“It was finally sinking in that I was about to make my professional debut at one of the most historic arenas in the world.” Here’s a first-person perspective of what it was like to play women’s professional hockey for the first time in a bubble in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Neve Van PeltNeve Van Pelt played for the NCAA Providence Friars women’s hockey team from 2016-17 to 2019-20 and for the NWHL's (now PHF’s) Buffalo Beauts in 2020-21. She’s currently a student at the College of Sports Media in Toronto and an intern at The Hockey News. She’s writing a blog series about her hockey journey.
As someone who grew up loving hockey so much that I’d literally go around telling my family that “hockey was my boyfriend,” I probably don’t have to tell you that one of my all-time favorite movies is Miracle, about Team USA’s Miracle on Ice triumph at the 1980 Olympics.
To this day, my brother and I still watch it together every Christmas break, and each time, it still gives me chills. So you can imagine that when I found out I’d be playing my first professional hockey game at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., I was beyond thrilled.
Playing pro hockey was something I never imagined myself doing, so to have the opportunity to play my first-ever NWHL game in that Buffalo Beauts blue jersey on this stage was surreal. The league decided to have a “bubble” season over the span of two weeks, starting in late January 2021. This meant there were very strict COVID-related protocols in place with restrictions that pretty much only allowed us to be in our room, getting food or at the rink. It definitely had its pros and cons, but we were just happy to have the chance to play the game we love. It felt similar to a tournament we’d play in when we were younger because we were set to play each team once before the quarters, semis and finals.
Getting on our team bus to head to Lake Placid, N.Y., before the tournament started was the best feeling. With all of the unknowns and chaos the 2020-21 season came with, it finally felt official. The bus trip itself was one to remember – I mean, when is it not when you’re with a bunch of your teammates for that amount of time? We chatted for hours on end about life, played random games, and of course, watched Miracle.
When we finally reached Lake Placid, it was even better than I had imagined. With snow falling, the tiny village looked just like the movie, and I could hardly wait to get to the rink.
Walking into Herb Brooks Arena for the first time was a feeling that’s hard to put into words. With goosebumps over my entire body, I just had to sit there and take it in for a minute.
We arrived on the Thursday to unload everything, get our COVID-19 testing done, and get a team practice in on the Friday before kicking things off the next day. Waking up Saturday morning was easy; I popped right out of bed, ready to head down to our team breakfast before the pregame skate at 11 a.m.
It was my first “pro” game day, and I was absolutely stoked.
Puck drop wasn’t until 7 p.m., so getting on the ice that morning was important to get our blood flowing and jitters out before we laced up the skates that night. After the pregame skate, we had lunch back at the hotel, and then I went straight for a nap to rest up for my big debut.
Unfortunately, zero fans were allowed into the rink because of the pandemic. That said, many people still made their way in – it was just on a cardboard cutout rather than in person.
My family members have been my No. 1 fans since the day I held my first hockey stick, so to know they couldn’t be there watching in the stands was tough. However, I was surprised to see the faces of my dad, mom and brothers on cardboard cutouts, and it brought a huge smile to my face. The support I had from them and my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc., who were following along on their TVs at home and sending pictures and videos with Beauts posters cheering me on, truly made me feel like the luckiest person in the world.
Neve Van Pelt and her family in cardboard-cutout form at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.Before I knew it, we were done with our line meetings and pregame meal, and I was headed to my first-ever NWHL game.
Stepping onto the bus with my Beats playing some of my favorite tunes, I was more than ready for this moment. Walking into the arena that day felt like a dream. It was finally sinking in that I was about to make my professional debut at one of the most historic arenas in the world.
Pulling that Beauts jersey over my head before on-ice warmups was something I’ll always remember. It seems like something so small, but it really is the little things like this that stand out when it comes to my hockey career.
I wished we could just skip warmups and go right out there and play the game. I was never one to love warmups, but this game more than any other, I was itching to get that first shift under my belt.
When it was finally time to head out there for puck drop, I was surprisingly more excited than nervous. I wasn’t in the starting lineup, so I stood beside some of my other teammates on the bench, waiting for my number to be called. When it was finally my turn to hop over the boards, all I remember is slightly blacking out and taking a super quick shift, praying I wouldn’t make any mistakes.
Prior to playing an NWHL game, I figured it was going to be a similar level or maybe even a slight step down from the NCAA. I knew many of the players we were up against were phenomenal talents, but since we didn’t have the opportunity to be practising and on the ice like we were in college, I assumed that would take a bit of a toll on the caliber of play.
Boy, was I wrong. The speed of the game was very similar, but I completely underestimated how strong everybody was. Playing center, I took a lot of pride in faceoffs, and this is the part of the game I noticed the biggest difference. I wasn’t just going in to win a faceoff anymore, I was going in to win a full-on battle against the Hulk.
Overall, just being back in that competitive atmosphere and knowing how many people were watching and cheering me on back home was a great feeling.
Despite the bubble ultimately being suspended due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the unique opportunity I had to play professional hockey was something I will always be thankful for. It was far from what a regular “pro season” would look like, but this experience will always hold a special spot in my heart.