Madison Packer talks about her season and the importance of making an impact off the ice, not only on the ice. Madison Packer, who played this last season with PWHL New York, is a veteran who’s relied upon to be a leader on the ice, having been an assistant captain on three different occasions throughout her career, along with captaining the Metropolitan Riveters in four of her six seasons with the team. Those leadership qualities extend off the ice as well, as it has made her a loud voice when it comes to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and is something she is passionate about. “Social media is a platform which enables me to use my voice for things that I’m passionate about which will help communities, some people may not love that,” Packer said. “I have an obligation to do that. My job is to build upon that platform and leave it a little bigger for the next wave underneath me.” For Packer, the message behind Pride Month doesn’t begin when the calendar flips to June and simply ends because the calendar switches over to July 1st. This is a year-long commitment and obligation to amplifying the voices of those who are too scared to come forward because of ridicule, or have been shamed into thinking less of themselves as a result of how they identify. “We are so quick to judge people until you’ve walked in someone’s shoes,” Packer shared. “No one wakes up in the morning and says ‘You know what? I want to be picked on and be different, that’s what I ordered up for today.” This loud voice is especially true when it comes to protecting trans youth in sports. “Sports are meant to connect, it’s literally in the definition of sports. It’s a community,” Packer shared. “We use it as a connection to bring people together and when you tell trans kids that they don’t belong, it’s 'B.S'. There’s no harm.” According to a report published in 2022, transgender individuals “were five times more likely to think about suicide and 7.6 times more likely to have ever attempted suicide than cisgender youth.” “You’re born how you’re born. You navigate it the best you can,” Packer said. “When you take all the pressures of society and just being a kid in general and then you couple that with someone feeling like they’re inside a body they don’t understand and that isn’t theirs and they’re trying to find ways to fit in and make friends, [it makes it really tough]." In its inaugural season, the PWHL was able to do something very unique. First off, showcase a level of play in women’s hockey which was exhilarating and captivating, and more physical than ever before. But bigger than the product on the ice was the impact the sport had on the fans watching from the stands, as they finally had a safe and inclusive space to watch their favourite sport and enjoy it with like minded and supportive individuals without the fear of having to hide behind a mask.
