All March, we are celebrating International Women’s month by showcasing some of the women and girls who show their Hurricane pride, have paved the way for others or are role models for the future of our league.
This week we talk to U15AA player Addison Gutcher about her favourite hockey memory, why she plays, and what it means to her to have a female coach.
MGHL: Thanks for talking to us, Addison. Tell us about your favourite hockey memory.
Addison: My favourite hockey memory would have been in the first year played in Mississauga (2018), when I was playing “A” as a major in Peewee. There were two minutes left in the third period of the Championship game of the London Devilettes Tournament and we were losing 3-2 to London. We had to penalty-kill for the rest of the period, and I scored with just over a minute left. That goal took my team into overtime, and we won GOLD beating out London in their own tournament! My entire experience with Mississauga has been amazing, but this by far is my favourite memory.
"Having female coaches has taught me that stepping outside of my comfort zone is the only way to make a difference for myself and others."
MGHL: How did you start playing hockey, and why do you still play?
Addison: I honestly do not know why I started playing hockey! When I was younger I played soccer and did one dance camp (which lasted less than a week, because I disliked it so much). I enjoyed soccer but when my parents decided to put me into boys hockey, I immediately loved it and knew that this is what I wanted to do.
I play hockey because I love the rush and competitiveness of the game. I am a very competitive person, and I always want to do the best that I can. I love the feeling when the puck drops, and the excitement that comes with it. I love the feeling when you score a goal, or successfully kill off a penalty. I play hockey because I could not imagine doing anything else that would bring me the same joy that hockey does. Hockey is my safe haven, and arenas are my home.
MGHL: What does it mean to you to have a female coach, trainer or mentor?
Addison: Having a female coach is really important to me because it is somebody that I look up to and, eventually, could be. Having female coaches or trainers show me that I am not limited to what I can do and that women are powerful and make an impact not only in the hockey community, but everywhere. Female coaches and trainers are proving that anything is possible, and that I am not limited in what I want to do. Having female coaches has taught me that stepping outside of my comfort zone is the only way to make a difference for myself and others.
Read the first post in this series on MGHL coaches Darcy Breakey and Brittney Cosmo here.
If you want to be profiled as part of this series, email [email protected].