Let’s go back to the 80s and 90s. Girls on a minor hockey team were extremely rare. Back then, girls played with boys or they didn’t play at all. There were no leagues for them.

Pioneer and Hall of Famer Caroline Ouellette reflected on this experience during a discussion with Félix Séguin on the Dans l’oeil du chat podcast.

At first, Ouellette was unable to convince his father to sign him up for ice hockey. He had no choice but to give in when Mom took Caroline to the store to buy a pair of ice skates.

“I started with the Rosemont Youth Committee in the middle of the season, Atom C. It is the only association that agreed to sign me in the middle of the season. We won two games that year,” the legendary striker recalled.

Ouellette says she was respected by the teams she was a part of, but she can’t say the same about the opposing camp.

“It was mostly from my opponents that it wasn’t easy… and what I could hear from my opponents’ parents. When you hear all kinds of bad things, it’s definitely difficult.”

Despite the prejudices and derogatory remarks of some slackers, Ouellette played with men down to the midget level, even when full-body checks were permitted.

“When body checks are allowed for the first time, it’s a bit of a jungle,” she said. It seems that it becomes the only goal and is more important than scoring goals. In my last Midget BB year, I had one of my best seasons offensively.”

Ouellette later again confronted men, and sometimes not just any men. As the Canadian women’s team prepared for the Olympics, they faced Midget AAA or Junior AAA teams during their camp.

“I played with the Canadian team against Dion Phaneuf and Jordan Eberle. They were AAA midgets. I enjoyed the games we played against Midget AAA in preparation for the Olympics. I have had two favorite opponents in my career: the United States and the men’s Midget or Junior AAA teams that we faced during our preparation.

“For me it was an opportunity to give more credibility to women’s hockey.”

It is said that the young men who competed against the women’s team came away surprised.

“The players couldn’t believe how good we were as a team. Our overall game was beautiful to watch,” remarked Ouellette proudly.