Mark Thibert Staffieri

Facebook Interview
January 26, 2015

1: Do you see your website whockey.com as one of your legacies in the game?

It really wasn't my intention, but it seems to have worked out that way.

When I first created the Women's Hockey Web back in 1994, my goal was to provide women's hockey content on the Internet, as there was practically none!

I have to admit that a lot of people are more likely to remember me from my website than my hockey playing. Women's hockey didn't get nearly as much publicity as it does now. The 1992 World Championship in Tamperé, Finland wasn't even broadcasted back here in Canada!

Although I don't have time to maintain the website now, I'm planning to leave it there as an archive indefinitely. People have indicated that they are still finding it useful for women's hockey info in the past.

2: What was your favorite moment with Team Canada (ice hockey and/or inline hockey)?

In ice hockey, it was the gold medal game at my first World Championship in Finland in 1992. I played on a line with Margot Page and Angela James (2010 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee), and I must say that made the game in itself a lot of fun! It seemed that everything came together for us that game, and we ended up winning 8-0 against our arch rivals Team USA. What an unforgettable feeling to see that Canadian flag raised at the end of the game!

A close second in ice hockey was the moment I was told by the coaches at the final national selection camp in Kitchener that I had made Team Canada. I'll never forget the feeling of overjoy!

In inline hockey, it was again during the gold medal game against Team USA. This was in 2002 at the first-ever Women's Inline Hockey World Championship, held in Rochester, NY. About 6-weeks before the World Championship, I tore my MCL, playing ice hockey with my husband's team. Fortunately I was still able to play at the inline hockey World Championship albeit with a knee brace. 

There was a point in the gold medal game when we were winning 1-0 and Team USA was on a breakaway. I was the closest player back so I knew I had to try to catch her, but with the sore knee I wasn't sure if it would be possible. I did manage to catch her, and for some reason that moment has stuck with me. I guess because it may have been a turning point if she had scored, and it also shows how we can go beyond our limits if we put our mind to it! We went on to win the game 2-0 to claim the first-ever World Championship!

Another exciting moment in inline hockey was when I first heard the announcement that the first Women's World Championship would take place in 2002! I had been playing inline hockey since 1994, and up until then the main event was the North American Roller Hockey Championship (NARCh). I was 30 at this point, and I knew I was about to give up playing hockey to start a family, so the timing couldn't have been better for me!

3: How did it feel to be the recipient of the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award?

I have to hand it to the OWHA and to Hockey Canada that they did an exceptional job of surprising me about this award! They invited me to attend the 2000 Nationals and asked me to be the guest speaker at the awards banquet. I had given my speech after dinner and was listening as they outlined the credentials of the award winner, and then suddenly I realized it was me!  It was a very crafty plan to get me there, and certainly a fabulous surprise and honour!

4: Are you still involved in the game today?

I retired from playing with the Mississauga Ice Bears in the National Women's Hockey League after the end of the 2001-2002 season. After that, I took 12 years off hockey. Things were just too busy having had 4 children, but the main reason is that I was diagnosed with some pretty severely herniated discs after my first daughter was born in 2003. Fortunately my back is feeling much better now, and I just started playing again in the Mimico Dad's Hockey League (mdho.weebly.com) this season. I had really missed playing and am so happy to be back on the ice again!

I am involved with coaching soccer and hockey for my kids. I was a coach for my son's Tyke hockey team for the last 2 seasons, and I'm helping with my daughter's Tyke team this season. It's a fun and rewarding way to give back to the sport, while spending time with my kids!

Andria