What women's hockey in Quebec can learn from Ontario

Women and girls' hockey in Quebec has grown more and more popular since the 1990s, but the province is still playing catch up when compared to Ontario.

A recent Hockey Canada report showseight times as many girls signed up to play hockey in Ontariothan in Quebec last year. During the 2019-2020 season, 6,618 girls registered to hit the ice in Quebec, while Ontario saw over 51,465 girls register toplay duringthatsame period.

At the last world championships, Ontario women outnumbered their Quebec counterparts sevento oneon the national team.

Daniel Taillon, head of Hockey Montral Fminin, says Quebec's tendency to push female players to play on male teams isn't helping.

"There's a myth in Quebec that if girls play with guys they're going to get better. If that was the case, Ontario players wouldn't be so strong," he said.

Taillon says Quebec needs to create more all-female teams and leagues and let more girls play with other girlsto boost registration numbers and keep more female players in the minor hockey system.

Danile Sauvageau, the head coach of Canada's national women's hockey team agrees and says practically every arena in Ontario offers the opportunity to play on an all-girls' team.

"Unfortunately in Quebec, the offer isn't there yet in all regions," she said. "So there are girls who have to register with the boys, and sometimes they end up beingthe only girl on the team."

Keeping girls in the game

Sauvageausays whengirls play hockey together, they usually stay in the sportlonger than when they play on teams made up of mostly boys.

"At a young age, there'sno difference between boys and girls on the ice, but growing up, girls will often look for a female team, and if they don't find one, they'll turn toanother sport, or stop playing sports," she said.

Sauvageau says "sport dropout" is a big problem among Quebec teenagers and the last provincial study on physical activity found 15 per centof teenage girls consider themselves active, in contrast to 23 per cent of teenage boys.

Young girls looking to play on a women's team in Montreal have to register with Hockey Montral Fminin, where they're placed in a group of players who come from all over the city. The hockey program is independent from theminor hockey associations in different neighbourhoods, cities and boroughs, which aren't obligedto promote female teams.

"When I signed my daughter up to play hockey at the arena a few years ago, they never mentioned the existence of girls' teams," saidChlo Deraiche,a volunteer dedicated to the development of women's hockey.

Deraiche says she feels minor hockey associations should publicize the existence of female teams,adding that she found out about them by searching online.

Her daughter Charliestarted out playing with the boys, butnowshe plays in a girls' league.

"It's worth it because the girls really have fun together. I've really seen a renewed motivation forhockey in my daughter and a sense of belonging that I didn't see before," said Deraiche.

Marcel Patenaude, the director of Hockey Quebec, saysminor hockey associations shouldn't be forced to bring up women's hockey during registration, but recognizes the importance of promoting it.

"Some associations want girls to play with girls, but it's not the case for all of them," he said, "and in the end it's up to the girl to decide."

"If all the girls played with each other, it would create an even stronger model for us and make iteasier to watch and recruit different players when they're all together."

Sauvageausays it's taken a long time for women's hockey in Quebec to get organized.

"It's all up to volunteers and a lot of times you start to see some equity, but people show moreinterest in men's hockey, supposedly because there are more career opportunityforboys whocompete."

Access to arenas and quality ice timeare alsoobstaclesfaced by certain women's teams in Quebec.

PatenaudesaysHockey Quebec"is developing clear guidelines for the different associations" to establish more equity between boys' and girls' teams.

Elite development

At last year's Women's World Hockey Championship, 15 of TeamCanada's players were from Ontario and only two Marie-Philip Poulin and Mlodie Daoust were from Quebec.

Sauvageauled the Canadian women'sOlympic team to a gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002 with six Quebecers and nine Ontarians on the team. She believes there needs to be high-level opportunities outside of the national team in order to motivate more young Quebec girls to eventually crack the roster.

"After university, there's nothing out there for elite [female] players in Quebec," she said. "We need a professional league."

Sauvageau is also the general manager of the hockey program at theUniversit de Montral andoffers training for Quebec's top talent. She's been running 21.02, a high-performance hockey centre based out of the Verdun Auditorium.

Elite female players can get personalized training,receivemedical services and work out infacilities that meet international standards. Quebec recently invested $375,000 in the the centreto encourage the development of positive role models for young women and to promote more Quebec representation on Team Canada.

Last summer, the 21.02 Centre organized the Women's Hockey Summit, which aimed to compile a report on "all the observations, challenges and findings related to women's hockey" in Quebec.

This report, which will notably mention "the insufficiency of resources granted to women's hockey, the need to establish a common action plan and to unify the offer of services," is currently being written and will be publishedsoon.