Women in Hockey Team Up With the Boys in Blue
The Blues and Blackhawks celebrated International Women’s Day with female sports analysts.
On Sunday, March 8, the St. Louis Blues took on the Chicago Blackhawks. At first glance, this game looked like just another rivalry, but in reality, history was made. March 8 was International Women’s Day, and to celebrate, women in hockey made up the first-ever all-women NHL broadcasting and producing team.
Kate Scott called the play on NBCSN alongside U.S. Olympic gold medalists Kendall Coyne-Schofield and AJ Mleczko.
“I’m hoping that they [young girls] turn off the television on Sunday night thinking, ‘Wow, that was never something I thought I could do before, but I think I can do that.’ That’s one of the reasons, in my opinion, that we are still seeing such slow growth when it comes to women calling and analyzing sports: because it starts when you’re a kid,” Scott told NBCSN.
Scott is hoping all—not just young girls—can be impacted by the broadcast.
“…I’m also hoping that the young boys will take that away, too…that they will see strong, prepared, intelligent, funny women on television calling this sport that they love and they maybe grow up thinking as well, ‘Wow, yeah, women can do this too.’ That will impact the way that they see their sisters or girlfriends or wives or moms or whoever the women are in their lives and will maybe give them a different perspective too,” Scott told NBCSN.
“On Her Turf”, NBC Sports’ female empowerment brand, also headlined on March 8. Throughout the night, viewers saw features highlighting notable women in hockey. Stories of players, referees and coaches filled T.V. screens across the country while “On Her Turf” filled social media feeds with behind the scenes pictures and videos.
The women weren’t the only one who had a great night. Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo opened the game’s scoring early in the second period when he nailed home a shot from the goal line after a scramble near the Blackhawks’ crease. In the third, Chicago turned over the puck which led to a goal by St. Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.
On the other end of the ice, goaltender Jake Allen came up huge with 29 saves, earning the first star of the game. To top off the magical night, Blues defenseman Vince Dunn embarrassed Blackhawks forward Drake Caggiula in a fight. With this win, St. Louis swept the regular season series versus the Blackhawks for the first time in Blues franchise history.
Even with all the Blues’ success, the night was much more important than a win or loss. Highlighting women in sports and sports media can allow young girls to dream big and break barriers. With the huge following the game got, we know one thing: the future for women in sports looks bright.
Sources:
https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2020/03/08/watch-livestream-blackhawks-hockeyblues-nhl-nbcsn/
Alyssa Buchheit is a senior here at St. Dominic. She is involved in soccer, book club, National Honor Society, ambassadors and many other clubs. Outside...
