Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

[Hux]

Four Canadian National Team players announced their retirement today.

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

On the heels of this...another Vet announces she's going back to school...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Hayley+...750/story.html

[OnMAA]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

On the heels of this...another Vet announces she's going back to school...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Hayley+...750/story.html

Worst kept secret in recent memory. Been the talk in Womens hockey circles up here for months.

Note that one other Team Canada Vet is starting play with McGill this fall.

IIRC there is an age limit in the NCAA. Anyone know what it is and how it applies (start of career, end of career, D1 only, different for each sports etc).

[CrazyDave]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

IIRC there is an age limit in the NCAA. Anyone know what it is and how it applies (start of career, end of career, D1 only, different for each sports etc).

www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=420

In Division I only, if a student-athlete has participated as an individual or as a team representative in organized sports competition, that kind of participation during each 12-month period after his/her 21st birthday and prior to initial full-time collegiate enrollment will count as one year of varsity competition in that sport. Any participation in organized competition during time spent in the U.S. armed services will be excepted.

[Trillium]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Worst kept secret in recent memory. Been the talk around Womens hockey circles in up here for months.

Note that one other Team Canada Vet is starting playing with McGill this fall.

IIRC there is an age limit in the NCAA. Anyone know what it is and how it applies (start of career, end of career, D1 only, different for each sports etc).

Allowing these folks to play university hockey at their age is ridiculous....it's blatantly obvious they are attending university as a means to play hockey and win more sporting titles, rather than for the desire to actually further their education. It's about time NCAA-type rules were put in place to prevent such abuse.

How many other 30 year olds do you know who all of a sudden got the urge to start a full-time university education? And then just so happened to pick a school that was a national contender in the sport they happened to play? It makes a mockery of the higher education system.

It's time these individuals actually started giving back to the sport that has given them so much rather than seeking even more personal glory. There are oodles of university and club programs that sure could use coaching help, especially from former elite female players.

[CanHockGuy]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

She probably got the idea from Fleury. Silly huh. I'd feel a little rare in that situation. They should help out with the coaching. New challenge.

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Calgary Dino's Head Coach Danielle Goyette and newly installed Assistant Coach Kelly Bechard, both retired past National team members have gone the coaching route and are giving back to the game. Wick at 32 years of age, say's she feels she's got one more Olympics left in her so what's a girl to do.

The demise of Calgary's Oval Extreme of the WWHL has driven her to find a place to play until centralization begins and I'm sure her two former team mates are more than happy to have her as the Dino's struggle to regain thier identity again in the CIS Canada West.

She was going to play somewhere and the U of C couldn't take the chance that she would move north up the Queen Elizabeth II highway and become a Panda now could they....

[OnMAA]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

The demise of Calgary's Oval Extreme of the WWHL has driven her to find a place to play until centralization begins....

I don't buy that argument. There are plenty of other options for her, including the CWHL in the GTA. If the CWHL/NWHL or whatever it is called is going to thrive, they need players like her to be in that system. She should be one of the role models to sell the struggling league. That would be a way to help pave the future of that league for the next generation (read those in college today).

I'm with Trillium. There is a time and place for student athletics, and IMHO it is for the under 25 crowd, who are there to study first and play a game they love as an extra-curricular activity. CIS will survive without her playing there. CWHL needs her more. JMHO.

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

I don't buy that argument. There are plenty of other options for her, including the CWHL in the GTA. If the CWHL/NWHL or whatever it is called is going to thrive, they need players like her to be in that system. She should be one of the role models to sell the struggling league. That would be a way to help pave the future of that league for the next generation (read those in college today).

I'm with Trillium. There is a time and place for student athletics, and IMHO it is for the under 25 crowd, who are there to study first and play a game they love as an extra-curricular activity. CIS will survive without her playing there. CWHL needs her more. JMHO.

OnMAA, she's a Western Gal with her roots firmly planted in the Alberta.

Who in the HE double Hockey Sticks would want to move to the GTA anyway?

[CanHockGuy]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Sorry 5-4 , going with OnMaa and Trillium on this one. Can't get past the age factor, as I've commented about before in the NCAA. She is way beyond the college thing, but obviously has great passion. There are other ways to fill the void. Just wondering, if she was from our neck of the woods, would you feel the same way about her donning blue and white?

[5 4 Fighting]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Sorry 5-4 , going with OnMaa and Trillium on this one. Can't get past the age factor, as I've commented about before in the NCAA. She is way beyond the college thing, but obviously has great passion. There are other ways to fill the void. Just wondering, if she was from our neck of the woods, would you feel the same way about her donning blue and white?

Wait a minute here...I'm not condoning any of this but in the Canadian system there are no rules about how old you are...everyone is eligible to go to University at any age, whether your 32 or 62 and in doing so University athletics are available to the individual. It is debatable as to whether it is reasonable or fair but with no age cap in place in the CIS...

The fact remains...that's the way it is and if that's what these women choose to do...then who are we/you to say it isn't right?

[CanHockGuy]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Wait a minute here...I'm not condoning any of this but in the Canadian system there are no rules about how old you are...everyone is eligible to go to University at any age, whether your 32 or 62 and in doing so University athletics are available to the individual. It is debatable as to whether it is reasonable or fair but with no age cap in place in the CIS...

The fact remains...that's the way it is and if that's what these women choose to do...then who are we/you to say it isn't right?

Ya, I get your drift, but with all her accomplishments, it would be like taking candy from a baby. If someone is older, and hasn't had the experience but is a descent hockey player, well, then knock yourself out. Otherwise, I can't see the benefit. It might actually cause some problems in the future. I can see a huge upside if she helps out with the coaching though. And your answer to my question was?

[Trillium]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

The demise of Calgary's Oval Extreme of the WWHL has driven her to find a place to play until centralization begins and I'm sure her two former team mates are more than happy to have her as the Dino's struggle to regain thier identity again in the CIS Canada West.

She was going to play somewhere and the U of C couldn't take the chance that she would move north up the Queen Elizabeth II highway and become a Panda now could they....

Personally, I think its time for her to retire.

However, I don't buy the very weak argument that because she couldn't bear to leave Alberta that she had nowhere else to play, given the demise of the Oval Extreme. She never had a problem with playing on men's teams in the past....you mean to say there are no competitive senior men's teams in the whole province???

[Yaforsure]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Whatever her motives are(selfish or passion). CIS West will be a better league with HW playing in it. It will be tough to knock off U of Ab, U of S and U of MB where they play team systems! Either way, the West only need to make the final to advance to Nationals. Great for the CIS West!!!

[RStarr]

Re: Team Canada Vets Announce Retirement

Personally, I think its time for her to retire.

..so does USAHockey *****http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/4918/scaredi.gif******