Boo just finished her first year as a Brampton Canadette.

Not every Canadian kid plays hockey, but hockey does manage to dangle and snipe its way into their lives somehow. Businesses shut down for Olympic gold medal games, kids take days off school to attend tournaments and local rinks are always jammed with new Canadians learning to skate.

Boo began playing hockey when she was 9. She fell a lot, routinely skated out of control, and crashed into others until many were afraid to go on the ice with her. Girls hockey is supposed to be non-contact.

By the time she was 13, we needed to find an upper level organization that would be interested in her as a player. In boys hockey, your local organization holds your child’s rights. Imagine being 6 years old and being told where you can play. It was a strange concept for me, but it does prevent coaches from making super teams. Girls hockey has “free movement.” A player can play for any team they are willing to drive to. We drive 45 minutes, 3 days a week through a very long, icy winter to play for the Brampton Canadettes.

Moving from a small town, rural team, to play among girls who had only played at the top level was tough. Boo had to work hard to prove herself, but still wore her purple and black Grand River Mustangs hockey socks in every practice to honour the team she had come from. She still falls a lot, dances on the edge of control, and crashes through kids that dare skate with their heads down.

The Brampton Canadettes are the oldest women’s hockey organization in Canada, and have produced more gold medal winning female hockey players than any organization in the world.

Tryouts for next years team begin on Wednesday.