Wickenheiser retires

CALGARY (CP) — When Hayley Wickenheiser sees girls dragging hockey bags into arenas, she feels a sense of accomplishment.

The normalcy of girls playing hockey is what she sweated for, fought for, and shed tears for. The country’s all-time leading

When Wickenheiser started scorer announced her retirement playing 33 years ago, there were Friday after 23 years on the no girls’ teams. Canadian women’s team and

She played with boys and almost a dozen Olympic and wasn’t always welcomed by world championship golds. players or their parents. “Dear Canada. It has been the

“The greatest stride’s been great honour of my life to play made in the acceptance of girls for you. Time to hang em up!! playing the game,” says Thank you!” Wickenheiser posted Wickenheiser. “Any little girl in Wickenheiser on her Twitter account. this country can walk into a hockey rink Not only was Wickenheiser a star in and no one is going to think twice or look women’s hockey when the game desperately twice. There’s female hockey change needed one, she changed perceptions rooms in a lot of rinks now. of what women are capable of in sport.

“I remember when I was a kid, I hid in The 38-year-old from Shaunavon, Sask., the bathroom and tucked my hair up so told The Canadian Press she didn’t want no one would know I was a girl. I just went to postpone her entrance into medical through hell really, to play. school any longer.

“Girls don’t have to go through hell anymore to play hockey.”

The fact that female hockey has arrived at this stage puts some soothing balm on the difficult decision to end her playing career.