McGill's women's hockey program, which first hit the ice in the 1890's, survived a wave of deep cuts to the athletic program at the school that saw 25 programs axed overnight.
McGill University in Montreal axed more than half their athletic programs this week. Not among them was women's hockey. But all athletes at the school felt the impact.
"After an extensive internal and external review of our operations, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the number of competitive sport clubs and varsity teams supported by McGill Athletics and Recreation," said Perry Karnofsky and Daniel Méthot, in a statement posted to the McGill Athletics website.
"As lifelong advocates for sport, we recognize how difficult this moment is, particularly for those of our students, athletes and staff who will not return to competition. At the same time, these decisions were made with the long-term sustainability of McGill Athletics and Recreation in mind."
"We remain dedicated to providing high-quality competitive and recreational opportunities for students and to fostering excellence in university sport at McGill. We understand that many of the clubs and varsity teams affected will have additional questions, and we welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss their concerns," the statement concluded.
Among the programs cut are badminton, men's baseball, fencing, women's field hockey, figure skating, golf, women's lacrosse, logger sports, nordic ski, women's rugby, sailing, squash, tennis, track and field, and men's volleyball.
Men's and women's hockey now remain as one of the now only 11 spots McGill offers.
McGill University has a long women's hockey history with the sport first being played by women at the school in 1896. Teams formed among multiple colleges under McGill's umbrella creating active women's hockey leagues in Montreal. The dominant team for years was from McGill's Royal Victoria College, which was McGill's college for women.
McGill is also the most successful Canadian university for advancing women's hockey players. Their alumni include current and past PWHL players including Jade Downie-Landry, Melodie Daoust, Ann-Sophie Bettez, and Tricia DeGuire.
Other notable alumni include Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Kim St-Pierre and long time Canadian national team member Charline Labonte. Along with Daoust and Bettez, McGill is the only Canadian university with four alumni who have won medals with Canada at the Olympics and/or World Championships.