Agosta takes pride in her role
Working as a police officer has helped Team Canada veteran mature
Meghan Agosta is a talker. She didn’t always seem to be. The fleet-footed forward, who has helped Team Canada to a 1-1 start at these IIHF women’s hockey championships, was polite and pleasant in interviews in past years, but was rarely particularly wordy.
These days, she has stories she seems to want to tell. Give her a chance, she’ll readily go on about women’s hockey and the Canadian program and her own off-ice career as a constable in the Vancouver Police Department.
She’s 29. She’s not the young, upstart kid any more. She’s also undoubtedly come across some things on her job that most of us don’t experience.
“In high school, I’d see a police car drive by with the lights and sirens and I’d wonder where they were going and what they were doing,” said Agosta, the Ruthven, Ont., product who had to sit out last year’s world championships in Malmo, Sweden, because of work commitments.
“I’ve had two passions in my life: hockey and policing. With policing, it was just a matter of when. This job with the VPD just fell into my lap. I was in the right place at the right time, meeting the right people, and they gave me an amazing opportunity.
“It’s had its challenges. I had to tell Hockey Canada that I had to take a year off, and I didn’t know how they were going to take it, but they were so supportive and very proud of me for wanting to do that, for taking that step in my life.
“I do think it’s really matured me as a person. I’ve taken a lot of life lessons out of it, going to these different calls. It’s made me grow as a person and as a leader on this team.”
That’s part of what’s in play here. Her talent is well documented. She’s been a part of three Olympic gold medal teams, the first coming in Turin 2006 when she was in the midst of turning 19.
The 5-foot-7, 148-pound, lefthanded shooting Agosta has long been considered one of the world’s most gifted players; she was voted most valuable player at Vancouver 2010 after leading the Olympic tournament in scoring.
Ask Canadian coach Laura Schuler about Agosta this week, though, and the first thing that comes up is her leadership. She was recently named an alternate captain of the team. That’s a first for her at either the world championship or Olympic level.
“She’s constantly talking to the younger players and letting them know that, ‘Hey, we can do this,’ and ‘There’s a reason why you are here,’ ” said Schuler. “She makes people believe in themselves.
“You walk by the dressing room, she’s the one who’s talking and inspiring the group and saying the right things.”
Agosta added: “I have a leadership role here. I take pride in that. I know I’m a leader. I’m going to do whatever it takes to help make sure that everyone is playing at their best here.”
With no high-end women’s league in the Vancouver area, Agosta needed to find ways to keep her game up. She skated regularly with the VPD team, the Centurions. She also practised with the Valley West Hawks, a major midget boys team of 15- to 17-year-olds based in Langley.
She was, of course, quick to pump up the Hawks, who recently captured the B.C. title and are heading off this coming weekend to play the Alberta champion Lloydminster Hawks for a spot in the Telus Cup national tournament, which runs in Quispamsis, N.B., April 18-24.
“At first, I don’t think the players knew what to make of her,” said Hawks coach Jessie Leung, whose brother Justin is on the VPD, leading to the connection. “A few months now of having her out with us and she is genuinely a part of our team.
“She’s not always able to make it out due to her schedule, but the players are always excited when she’s out. She forces our players to bring their ‘A’ game to practice and gives them a sounding board from someone who has done and seen a lot.”
Leung and Co. will be keeping track of how Agosta and the Canadians fare at Kamloops, as they look to unseat the Americans as world champions. Her work cohorts will surely do the same.
“I’m representing Canada, but I’m also representing them as well,” said Agosta, who graduated with a criminal justice degree from Mercyhurst University, an NCAA school in Erie, Pa.
“My (VPD) squad has been amazing. They’ve shown me the ropes. I enjoy going to work every day. I want to go to work. I want to make a difference in people’s lives.”
VPD chief constable Adam Palmer added: “We are proud to support Meghan Agosta as she represents Canada at the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Kamloops. Meghan and her team have the entire VPD, the city of Vancouver and Canada behind them.”