Picking the names of the PWHL awards: What’s in a name?

With the outstanding opening month of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, it is almost easy to forget that trophies will be handed out eventually.

Sources tell DFO that the league will be announcing what trophies, both team and individual, they will award at the end of the season. That will include any potential names as well.

With that, Tyler Kuehl and Hunter Crowther debated on who should be honored with their names on the awards for the new league. While many former players and people could easily have been selected, these are the ones they came up with.

Writer’s note: These awards are what we think the PWHL hand out. The league has not notified us on how many trophies will be introduced.

MVP: Angela James Award

Hunter: Some have called her “The Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey,” but that term is not only antiquated, but she stands in a league of her own. Beyond the gold medals and championships, James was the sport’s first female superstar. Since retiring, she has coached at all levels of the game and has supported the grassroots level of hockey.

Tyler: I mean, we could probably name every individual award – outside of goaltender and defender – after James. She was an amazing player, in an age where women’s hockey was in its infancy. She set records, including 11 goals in the 1990 World Championships, and has been an advocate for the game her entire life. She was so good for Canada for so long, and was an easy choice to be one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Scoring Champion: Wickenheiser Award

Tyler: This is an easy pick for me, mainly because Wickenheiser is my favorite women’s player of all time. The Calgary native is Canada’s all-time leader in goals (168), assists (211), and points (379). She was the leading scorer in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics, earning tournament MVP honors in both tournaments. Wickenheiser started playing for Canada at the age of 15, and became a leader on and off the ice. The records, the player and the person are why she is a Hall of Famer. 

Let’s be honest, she could still be an important piece on any team’s power play. Did I forget to mention she is also a doctor?

Hunter: I’m at an age where growing up, Haley Wickenheiser was the dominant player in women’s hockey. The goals, the points, the gold medals in both the Olympics and the World Championships, you would be hard pressed to find an achievement she hasn’t accomplished.  I’ll go on the record right now saying she’ll be the first woman behind the bench in the NHL. 

Goalie of the Year: Rhéaume Award

Hunter: Apart from being the first female to play in a men’s professional game, Manon Rheaume was one of the first successful women’s goaltenders in the game’s history. She had led Canada to gold medals at two World Championships in 1992 and 1993, being so dominant that other professional leagues wanted to give her a shot. She retired in 1997, but 10 years later, led the Minnesota Whitecaps of the WWHL to a Clarkson Cup Final. 

Tyler: I know you really wanted St-Pierre, but before her, Szabados, Cavallini, Rooney and Desbiens, there was Manon Rhéaume. She broke barriers dating back to her Pee-Wee days, when she became the first female to play in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament. Then, she became the first woman to play in the QMJHL, and played for a handful of professional teams around the globe. Her efforts helped grow the women’s game’s popularity at a time when some people south of the border did not know it existed.

Defender of the Year: Ruggiero Award

Tyler: I know acknowledging the greatness of someone who honed their craft in Michigan is tough for you, Hunter, but I appreciate it!

Honestly, Ruggiero was one of the players who helped carry women’s hockey into the limelight in the late 90s and early 2000s. She was the first defender to win the Patty Kazmaier Award (best NCAA player), and the best defender at the Women’s Worlds, twice. Ruggiero really raised her game in the big moments, and ended up having a solid career win in the old Western Women’s Hockey League.

Hunter: Hey I got nothing but love for Michigan, they provide Ohio State with some fantastic athletes! And if we’re talking about all-time defenders, she might be right at the top. She is the fourth woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and just the second American. At one point, The Hockey News called her the best player in the world.

Coach of the Year: Sauvageau Award

Hunter: We had some discussion on this because Sauvaugeau is currently the GM of PWHL Montreal, but it’s hard to find someone who has had such an impact on the game from behind the bench. Coaching Canada to Gold in 2002 and providing leadership at every level, from grassroots to the professional ranks, Sauvageau will go down as one of hockey’s greatest ambassadors.

Tyler: There have been so many great coaches and pioneers in the women’s game, but Danièle Sauvaugeau has made an impact at all levels. She helped put the Canadian team together that won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, became the first female coach in QMJHL history, was the first female analyst for Ici Radio-Canada Télé, coached in the PWHPA…she has done so much for the game that not honoring her would be a mistake.

Best Leader: Granato Award

Tyler: Cammi Granato was the first face of women’s hockey in the United States, and her career led her to join James as the first female inductees in the Hockey Hall of Fame. She was the captain of the 1998 team that stunned Canada to win gold in Nagano, and retired as the American’s leading scorer. It is hard to see where the game in the States would be without her influence.

Hunter: It’s not lost on me the impact Granato has had on women’s hockey in the U.S. Finishing with consecutive silver medals through the ‘90s, captaining the Nagano 1998 team to gold forever changed the landscape of the game. Now working with the Vancouver Canucks as an assistant general manager, she continues to influence the sport at its highest levels.

Rookie of the Year: Decker Award

Tyler: A fresh face for the freshman award. It is a bummer that we do not see Decker on the ice anymore, but the way she burst onto the scene makes sense for this accolade. She was part of that dominant U.S. class that won the first two Under-18 tournaments, and scored 11 points in her first World Championships. The 2012 Patty Kazmaier winner helped lead her teams to NCAA Championships, World Championships, and Olympic gold.

Hunter:  I enjoyed covering Decker through her time with the Boston Blades, the Boston Pride and Calgary Inferno of the NWHL and CWHL. Part of me wishes she was still playing so another generation of fans could marvel at how good she is, but I’m sure she will eventually join the league in a coaching or managerial capacity. Whenever you get a chance, watch her highlights at the University of Wisconsin on YouTube. What a talent.

Championship Trophy: Billie Jean King Trophy

Tyler: Some people are probably saying, “Hey! She didn’t play hockey!” Well, neither did Lord S. Stanley of Preston (though he was a Hockey Dad). 

Say what you want, but King is a humungous reason why this league exists. It is not like she is a silent partner either, she has attended games, been a public figure on behalf of the league, she even watched games on vacation! I have no problem with honoring this trailblazer by putting her name on the trophy.

Hunter: I mean, this is the safest choice, right? A sports icon whose name is synonymous with female athletic achievement. After winning 12 singles majors and putting women’s sports on the map with the Battle of the Sexes, she has been a champion for female athletes.