The hockey game is a physical sport with a long history of professional hockey. More and more girls have been playing in youth leagues in the past decades. However, it’s not very well known that women have played in the NHL. 

Since Rheaume, no woman has ever played in an NHL game. However, at the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Knight and teammates Amanda Kessel and Meghan Duggan showed off their abilities, with Knight clocking a time in precision shooting that would have put most of the men to shame.

In this article, we will talk about the first-ever woman who played in the NHL and why can’t women play in NHL.

Has a Woman Ever Played in the NHL?

If you are a Hockey fan, you may have noticed some news about women playing in the NHL. Many are surprised to hear that there have been not one but four women who have played professional hockey in North America’s biggest league: The National Hockey League (NHL).

Due to the game’s physical nature and lack of opportunities for women, it is still considered a man’s sport. There are currently no active women playing in the National Hockey League; however, there have been some notable firsts for professional hockey women.

Manon Rhéaume is a retired ice hockey goalie from Canada who was born on February 24, 1972. She was the first woman to play in any of the main North American pro-sports leagues, and she was an Olympic silver medallist who earned a number of historical firsts during her career.

She was the first woman to play for a junior hockey team. She also became the first woman to play in an exhibition game with any major professional leagues — male or female — when she suited up for Tampa Bay Lightning.

Why can’t females play in the NHL?

The first thing that comes to mind when someone says, “Why can’t females play in the NHL?” is that there’s no women league because the professional sport known as hockey is for men only. But if you ask this question regularly, you’d realize it’s not about an actual ban against women playing in the NHL. But it’s more about the standard of masculinity in society which is why women aren’t able to play in the NHL.

At the top level, women are becoming more involved in management and coaching, but no woman will ever play in the NHL. The world’s greatest female players are on a level with male AAA players in their 16s. They can’t keep up since they aren’t as physically powerful or huge as males.

There’s no women league because it’s so hard to develop female players as well as males, and professional teams don’t have the resources. The standard of masculinity in society – which this argument all boils down to – depicts that since females are naturally weaker than their male counterparts, they can’t play a sport where physicality is required. 

There are no professional hockey teams for women, and why will there never be a time when females play in the NHL.

Is women’s hockey in NHL 22?

The hockey game is one of the most popular sports in North America. A lot of people love the game. And a huge part of that population is women. The NHL is the league that brings together the best hockey players on the planet.

The Women’s Hockey League is becoming more and more popular worldwide, winning new fans every day with different personalities in a very competitive environment. This has already produced many great players who have been training for years to be able to play at the highest level, just like their male counterparts.

EA Sports plans to expand the reach of its renowned NHL video game series. Players will be allowed to utilize the franchise’s women’s squads. Players from the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) women’s national teams and the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship will be permitted to participate in NHL 22, making stars from Team USA and Hockey Canada, among others.

This week, EA Sports’ latest hockey video game, NHL 22, received an upgrade that allows gamers to play as one of ten international women’s teams. As a result, NHL 22 fans will play as members of Team USA, Team Canada, and eight other women’s teams in the run-up to the Winter Olympics.

There will be ten women’s teams to pick from in tournament mode. The players in the United States have already begun to discuss their player evaluations. EA Sports will offer IIHF material for men’s teams in addition to women’s teams.

How do women get recruited for ice hockey?

Women’s ice hockey is recruiting young girls just like any other team sport does. Most of them will join the sport at a young age, mostly through their school system or some club. Like most other sports, some women’s teams will also seek experienced players (and often former players). There are, however, far more women’s teams than there are men’s teams, so opportunities both at the school level and club level are much less commonly available for women than for men.

A schedule of games and tournaments and the contact information for their high school or club coach should be included with the recruit. Create a letter of recommendation: Request a letter of reference from the recruit’s high school or club coach to their top five programs.

Even if the opportunity to join a team is not provided on the course of the sport at school, it is often very easy for a woman to join a women’s ice hockey team. Most teams are more than happy to have experienced players. A player only has to contact the coach and ask if they can join to get in and start playing. While this is not so easy in men’s ice hockey, it is essential for women because of the few players available.

The recruitment process for women’s teams differs from team to team, but some basic steps remain the same everywhere. The coach has to give the go-ahead and make a decision regarding whether she wants to add another player or not. This can be done by observing practice or even playing with the team in low-key games where experience is more important than actual skills.