A history of women’s hockey and how to bet on it

Women’s hockey is not as popular as men’s. Women’s hockey is inferior in speed, throwing power, but not in desire. For a long time this sport was considered exclusively for men, but today it is actively mastered by women. This sport is tremendously popular among fans and those who like to bet on hockey. How had everything started?

The first ever hockey match

Numerous sources claim that the first officially recorded female match took place in 1892 in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. There is also mention of the game a year earlier in Ottawa. On February 11, 1891, one of the earliest newspaper articles about a female playing this sport appeared in the Ottawa Citizen.
It is interesting that the reporter who wrote it infiltrated him secretly: the ladies in those days preferred to play behind closed doors. Nevertheless, some interesting features still leaked into print. For example, girls skate well and are quite fast. They also use long skirts as additional goal protection: squatting in front of the goalkeeper, several girls completely block the puck’s path.
As is often the case, the innovation was picked up by the student community. There are references to the girls from McGill University of Montreal playing in 1894, and six years later, three teams organized a female league, to the matches of which spectators were allowed for the first time.
Moreover, the judges were men who, in the event of a girl falling with a stick, were obliged to help her up. Women’s teams began to emerge all over Canada, ladies competed not only in skill, but also in wit, inventing names – from “lilies” and “golden girls” to “old chickens”. Фt that time betting on hockey was not very popular. Not to mention betting on the girls who played it.

Popularization of student hockey

The 20s of the last century are the time of the birth and rapid development of North American students’ teams. From the 1921/1922 season, Ontario female teams began competing for the championship title. Women’s hockey was taken under the wing of the Women’s Inter-University Athletics Union (WIAU), and until 1971, it was under the auspices of this organization that female university teams fought for the main trophy, named in 1972 after Professor Judy McCaw. For the first five years, the University of Toronto team has invariably become the champion.
Female teams were also created at other North American universities, but not only the students were striving for the ice. In 1921, the LOHA (Ontario Women’s Hockey Association) was announced. Due to the opposition of men in the face of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, who stubbornly did not want to recognize the right to hold competitions for girls, the first Ontario championship was organized only in 1927. The Great Depression that followed in North America hit women’s hockey hard, but could not destroy it. The number of teams in the championship was reduced from twenty to seven, the championships could not be held annually. Along with the growing popularity of this game passed and the number of bets on it grew, although they were unofficial.

From the Canadian Championship to the Women’s NHL

The emergence of a large number of women’s teams in Canada has led to the need to create a common championship for all. And in the 1981/1982 season, such a tournament was played for the first time under the auspices of OWHA. As already noted, Abby Hofmann made a great contribution to its organization – it is quite logical that the main trophy received her name. The first winner of the cup was the Burlington Ladies, representing Ontario.
In the 90s of the XX century, females who played this game, in North America and, above all, in Canada, were ripe for a new level. The number of girls who decided to go out on the ice with a stick began to number in the tens of thousands, student and amateur leagues were created, and various championships were played. When female tournaments reached the official level, they were not in the same demand in betting as men’s.

Worldwide recognition

The idea of ​​holding a women’s world championship has been discussed since the mid-1980s. And in 1987 such a tournament took place. It is quite logical that the province of Ontario, the real cradle of female hockey, was chosen as the venue. Teams of Canada, USA, Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland and Sweden were accompanied by the Ontario team. The main goal of the competition was not even to identify the strongest. Few doubted that the entire podium would be occupied by teams from North America, and Canada would become the champion. Even in the absence of experience in international meetings, it was clear that the level of Canada and the United States is incomparable with the level of their rivals. The main thing was to prove that it was no longer possible to delay the official recognition of females in this sport.
And in 1998, what happened to fans of female hockey all over the world: women’s hockey this year entered the program of the Olympic Games! Such an event was important for the future of women’s hockey – it was the last recognition of the status of this sport among girls.
In 2000, the National Women’s Hockey League was created. The rivalry between the American and Canadian teams intensified. The number of fans and players has skyrocketed, as well as the number of those who bet on it. At the beginning of the 2000s, competition between teams from the United States and Canada was the most popular betting event
Today, the United States and Canada remain the leaders in this sport among female teams, but this situation is not as straightforward as it was several years ago. So, in 2006, the Swedish national team received a silver medal and moved the USA team to 3rd place, losing only to the Canadian team.

How to bet on women’s hockey?

Betting on women is no different from betting on men. You need to analyze the team, their weak and strong sides and how they have played during the season. If you are good at betting on men’s hockey you should also try betting on women’s one. The game and the rules are all the same, so making a winning bet won`t be hard.
Female hockey is on the rise now and it is a good opportunity to win something from your profound knowledge of this sport.
Bet wisely and good luck.