Toronto stars take offence to Cooper’s ‘skirts’ comment
A seemingly sexist comment made by an NHL head coach after an elimination game is in contrast to the growth of women’s hockey and the physicality it demands, players on Toronto’s PWHL team said Tuesday.
After the Tampa Bay Lightning were sent home from the playoffs by the Florida Panthers on Monday, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was upset two goals were disallowed due to goaltender interference.
“To pull a goal off the board, it has to be unbelievable egregious … and I couldn’t find anything remotely egregious about that,” Cooper said. “We might as well put skirts on them then, if that’s how it’s going to be. I mean, they have to battle through stuff, too. I think we’re letting goalies off the hook. And they’ve got way more pads on than everybody else does.”
Many fans reacted to Cooper’s remarks online with disdain, saying it was insulting to women and another indication of an entrenched culture of sexism in hockey and misogynistic undertones that suggest women are not strong or tough enough for the game of hockey.
“I don’t think wearing a skirt relates to toughness whatsoever,” Toronto captain Blayre Turnbull said Tuesday, when told of Cooper’s comments.
She encouraged people to watch more women’s hockey games without being misogynistic or judgmental. “I’m really proud of our game. I’m proud of how hard we compete and how tough we are as athletes.”
Forward Sarah Nurse said such comments must be coming from a place of ignorance regarding women’s hockey or sports in general.
“All I can say to that is that the product we put out with the PWHL is the best in the world and we’re very proud of that,” Nurse said. “I mean, if you watch us play, you will know we’re not soft out there.”
Toronto head coach Troy Ryan said he knows Cooper and can attest to his love and support of women’s hockey. “I can tell you that without a doubt. Jon Cooper has been a big part of helping us grow our culture and environment with the national team,” he said, noting Cooper follows the games and often sends messages with constructive observations.