McIntosh living the ‘Dream Gap’
WATERLOO — The transformation is almost complete for Laura McIntosh, a former hockey standout who has turned her focus to teaching and coaching others.
The Ohio State University graduate and Waterloo native will add another line to her coaching resumé Saturday, when members of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association continue their “Dream Gap Tour” at the Waterloo Memorial Recreational Complex. The stars of the PWHPA Toronto Region will participate in the event, including Kitchener native Loren Gabel, the top player in NCAA women’s hockey last year and a current member of the Canadian national team. The game — dubbed Team McIntosh vs. Team Gabel — is a 2 p.m. start.
“I think it’s just going to be awesome. I’m looking forward to coaching in my hometown and I think we’re all going to have a lot of fun,” McIntosh said.
“I think it’ll be a great friendly competition but obviously with those girls out there, they have one gear and they don’t give up. I think people are really going to enjoy themselves,” McIntosh added.
The 200-plus members of the players’ association have been playing a series of games this winter to help create a sustainable league for women to call their own.
The association was formed last May, shortly after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League announced it would cease operations after 12 years of existence.
Members of the new union said they would sit out the 201920 season in North America, rather than try for roster spots in the U.S.-based National Women’s Hockey League.
McIntosh, 29, still plays the occasional game with a Kitchener-based senior-A team, but now runs her own business that aims to develop female hockey in Waterloo Region and surrounding areas. She launched LMcIntosh Hockey (lmcintoshhockey.com) in 2015 and has developed a thriving company that includes individual and team training, as well as offering hockey camps that are staged throughout the year.
Along the way, she worked as an assistant coach at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, and now serves as the hockey development co-ordinator for the Waterloo Ravens. McIntosh was part of the first PWHPA showcase event in September and will travel to Philadelphia at the end of February for another stop. “I really enjoy working with the PWHPA and players of that calibre and I also love working with younger kids that are just getting into the sport and making sure they’re enjoying it,” McIntosh said.
A former member of Canada’s Under-18 and Under-22 national teams, McIntosh left Ohio State in 2012 as the all-time leading scorer in Buckeyes’ history. She skated for the Brampton Thunder of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in her first year out of college and wrapped up her playing career by winning the Clarkson Cup in 2018 as a member of the Markham Thunder.
McIntosh was busy Thursday tidying up her Waterloo condo to prepare for several guests playing in Saturday’s game. Many of the competitors are close friends and she wishes them all the best in their push for a sustainable league.
“I think it’s very important for female hockey to have a brighter future and have these young players, all over the world, have something to strive for other than the Olympics and world championships,” she said.
Visit pwhpa.com for details about Saturday’s game, including ticket information. Tickets are also available at the door.