On and Off the Ice with the NWHL’s Boston Pride
The Part-Time Job
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Early in 2015, the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) announced its inaugural season. Featuring some of the best female hockey talent in the world, the NWHL would become the first U.S. women’s hockey league to pay its players a salary.
The league has started from humble beginnings, which requires many of the athletes to work full or part-time day jobs to support themselves. The following is a glimpse into the lives of members of the Boston Pride and the lives they lead on and off the ice.
HILARY KNIGHT
JORDAN SMELKER
BRITTANY OTT
GIGI MARVIN
Gigi Marvin plays defense for the Boston Pride. Her decorated hockey career includes two Olympic silver medals with Team USA in 2014 and 2010 at the games in Sochi, Russia and Vancouver, B.C. In addition to her Olympic hardware, Marvin is a two-time NWHL All-Star and was the 2016 NWHL Defensive Player of the Year.
Hundreds of fans watch the Boston Pride take on the Buffalo Beauts Audio courtesy of The NWHL
“In a clutch game, being on the ice, it’s just such a great feeling. You feel that desire to be the best, and when we’re all great is when we’re allowing others to excel with us.”
Gigi Marvin battles for the puck in the corner
Gigi Marvin of The Boston Pride enters the arena from the locker room with the Boston Pride
“When you step on the ice and when we’re with our teammates in the locker room, I have had the most fun all year…we just love to compete on the ice.”
GIGI MARVIN is an active member of her church, the Community of Faith Christian Fellowship.
OFF THE ICE
Gigi Marvin interacts with the daughter of a close friend. Interacting with and inspiring the youth is one of the ways she gives back to her community.
Gigi Marvin leads a worship group for young members of the Community of Faith Christian Fellowship.
Gigi Marvin sings along at the Sunday service.
“Especially the little kids... They come up and they're just like overjoyed and like, whoa! You were on team USA. This is a medal in my hands!”
“This community just means a lot in the sense of just really showing me how to rejoice with others, but also how to encourage when we’re down and that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Brittany Ott is the starting goalie for the Boston Pride and was the 2016 NWHL Goaltender of the Year. Prior to joining the Boston Pride, Ott played for the Boston Blades of the CWHL, where she was a member of the 2015 Clarkson Cup championship team.
“Putting it all together on the ice is the most rewarding and exciting part.”
“I don’t want to be a crazy goalie, but I don’t want to be too relaxed that I’m not focused, either, so you have to find that balance.”
“However ugly or pretty as it may be, you’ve gotta fight for that puck and make that save.”
Brittany Ott makes a save against the Buffalo Beauts Audio courtesy of The NWHL
Brittany Ott lining up with her teammates
Brittany Ott skates to the net during warmups
Brittany Ott stretches pre-game vs. Buffalo
BRITTANY OTT works as an EMT for Fallon Ambulance Service based in Quincy, Massachusetts.
“Make sure everything is up to code, up to date, and ready to go for whatever may come at you during the day."
“The reaction at Fallon when people find out I play hockey is generally, ‘Really, you play hockey?’ So people are generally really intrigued. I’ve had a couple co-workers come support us at games, which has been awesome.”
Brittany Ott, Goalie, spends her time off the ice as an EMT for Fallon Medical Corp.
Brittany Ott checks the air tanks after a shift in the ambulance.
JORDAN SMELKER is a forward for the Boston Pride, and helped the team win the 2016 Isobel Cup. Before her time in the NWHL, Jordan spent two years playing for the CWHL’s Boston Blades, capturing the Clarkson Cup in 2015.
“I want to be a part of this growth of the professional league. I want to help in any way I can to continue this league and to continue that opportunity for girls who will be graduating in the future.”
“Honestly, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a hockey player that isn’t competitive in some type of way. I definitely am competitive in anything that I do, whether it be school, or sports, really anything.”
Jordan Smelker handles the puck as the Boston Pride take on the Beauts.
Jordan Smelker forechecking, battling for the puck. Audio courtesy of The NWHL
Jordan Smelker takes the ice at the Tsonga Center at Umass Lowell.
JORDAN SMELKER spends her time working at Haemonetics in Braintree, Massachusetts as a biomedical engineer. In the lab, Jordan works on research and development for blood management solutions.
“Since we use human blood in fairly large amounts – we work with 10 liters at a time – so I’d say the best adjective to describe it (the lab) is MESSY!”
“I definitely think that growing up playing hockey taught me how to work hard and how to work well with a team, which is always important in any job you do."
“So when my teammates hear my job title they’re usually pretty like, ‘ Wow, that’s crazy! Your job must be so awesome and science-y!’ Which is funny, since biomedical engineering is pretty new a lot of people don’t really know what that actually means, so people are usually interested in hearing what I do day-to-day, and they want to come visit me at work or donate blood, which is always fun.”
HILARY KNIGHT is a name that transcends the NWHL. She plays forward for the Boston Pride and was the NWHL’s leading scorer in 2015-2016. Unlike many players in the league, Hilary Knight is a full-time professional athlete who is able to support herself through hockey.
“We come from such different backgrounds because some people aren’t on the national team and they need to supplement their professional salary with another source of income. Having our professional ice hockey career not as our first main job is definitely a challenge, and hopefully that changes as we move forward.”
“Our one common goal is the Isobel Cup, so the best part is coming to the rink every day and just working hard and getting better.”
“Mentally, I prepare myself for a game by walking myself though different scenarios in my head. I love listen to music, depending on what type of game it is. I definitely need to have my pregame nap, which is super important for re-focusing before the big drop.”
As a new league, the NWHL faces the challenge of reaching new audiences to grow its fan base. To promote women’s hockey and the league, many of the athletes allocate some their time to serve as NWHL ambassadors. Playing in events like Red Bull Open Ice gives the NWHL and its players exposure, putting them in front of media outlets and spectators who may not normally see the game.
“It doesn’t get any better than playing in a sports city, outside, playing the sport you love, with amazing people.” - Hilary Knight
“… it’s fun but it’s also very competitive. The team I was on, we were 0-3, which honestly I was pretty pissed about. Hockey players are always going to be competitive and their never going to want to lose… but the anger died away after a few minutes of pouting.” – Jordan Smelker
Hilary Knight puck handles at Red Bull Open Ice
Hilary Knight takes a shot on goal at Red Bull Open Ice at City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston
Red Bull Open Ice champions Haley Skarupa, Dana Trivigno, Danielle Doherty, and Michaela Boyle battle for the puck.
“We all have that competitive edge, competition just tends to bring that side out of people that you don’t know outside of a sporting event…” – Brittany Ott
After completing a 16-1 regular season, the Boston Pride faced off against the Buffalo Beauts on Sunday, March 19th for the 2017 Isobel Cup. The trophy is named after Lord Stanley’s (of the NHL Stanley Cup) daughter, Lady Isobel, who was one of the first women to play hockey.
The Isobel Cup is the most prestigious trophy in women's professional hockey. Last year, the Boston Pride won the cup convincingly against the Buffalo Beauts. This year, despite multiple losses to the Pride in the regular season, Buffalo came out firing. For three periods they executed their game plan and won their first Isobel Cup by a score of 3-2.
THE ISOBEL CUP
Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter celebrate the first of the Boston Pride’s two goals in the third period.
“Being defeated is tough. You have to handle it gracefully but also figure out how you’re going to bounce back from whatever it is that knocked you down, and I think that it only deepened the drive and the passion for us to get better and figure out how to regroup and come back even stronger than we were before.” – Hilary Knight
“Playing in front of the crowd is the best because they all love being there, and you see a lot of the same faces week to week, which is awesome. We really have built a big fan base over the past two years.” – Jordan Smelker
The Buffalo Beauts celebrate as the buzzer sounds. Winning by a score of 3-2, they captured their first Isobel Cup. Audio courtesy of The NWHL
Jordan Smelker handles the puck in the Isobel Cup game vs. The Buffalo Beauts
The Boston Pride take the ice at The Tongas Center at Umass Lowell
Now that the NWHL season has come to an end, many of the athletes will shift their focus to competing with the National team, and making an Olympic run in 2018.
“My teammates find time to play hockey with full-time jobs by their shared passion and love for the sport. It’s definitely a special group and you know people are in it for the right reasons.” – Hilary Knight
“There’s just something about hockey, where the bond you for with your teammates – it’s just very selfless and you always make sacrifices for your teammates, and that’s really what I love about hockey.” – Jordan Smelker
“I hope to accomplish leaving behind a sustainable professional women’s hockey league, whatever that looks like. We have a lot of work to do, but I’m confident in the group that we have right now, and our leadership group that we’ll be able to attain something that’s special. We can look back and be very proud of our legacy that we left.” – Hilary Knight