Jennifer Gardiner was the first British Columbia product to sign with the PWHL's Vancouver expansion team.
Gardiner, 23, hails fom Surrey, British Columbia, played her minor hockey for the Greater Vancouver Comets before heading to the NCAA. After a season of pro with the Montreal Victoire that saw Gardiner as one of three finalists for the PWHL's Rookie of the Year award, Gardiner is soaking in her full circle moment coming home to continue her pro career.
"Super exciting day for me. Coming home and getting the opportunity to play in Vancouver was a no brainer as well," said Gardiner. "It was just something that I wanted to be a part of, and the Takeover Tour on January 8th was an eye opening game for a lot of people. I think it's really exciting, because female hockey has always been out West. But I think it's now finally getting the recognition on this stage, and all of us here are really excited to to be part of the first team and and start building the foundation..."
As a rookie with the Victoire, Gardiner finished second in PWHL rookie scoring with 18 points. She also played a key role with Team Canada playing on Canada's top line alongside Marie-Philip Poulin. She finished second in tournament scoring with 10 points in seven games.
Getting to come home to play in Vancouver and seeing the PWHL expand to her home province is something that Gardiner is still wrapping her head around.
"I still can't even believe it is actually happening," she said. "I think there's just been so many little girls that I've heard from that I work with, I coach in the summer reach out, and that's kind of just touching on the importance of this team in Vancouver. I think moving our league out West is just so exciting for everybody. But yeah, I really can't wrap my head around the fact that there's actually a team at home, and I get to be on it. "
