most responsible for me eventually making the national team, was Coach Russell McCurdy. He was my coach during the 4 years that I played at the University of New Hampshire. He had a vision of the game unlike anyone I had seen. He was an excellent teacher, with great attention to detail. To this day, when I think of passing the puck, I picture Coach McCurdy sliding his wrist watch down onto the back of his hand ... he'd tell us, "this is your laser ... and you want to keep it pointed at the target that you're passing to" ... and he'd proceed to demonstrate. He'd really over-exaggerate it, to drive the point home. And it really worked. Because he was so visual, it made it easy to remember what he was teaching. My experience playing with Team Canada was very memorable, and certainly the highlight of my career. It was such an honour to wear that jersey! I still remember how moving it was to hear the Canadian anthem playing after each victory. It was quite an experience to play on such a successful team, with so many talented players, and to win the World Championship. As for inline hockey, I'd like to thank Sandy Nimmo, the manager of the women's national team. She was responsible for getting this sport going in the greater Toronto area, and was instrumental in initiating the first women's inline hockey World Championship. I was grateful to have one last chance to represent Canada before retiring. Finally, I'm really thankful for what sports have contributed to my life in general --> and it's not just because I met my husband playing hockey! I had a lot of fun playing sports and made numerous friends. I have many fond memories. I learned valuable "life lessons" about dedication, commitment, time management, being part of a team, and the importance of working hard, to name only a few. In closing, thank you very much for the award -- it's a great honour! I'd like to thank the Hall of Fame organizers for your hard work year round, and for setting up this special event this evening.