Detroit and Michigan have a long and storied history of women's hockey, and could someday house a PWHL franchise.

Michigan is a hockey state. Despite the absence of NCAA Division I women's hockey in the state, it also remains, and has always been, a women's hockey state.

While hockey certainly existed for women in Michigan informally for as long as there have been frozen ponds, it wasn't until the 1960s that recorded competitions started being recognized.

Perhaps the most notable teams at the time were the Detroit Debs, Detroit Koepplingers, and Detroit Cougars, along with the Port Huron Hockeyettes and St. Clair Shores Mini-Wings outside of Detroit.

In 1968, the Detroit Koepplingers, paced by a 15-year-old Joanne Sawchuk, who scored twice in a 2-0 win over Essex, captured the first ever Tilbury Kinette Club "Powder Puff" Tournament across the border in Ontario. Sawchuk, the daughter of Detroit Red Wings netminder Terry Sawchuk, won the Steve Nagy Trophy as the tournament's top scorer recording five goals and an assist in four games. At the tournament, they also beat the Detroit Debs, which was a name short for the Detroit Debutantes. 

Perhaps the most famous member of the Detroit Debs was goaltender Karen Koch. In 1969, then a student at Northern Michigan University, Koch made national news when she made the Marquette Iron Rangers in the USHL. It was a team captained by future NHLer Barry Cook. Koch was paid $40 per game to play with the Iron Rangers that season.

By the 1970s, more formal league's, including the Michigan Ontario Women's International Hockey League operated. From that league, the Port Huron Hockeyettes beat  the St. Clair Shores Mini-Wings, two of the loops top teams, in 1973 for the Michigan championship. The Hockeyettes were one of the most organized and well supported teams of the era with much support from Dorothy and Donald McCormick.

Detroit's ties to Ontario's early tournaments and leagues is clear. In 1967 at the Lipstick Tournament in Wallaceburg, Ontario, which was Ontario's first women's hockey tournament, a tantamount event in launching the sport in the province, Detroit Red Wings members Jack Adams and Johnny Mowers were present to take in the event. Teams would also come across the border by 1970 for the Sun Parlor Girls Hockey Tournament in Essex, Ontario.

In 1978, the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States, now known as USA Hockey, launched the first ever girls national championships with the Girls Teen (13-15U) championship going to Livonia, Michigan. The following season in 1979, the Michigan Mini-Wings won the Girls Open 'A' division, and Taylor, Michigan's entry won the Girls Teen division. In 1980, Taylor, Michigan became the first location in Michigan to host a national championship girls and women's tournament, with a pair of Michigan teams, the Dearborn Arrows and Taylor Jets winning titles.

Michigan teams would not win another title until 1987 when a team from Wayne, Michigan grabbed the Women's Senior 'B' championship in Buffalo, NY. Wayne would win three consecutive championships adding 1988 and 1989 to their trophy case as well.

By the 2000s, a new era of women's hockey in Michigan was beginning to pick up steam. The branded teams present in men's hockey formed strong women's programs including Little Caesars, Honeybaked, and Belle Tire, which began sending a consistent stream of players to the NCAA, and eventually professional ranks.

Marguerite Norris' place in hockey history

When her father, James E. Norris passed away in 1952, Marguerite Norris became the first woman to serve as an executive in the NHL taking over as president of the Detroit Red Wings. She advocated for arenas to be more woman-friendly, and despite being excluded from the NHL's Board of Governors, it's said she worked out a system of hand signals with Jack Adams to have her say. Norris led the Detroit Red Wings to one of their greatest stretches in history winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1954 and 1955, becoming the first woman to have her name inscribed on the Stanley Cup. Sadly in 1955, her family pushed her out of the role, a decision which legends like Gordie Howe believe doomed the future of the franchise.

"She was good for the club, but unfortunately she didn't stick around for as long as anyone would have liked," Howe said. in his autobiography. I don't think it's a coincidence that Marguerite's time in charge coincided with some of the greatest years in franchise history... It's hard to say how many Stanley Cups we might have won if she had stuck around longer."

Following Norris' 1954 an 1955 Stanley Cups, the Detroit Red Wings would not win another title until 1997.

Lisa Brown-Miller was the first, Looney nets gold

While Karen Koch and others would have certainly earned an opportunity to represent Team USA, the official honor of the first Michigan product to play for Team USA goes to Lisa Brown-Miller. Miller, a Union Lake, Michigan product, played high school hockey at West Bloomfield before going to Providence College. As a senior, she was named the ECAC Player of the Year and American Women's Hockey Coaches' Association Player of the Year.

Where Brown-Miller earned her greatest accolade was with Team USA. She made USA's first ever World Championship roster in 1990. As a member of Team USA, Brown-Miller looked destined to find only silver linings winning four straight silver medals at Worlds at a time the tournament was held only every other year. Brown-Miller however, proved that she was an athlete who stood the test of time playing with USA until women's hockey was added to the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano. That year, she was part of the historic win for Team USA taking the first ever gold medal.

The gold medal winning goal at the 1998 Olympics was scored by another Michigan product, and women's hockey legend Shelley Looney. Born in Brownstown and raised in Trenton, Michigan.

NCAA Hockey In Michigan

Perhaps the most obvious omission in the United States when it comes to women's hockey is the fact the state of Michigan has seven men's hockey programs at the NCAA level, and many more in NCAA DIII and ACHA in Michigan, but zero NCAA DI women's programs. 

It wasn't always that way, however, as Wayne State University ran an NCAA Division I women's program from 1990-2000 until the 2010-2011 season. Initially they played in the Great Lakes Women's Hockey Association before moving to College Hockey America.

The program experienced two spectacular seasons between 2007 and 2009 combining for a 43-18-5 record. In 2007 and 2008 they lost in the CHA Tournament finals, both times falling to Mercyhurst. At the end of the 2007-2008 season, Wayne State climbed to their highest ever national ranking topping out at 10th.

Perhaps the best player in Wayne State history was Melissa Boal, who was a top 10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. Along with Sam Poyton and Lindsay DiPietro, the trio powered Wayne State through their winning years. Boal and Poynton would both go on to play briefly in the CWHL with the Toronto Aeros.

Today's Michigan Talent In The PWHL

At the PWHL Takeover Weekend, a trio of Michigan products will have a homecoming as members of PWHL Boston. Megan Keller (Farmington Hills), Taylor Girard (Macomb), and Shiann Darkangelo (Brighton) are all Michigan products playing for PWHL Boston, and all three have spent time with USA's national team. Playing for PWHL New York, Madison Packer (Detroit) and Abby Roque (Sault Ste. Marie) are the other Michigan products in the league.

The Future Looks Bright For Michigan Products

When you look at young players infusing talent to USA's national program, there's a distinct Michigan appeal. Kirsten Simms (Plymouth) led the NCAA in scoring this season with 61 points in 32 games in her second season with Wisconsin. She made her senior national team debut at the Rivalry Series, and is a likely candidate to play for USA at the Worlds. Netminder Anneleis Bergmann (Detroit) was a unanimous decision as an ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team selection this season backstopping Colgate. She was also the first woman last season to ever play at a Tier I or II Junior A level in the USA appearing in an NAHL game. Cassie Hall (South Lyon), a rookie with Wisconsin this season scored 24 points in 34 games, including 19 goals, and she has a pair of medals for USA at the U-18 World Championships. Second year Colgate forward Elyssa Biederman is another former U-18 national team member who finished 14th in NCAA scoring this season with 44 points. Lindenwood's Morgan Neitzke (Jackson) finished 12th in NCAA scoring with 46 points and was a CHA First Team All-Star last season, while Yale’s Elle Hartje (Detroit) was 22nd in NCAA scoring with 38 points and was a Second Team All-American last season and was named the Ivy League Player of the Year.