Females Have Often Been Called

FEMALES HAVE OFTEN BEEN CALLED the “fairer sex.” That point may be up for debate, but there’s no way to argue that Manon Rheaume was a pretty fair hockey goalie. No, make that a great hockey goalie.

In 1992 the Canadian-born Rheaume became the first woman to play in a National League Hockey game. At 5-feet-7-inches and 130 pounds, Rheaume wasn’t an imposing figure in the net. But her lightning-fast reflexes, quickness around the net, and knowledge of the game earned her a spot on the team. Rheaume made history in late September when she took to the ice for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason contest against the St. Louis Blues.

Of course, making history was nothing new to Rheaume. At age five, she was already playing hockey and fending off her brothers’ shots in the net. By 11, Rheaume became the first girl to play in the International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament. Then at 19 she was the first woman player for the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs, a major men’s junior hockey team from Quebec. She also led the Canadian Women’s National Team to World Championships in 1992 and 1994.

Although Rheaume’s NHL tenure proved short, she continued to play professional hockey for the Atlanta Knights, the Las Vegas Thunder, the Charlotte Checkers, and other teams.

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POINT When most people think of hockey, they picture toothless guys smashing into each other on the ice. It doesn’t seem like a girl-friendly sport. Manon Rheaume proved women could play on the highest level of hockey with the men. Her skills between the pipes earned her the right to play in the NHL.

Sometimes in life women don’t seem to gain the same opportunities as men. But the truth is God created men and women in his image. Both genders reflect the Creator, although we’re not the same. God wants us to treat each other equally—as brothers and sisters in Christ.

GOAL! Write down some differences between males and females.