Yet another glass ceiling was shattered into a million pieces on Saturday.
In a historic move, the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League drafted Taya Currie in its priority selection draft. The 16-year-old, taken in the 14th round with the 267th overall pick, became the first woman selected in the junior league's draft history.
"It was the athletic ability, great hands and the way she challenges the puck that drew us to her game," Dylan Seca, the Sting's general manager, told CTV News London earlier in the week before making the pick.
"I'm tipping my hand more than I would normally for anyone in this draft but there's someone that we've interviewed and the background checks are fantastic. It would not be surprising that she's gone before we even wanted to pick her ourselves."
Well, yep, the Sting got their goalie.
A native of Parkhill, Ont., the 5-7 netminder patrolled the blue paint for Alliance Hockey’s Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs triple-A boys’ under-16 team. She did not play in the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic When she plays her first game for the Sting, Currie will join a list featuring three women who made their mark in the men's and women's games alike — and all between the pipes.
Manon Rheaume, who is the only woman to play in the NHL, played for Trois-Rivieres Draveurs (QMJHL). Rheaume played in two exhibition games for the Lightning back in 1992 and 1993 and also backstopped ECHL and International Hockey League teams during her pro career. She also holds two world championships and an Olympic silver medal for Hockey Canada.
Congrats Taya! Watched this live. Cant wait to watch you on the World stage one day 🙌🏼
— Shannon Szabados (@ShannonSzabados) June 5, 2021
Charline Labonté played 28 games for Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) across two seasons (1999-01) and is also the proud owner of three Olympic and two world championship gold medals. The last woman to patrol a crease for a junior team was Shannon Szabados back in 2002-02 with Tri-City of the Western Hockey League. Szabados, a teammate of Labonté's on the 2010 and 2014 Olympic gold-medal winning Canadian squad, also has a silver from 2018. She, like Rheaume, played men's professional hockey as a goalie for the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
While the 2020-21 OHL season was canceled, the 2021-22 season is slated to begin Oct. 7 and run through April 3 with a full 68-game slate. Training camp is set to start on Sept. 4.