Women’s hockey used to show off its stars every four years at the Olympics. No more.
The Canadian Women’s Hockey League will host its inaugural all-star game at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday — a free event — and the first of several televised games on Sportsnet this season.
Catch the CWHL All-Star game on Saturday, Dec. 13, live at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT.
The captains have been selected and after a draft of five players to each side on Friday night, the rest will be chosen road hockey-style with the simple yet fair ‘stick-pull’.
Here is a short list of stars-amongst-stars to look out for during the game.
Hilary Knight (Boston Blades)
In a league with a Canadian prefix, Knight is the face of American women’s hockey — though her middle name, Atwood, should endear her to her northern neighbours. The two-time Olympic silver medalist became the first American to win the CWHL’s most valuable player award and this season was named the captain of the Boston Blades. She also practised with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, impressing both the players and coach Bruce Boudreau. She’s already posed for ESPN The Magazine’s 2014 Body Issue and is sponsored by Beats By Dre.
Natalie Spooner (Toronto Furies)
A member of the Canadian team that stunned the Americans for gold in Sochi this past February, Spooner is the first Canadian to compete for the Under-18, Under-22 and National Women’s team. She helped lead the Toronto Furies to a win in the 2014 Clarkson Cup over Knight and the Blades. Along with former CWHLer Meaghan Mikkelson, Spooner participated in this year’s Amazing Race Canada, finishing second after losing — get this — the hockey skills event. She also collects spoons because, you know.
Rebecca Johnston (Calgary Inferno)
While Knight and Spooner were selected fourth and seventh respectively in the 2012 CWHL draft, Sudbury’s Rebecca Johnston went second to the Calgary Inferno, now sitting in first place in the CWHL standings. She’s decorated with two Olympic gold medals from the last two Games, after assisting on Marie-Philip Poulin’s game-tying goal against the Americans in Sochi. She currently leads all CWHL players in scoring with 18 points in 11 games.
Sami Jo Small (Toronto Furies)
A goaltender for the Furies and a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada, Small is also a co-founder of the CWHL, having for a time held the league’s office in her own house. As an ambassador for the league, she works both on the ice and off of it, promoting the athletes and trumpeting the virtues of the CWHL.
“It’s basically the same exact hockey you’ll see at the Olympic Games,” she says.
Charline Labonte (Montreal Stars)
Labonte is a three-time gold medalist and this past June, penned an article celebrating her decision to be an openly-gay hockey player. As a member of the Montreal Stars, the most successful franchise in CWHL history, she is currently second in wins for goaltenders. She was voted one of the two all-star captains for Saturday’s game, receiving over 20 percent of the fan vote. She became the second woman behind Manon Rheaume to play major junior hockey, playing 28 games for Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL.
Here are all of the other participants in the CWHL All-Star game.
Goaltenders
Delayne Brian (Winnipeg, Man./Calgary Inferno)
Erica Howe (Ottawa, Ont./Brampton Thunder)
Christina Kessler (Toronto, Ont./Toronto Furies)
Geneviève Lacasse (Kingston, Ont./Boston Blades)
Defencemen
Kacey Bellamy (Westfield, Mass./Boston Blades)
Courtney Birchard (Mississauga, Ont./Brampton Thunder)
Michelle Bonello (Mississauga, Ont./Toronto Furies)
Tessa Bonhomme (Sudbury, Ont./Toronto Furies)
Megan Bozek (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Toronto Furies)
Cathy Chartrand (Nominigue, Que./Montreal Stars)
Laura Fortino (Hamilton, Ont./Brampton Thunder)
Alyssa Gagliardi (Raleigh, N.C./Boston Blades)
Jocelyne Larocque (Ste. Anne, Man./Brampton Thunder)
Shannon Moulson (Mississauga, Ont./Toronto Furies)
Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, Que./Montreal Stars)
Tara Watchorn (Newcastle, Ont./Boston Blades)
Jessica Wong (Baddeck, N.S./Calgary Inferno)
Forwards
Anne-Sophie Bettez (Sept-Iles, Que./Montreal Stars)
Emmanuelle Blais (Lasalle, Que./Montreal Stars)
Blake Bolden (Cleveland, Ohio/Boston Blades)
Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux (St-Zachaire, Que./Montreal Stars)
Jessica Campbell (Melville, Sask./Calgary Inferno)
Julie Chu (Bridgeport, Conn./Montreal Stars)
Jenna Cunningham (Medicine Hat, Alta./Calgary Inferno)
Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L./Calgary Inferno)
Brianna Decker (Dousman, Wisc./Boston Blades)
Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass./Boston Blades)
Brittany Esposito (Edmonton, Alta./Calgary Inferno)
Carly Hill (Pointe-Claire, Que./Montreal Stars)
Haley Irwin (Thunder Bay, Ont./Calgary Inferno)
Jess Jones (Picton, Ont./Brampton Thunder)
Jenelle Kohanchuk (Winnipeg, Man./Toronto Furies)
Carly Mercer (Exeter, Ont./Brampton Thunder)
Caroline Ouellette (Montreal, Que./Montreal Stars)
Carolyne Prevost (Sarnia, Ont./Toronto Furies)
Jamie-Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont./Brampton Thunder)
Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio/Boston Blades)