Before the PWHL introduced player named on the bottom of jerseys, they were the norm in the NWHL and PWHL, a point Sydney Kidd says shouldn't be forgotten.
Before the PWHL introduced player named on the bottom of jerseys, they were the norm in the NWHL and PWHL, a point Sydney Kidd says shouldn't be forgotten.
The PWHL and Molson announced a partnership this month called "see my name," which moved the PWHL name bars to the bottom of jerseys for a game between PWHL Montreal and PWHL Toronto on International Women's Day.
As Molson's press release stated, they were "covering its name so hers can be seen."
The marketing was clever, but the storyline of this being an innovative move was false, and in fact, was another example of erasing women's hockey history. It would have taken a simple acknowledgement of the very recent past to celebrate the past, present and future. In fact, more than a dozen members of the Toronto and Montreal rosters wore their names on the bottom of their jerseys last season in the PHF.
It was an innovation spawned almost a decade ago upon the founding of the NWHL by Dani Rylen.
In a recent article written by former NWHL and CWHL player Sydney Kidd, she recalled this history, opening her article by stating that while it's exciting to "Get caught up in the ‘firsts’ of this season of professional women’s hockey, just know they’re not the first of their kind."
Kidd explained the origin of names on the bottom of jerseys in women's hockey, which she was given by Rylen.
"[A]s a Gretzky-hero-era kid who was no longer allowed to jersey tuck, I did ask her why," she wrote. "Her response resonated more with me than the marketing department execs at Molson. She told me, “Because both your ponytail and your name are important Kidd– let’s make sure the world can see both”."
Kidd's message, her intent on providing the asterisk to the campaign, was not to diminish the incredible efforts of the PWHL, or the crucial investment of brands like Molson, nor the importance of better celebrating and highlighting the names of women's athletes to the world, it was to provide context, and to acknowledge the many women who came before this league, their ideas, and their contributions.
Dani Rylen's era with the NWHL was one fraught with conflict between the NWHL and CWHL, which would lead to the PWHPA. This conflict, including Rylen herself, was often cited in documents that detailed meetings between the PWHPA and NWHL/PHF as a reason the PWHPA was unwilling to merge with the PHF. There was a sour taste. But both groups existed. And regardless of how one group viewed Dani Rylen, her league, the NWHL, provided countless opportunities for women to remain in hockey, and to be paid for their play as professionals.
"My intention is to express hope that in the coming seasons, the league and its sponsors pay better and less selective homage to the women who paved the way," wrote Kidd. "I think we’re all tired of women’s names being forgotten when they deserve credit for their intellect, abilities, courage and leadership– isn’t that the whole point?"
Read Sydney Kidd's full article HERE.