Women’s Worlds Preview: Canada vs Sweden
Although 3-on-3 summer hockey is not a new concept, the Living Sisu Hockey League of Montreal is breathing new life into the offseason game
For some of hockey’s best based in Montreal, the offseason featured a little more fun and friendly competition than in years past.
In just its second season, the Living Sisu Hockey League (LSHL) caught the eye of many this summer, with an exuberant social media presence that showcased a lively atmosphere where NHL players and elite women’s players prepared shoulder-to-shoulder for their upcoming seasons.
Split into four teams, players such as Zach Fucale, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jonathan Huberdeau and Kris Letang highlighted the men’s division, while members of
Canada’s women’s national team
—Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Laura Stacey, Mélodie Daoust, Jessie Eldridge and more — shined on the women’s side.
Coming off a golden year that saw Canada take home both one
IIHF Women’s World Championship
and
OS Gold
the league was a fun and challenging part of Stacey’s off-season training as she prepared for a new season, which began with women’s national team selection camps in August ahead of the 2022 Women’s World Cup.
“Like any hockey player when you practice in the summer, you do your drills, you practice, you work on skills,” the 5-foot-9 forward said. “But what we really miss is that team atmosphere, that competitive atmosphere where we push each other and get better.
“It was a lot of fun; it was something to bring the whole group together and look forward to every Monday night.”
But Stacey is quick to note that while camaraderie and community highlighted the league, competition was still the name of the game, laughingly expressing her disappointment at a semifinal knockout for her and her teammates—the loss of bragging rights among her national team mates even worse.
Desbiens deserved those honors, winning 9-6 over Stacey’s squad.
For Desbiens, while the win was sweet, she relished the opportunity to continue competing over the summer in a fun way, saying, “Sometimes in the summer it’s more about just training and skills, but with the league, we were all looking forward to being in that team environment, being able to compete, keep track of the score, playoffs. It was very competitive, but it was also the highlight of the week for all of us.”
The 3-on-3 game offered many opportunities to work on small-area play and apply skill work in a competitive environment against top athletes from across the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).
“As a goalie, 3-on-3 is maybe not the most ideal environment, to be honest,” Desbiens says with a laugh. “It definitely adds more odd situations, more tips, screens, rebounds. Every shot is a threat, breakaway. It’s definitely very challenging, very fast paced, very back and forth. Got to play the puck quite a bit so that made it even more fun , but very challenging as a goalkeeper, but that’s what makes it fun.”
Beyond the benefits of their play on the ice, the LSHL drew fans in the arena and online with extensive social media exposure that exposed the new league to hockey fans in Montreal and across the country.
“They did a good job, they had a ton of coverage,” says Stacey. – We had full stands. It was a great crowd and a good energy. It just shows that people want to see it. They want to come out and see our games and social media is huge to get that message out.”
While professional women’s leagues are growing, the opportunity for most Canadians to watch these athletes is still centered around international competition and the Olympics, with Desbiens noting that coverage of the LSHL provided a window into the day-to-day enjoyment of the athletes, the summer competition provides another opportunity to visibility.
“I think that was the special thing about that league is we had college players, U SPORTS, we had NCAA, we had a lot of different [players]”, adds the goalkeeper. “If you come to watch, you’ll see names you may never have heard of before, but you should probably know.”
With a 3-on-3 championship under her belt, Desbiens will look to add another, this time alongside Stacey, at the 2022 Women’s Worlds in Denmark. Canada enters as reigning world and Olympic champions, with all eyes on it as it attempts to go back-to-back for the first time since 2001.
Stacey notes the excitement and curiosity she has received from other players, who are looking for similar opportunities in areas like Toronto and Calgary, and how the visibility and training opportunity the LSHL has created can only help build women’s hockey as a whole.
“I just think anytime you can get that awareness and that excitement out there, it helps grow the game.”
Follow all the action as Canada’s national women’s team competes at
2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship.