She shoots, she scores!

She shoots, she scores! A spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame that is. Yes you read it correctly, women have finally made it in the eyes of gate keepers at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Yesterday TSN reported that Angela James and Cammi Granato have officially been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Cammi Granato

Their hard work and dedication to the sport have earned them a spot next to the greatest players the sport has ever seen. It's not easy to get inducted into the HHoF in the fame in the first place; consider for a moment the talent you're rubbing shoulders with:

Bobby Hull: inducted 1983
Mario Lemieux: inducted 1997
Gordie Howe: inducted 1972
Grant Fuhr: inducted 2003
Guy LaFleur: inducted 1988
Wayne Gretzky: inducted 1999
Bobby Orr: inducted 1979

Notice anything about this list? They're all men. Granted, they are all well deserving men, but no where in the history of the sport have women been honored at this level. Until now. And as a female, and a long time fan I am damn proud of them. But I'm not alone as fans and athletes like Stephanie Hallet of Ms. Blog wrote yesterday in her article We Heart: First Women in Hockey:

Congratulations, James and Granato! Let this first induction pave the way for future women hockey players, and serve as inspiration for all the little girl hockey players out there looking to make it to the Olympics and beyond.

Angela James

It's undoubtedly a proud day for female professional athletes everywhere and a big moment for each of these women. Perhaps this from CBC.ca online sums it up the best:

Women's hockey has spent decades fighting for its place. The first world championship wasn't held until 1990, but the sport now features other tournaments like the Four Nations Cup, which is being held this week in Newfoundland and Labrador.

On their Hall of Fame plaques, James is described as a "pioneer of the women's game" while Granato is labelled a "groundbreaker in the truest sense of the word."
It's been a long time coming.
"I'm not looking at how long it's been," said James. "I'm just looking at today that it is here. I think we should celebrate that and not worry about the past.
"There has to be a first for everything and this is it."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010/11/08/sp-hockey-hall.html#ixzz14pmDJZ2j

Blogging about all things women.

Blog: http://wwwiamwomanhearmeroar.blogspot.com

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