Four local hockey players were inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame July 22 at a ceremony held in Canmore for their feats in the 1991 Canada Winter Games.
Athabasca school teacher Erin Francis, Boyle resident Stacey Welsh, Thorhild grain farmer Jackie Vetsch and Newbrook-born Trish Sury were members of the 1991 Alberta female hockey team that won the gold medal at the games that were held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Francis, who was 14-years-old at the time, said that being there was a thrill of an experience.
"The entire weekend was almost like a dream to be in the midst of all this greatness throughout the weekend," Francis said.
She also recalled how things were for girls hockey back in 1991.
"When I first tried out for this team in 1990, I played for a boys hockey team," Francis said. "There were no girls teams, or mixed teams for that matter, they were all boys teams. When you signed up for hockey, you just registered as a player and there was no indicator as to whether you were a girl or a boy."
Francis said when this team was going to be created for the games, they had no idea how to find girls who actually played in Alberta.
"There was no indication as to whether or not boys or girls were playing hockey," she said. "It was through a lot of hard work and digging around that they finally found girls, and everyone of us who met up at the hockey camp had all played with boys. So, it was kind of a neat experience to find out that all of these other girls actually played hockey."
Francis said that at the time, there were less than 120 girls who played the sport in all of Alberta.
"The team just wanted to play hockey," she said. "We were not doing it to make an impact on the sport. We did not realize the magnitude of what we were experiencing until later as adults, and into the last few months as we were talking about the hockey hall of fame."
She added that it was fun to see her fellow players once again at the July 22 ceremony.
"There were a dozen of us there," Francis said. "Two of the coaches also made it out, and we all got together on July 21 and had a good time. Most of these players I have not seen for 27 years, so it was great to see them, and catch up on how their lives went since that time."
Vetsch, who was the team's oldest player in 1991 at the age of 18, said that she still keeps in contact with her fellow players.
"I still do play the sport myself," said Vetsch. "But now, I usually just support my children in what they are doing as well, even helping to coach hockey when they played."
Welsh, who was 15 when she played for the team, has also taken up coaching duties since her experience with the team.
"I coached the mixed novice team for the Boyle Blazers for the last couple of years," Welsh said. "While I do not actually play myself as much as I used to, hockey is still very much a part of my life."
Just before the ceremony at the Canmore Opera House, there was a panel of the inductees at the event, including former NHL goaltenders Mike Vernon and Grant Fuhr, as well as the head coaches for the 1991 Alberta female hockey team and the 1999 Alberta male hockey team.
"John Kosloski, who was our head coach, represented us on the stage," Francis said. "It was pretty fun to see, and then the gala and formal induction ceremony came afterward."
She said that unfortunately, one teammate was notably missing from the ceremony.
"Hayley Wickenheiser was unable to attend, as she had some prior commitments," Francis said.
Wickenheiser, who was 12-years-old in 1991, scored the winning goal for Team Alberta, putting the final score at 2-1 against Team British Columbia.
"She was such a little girl back then," Francis remembered. "I would end up on the ice with her, either as a teammate or an opponent, for the rest of the time I played competitive hockey."
Wickenheiser would go on to participate in five Olympic games and 13 world championships, winning either gold or silver at each one.
