Angela James
Encyclopedia
Angela James is a Canadian former ice hockey
forward
, who played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (now the National Women's Hockey League
), and represented Team Canada internationally. Considered the first superstar of modern women's hockey, James scored 34 points (22g, 12a) in 20 games over four women's world championships, including 11 goals in five games in the inaugural IIHF World Women's Championships, held in Ottawa
in 1990. In 2008, she, along with Cammi Granato
(USA) and Geraldine Heaney
(CAN), became the first women to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hockey Hall of Fame
. James is the daughter of a black father and white mother; she is the only African-Canadian to captain a national hockey team.
with boys in Toronto. When she first tried to play ice hockey, she had great difficulty finding a team that would give her any ice time, particularly when girls were mocked for trying to play. She attended Seneca College
, where she won numerous titles in ice hockey and softball
and had her jersey (#8) retired.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, where she dominated her opponents. Robin Brown, host of CBC Radio One
's Inside the Track, described her style as aggressive, like Mark Messier
, with the pure goal-scoring talents of Mike Bossy
. In 1990, she was selected to Canada's team for the inaugural women's championship in Ottawa, where she led the team to the gold medal. She played in three more world championships afterward, earning eight MVP awards. In a controversial decision, she was excluded from Canada's team in the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first time women's ice hockey was included at that competition. James, from 1987 until she was cut from Hockey Canada in December 1997, recorded 22 goals and 12 assists for Hockey Canada.
Currently, she is the Director of Athletics for Seneca College at its King
campus, and has been involved in hockey as a referee
. James is openly lesbian
.
honoured James with the female breakthrough award, given for making significant contributions to the promotion and/or development of female hockey in Canada. She was acknowledged for her efforts to promote and develop the game for females, and for her great skill within the game. Along with highlighting her excellence, Hockey Canada also noted that she has played at every position, including goaltender
, where she recorded a shutout. James has coached the North York Aeros, and she has officiated in the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.
When asked "which woman had the greatest impact on women's hockey?", several people included James in their responses. Shelley Coolidge of the Canadian Hockey Association
stated, "Four players. They would be Dawn McGuire
, Shirley Cameron, France St. Louis and Angela James. The four pioneers would be Glynis Peters, Fran Rider
, Karen Wallace, and Susan Dalziel". Gold medalist Andria Hunter
said, "This is a very hard decision. The first ones that come to mind are Angela James and Cammi Granato, for what they accomplished on the ice, and Manon Rheaume
for the exposure she gave the sport." Hockey author Brian McFarlane
responded, "Manon Rheaume, who broke the gender barrier in professional men's hockey, Angela James for her longevity, and Bobbie Rosenfeld
for her considerable work on and off the ice in the first part of the 20th century".
She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008, along with Phillipe Bozon, Cammi Granato
, Geraldine Heaney
, Igor Larionov
, Mario Lemieux
, and builder Art Berglund
. In 2008, the Angela James Bowl
was created in her honour. The trophy is awarded to the Canadian Women's Hockey League's top scorer. On June 22, 2010 James was included in the 2010 Hockey Hall of Fame
class; she and Cammi Granato
became the first women inducted. James was formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2010.
James now works as a sports co-ordinator at Seneca College
in Toronto.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
, who played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (now the National Women's Hockey League
National Women's Hockey League
The National Women's Hockey League was a women's ice hockey league. This League was in service between 1999 and 2007.-History:The NWHL superseded the old Central Ontario Women's Hockey League in 1998-99. After the old COWHL dropped down to three teams in 1997-98, the new league expanded to...
), and represented Team Canada internationally. Considered the first superstar of modern women's hockey, James scored 34 points (22g, 12a) in 20 games over four women's world championships, including 11 goals in five games in the inaugural IIHF World Women's Championships, held in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in 1990. In 2008, she, along with Cammi Granato
Cammi Granato
Catherine Michelle "Cammi" Granato is a retired American female ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010....
(USA) and Geraldine Heaney
Geraldine Heaney
Geraldine Heaney is an Irish-Canadian ice hockey head coach and retired defenceman. She is head coach for the University of Waterloo women's hockey team...
(CAN), became the first women to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hockey Hall of Fame
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
. James is the daughter of a black father and white mother; she is the only African-Canadian to captain a national hockey team.
Biography
James was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up playing ball hockeyBall hockey
Ball hockey is a team sport and a variation of the sports of ice hockey and street hockey, where the game is played on foot in which players use sticks to direct a ball into their opposing team's net. When that occurs it is referred to as a "goal". At the end of the time allotted for the game the...
with boys in Toronto. When she first tried to play ice hockey, she had great difficulty finding a team that would give her any ice time, particularly when girls were mocked for trying to play. She attended Seneca College
Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
, where she won numerous titles in ice hockey and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and had her jersey (#8) retired.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, where she dominated her opponents. Robin Brown, host of CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
's Inside the Track, described her style as aggressive, like Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
, with the pure goal-scoring talents of Mike Bossy
Mike Bossy
Michael Dean Bossy is a former Canadian ice hockey player who played for the New York Islanders for his entire career and was part of their four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions in the early 1980s...
. In 1990, she was selected to Canada's team for the inaugural women's championship in Ottawa, where she led the team to the gold medal. She played in three more world championships afterward, earning eight MVP awards. In a controversial decision, she was excluded from Canada's team in the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first time women's ice hockey was included at that competition. James, from 1987 until she was cut from Hockey Canada in December 1997, recorded 22 goals and 12 assists for Hockey Canada.
Currently, she is the Director of Athletics for Seneca College at its King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
campus, and has been involved in hockey as a referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
. James is openly lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
Recognition
In 2005, Hockey CanadaHockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
honoured James with the female breakthrough award, given for making significant contributions to the promotion and/or development of female hockey in Canada. She was acknowledged for her efforts to promote and develop the game for females, and for her great skill within the game. Along with highlighting her excellence, Hockey Canada also noted that she has played at every position, including goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
, where she recorded a shutout. James has coached the North York Aeros, and she has officiated in the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.
When asked "which woman had the greatest impact on women's hockey?", several people included James in their responses. Shelley Coolidge of the Canadian Hockey Association
Canadian Hockey Association
Canadian Hockey Association can refer to:* Canadian Hockey Association , a men's professional ice hockey league* Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, the governing body for ice hockey in Canada...
stated, "Four players. They would be Dawn McGuire
Dawn McGuire
Dawn McGuire is a retired Canadian women's ice hockey defender who represented Canada at the 1990 and 1992 IIHF Women's World Championships. She won gold medals at both tournaments. At the 1990 tournament, she was named the top defenceman and most valuable player.-Statistics:-References:...
, Shirley Cameron, France St. Louis and Angela James. The four pioneers would be Glynis Peters, Fran Rider
Fran Rider
Fran Rider was one of the founders of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. She began playing hockey in 1967 with the Brampton Canadettes, predecessor to the Brampton Thunder....
, Karen Wallace, and Susan Dalziel". Gold medalist Andria Hunter
Andria Hunter
Andria Hunter played for the Canadian National women's ice hockey team from 1991 to 1994. She is also the founder of a web site for women's hockey .-Early life:...
said, "This is a very hard decision. The first ones that come to mind are Angela James and Cammi Granato, for what they accomplished on the ice, and Manon Rheaume
Manon Rhéaume
Manon Rhéaume is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. An Olympic silver medalist, she achieved a number of historic firsts during her career, including becoming the first and only woman ever to play in a National Hockey League exhibition game.In 1992 Rhéaume signed a contract with the Tampa Bay...
for the exposure she gave the sport." Hockey author Brian McFarlane
Brian McFarlane
Brian McFarlane is a Canadian television sportscaster and author. He is also the Honorary President of the Society for International Hockey Research. He is the son of the prolific writer Leslie McFarlane who wrote many of the early Hardy Boys books.-Early life and career:Brian McFarlane attended St...
responded, "Manon Rheaume, who broke the gender barrier in professional men's hockey, Angela James for her longevity, and Bobbie Rosenfeld
Bobbie Rosenfeld
Fanny Rosenfeld was a Canadian athlete, who earned a gold medal for the 400 metre relay and a silver medal for the 100 metre at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. She was called the "best Canadian female athlete of the half-century" and a star at basketball, hockey, softball, and tennis...
for her considerable work on and off the ice in the first part of the 20th century".
She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008, along with Phillipe Bozon, Cammi Granato
Cammi Granato
Catherine Michelle "Cammi" Granato is a retired American female ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010....
, Geraldine Heaney
Geraldine Heaney
Geraldine Heaney is an Irish-Canadian ice hockey head coach and retired defenceman. She is head coach for the University of Waterloo women's hockey team...
, Igor Larionov
Igor Larionov
Igor Nikolayevich Larionov is a Russian retired professional ice hockey player, known as The Professor. Along with Viacheslav Fetisov, he was instrumental in breaking the barrier that stopped Soviet players from joining the National Hockey League . He primarily played the centre position, and is...
, Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
, and builder Art Berglund
Art Berglund
Art Berglund was an American ice hockey coach and executive. He won the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1992, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008...
. In 2008, the Angela James Bowl
Angela James Bowl
The Angela James Bowl was introduced in 2007-08 to recognize the top points scorer in the newly formed Canadian Women's Hockey League. The trophy was donated in order to help preserve the statistical history of the new league and to help tell the story of women's hockey at the club level...
was created in her honour. The trophy is awarded to the Canadian Women's Hockey League's top scorer. On June 22, 2010 James was included in the 2010 Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
class; she and Cammi Granato
Cammi Granato
Catherine Michelle "Cammi" Granato is a retired American female ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010....
became the first women inducted. James was formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2010.
James now works as a sports co-ordinator at Seneca College
Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
in Toronto.
Achievements
James has received numerous awards and accolades:- induction into the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
(2010) - induction into Canadian sports hall of fame (2009)
- Re-naming of Flemingdon ParkFlemingdon ParkFlemingdon Park is a multicultural community in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the North York district of the city. It is part of federal and provincial electoral district Don Valley West, and Toronto electoral ward 26: Don Valley West...
arena to Angela James Arena (2009) - Inducted into the IIHF Hall of FameIIHF Hall of FameThe IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
(2008) - Induction into the black hockey and sports hall of fame (2006)
- Induction into the OCAA hall of fame (2006)
- Inducted into the Ontario Ball Hockey Association Hall of Fame
- Four world championship gold medals (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997)
- Team Canada All-Star Forward (1990, 1992)
- Team Canada leading scorer (1992)
- Most Valuable Player, COWHLCOWHLThe Central Ontario Women's Hockey League is a defunct hockey league in Ontario, Canada. In 1998, the COWHL became the National Women's Hockey League as the teams from the former league began to compete against teams from Quebec .-Teams:...
, 1991 - Won a medal in over 12 National Championships, selected MVP eight times
- Numerous OWHA provincial and league championships. Highest scorer for eight seasons, MVP for six
- Team Canada roller hockeyRoller hockeyRoller Hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used. There is traditional "Roller Hockey," played with quad roller skates, and...
gold medalist (1992) and silver medalist (1994) - National Ball Hockey Champions and All-Star Forward (1989, 1991)
- Women in Sport Enhancement for the City of Toronto (1992)
- Youth of the Year Award (1985)