Hockey fans look to Olympics as rare chance to see 'underestimated' women's game

When Canada kicks off the women's hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics on Feb. 2 against Switzerland, many hockey fans say they'll be soaking up the rare chance to watch televised coverage of top-tier women players. 

Holly Templeton, a goalie in the Stoney Creek Women's Hockey League in Hamilton, says she'll put on her jersey and "lucky punk vest" to get up close and personal with her TV for each game — even though many matches will start late. The gold-medal game is set for 11:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 16.

"My neighbours are probably going to hear me watching it," says Templeton, 32. "It's not a subtle endeavour. I get pretty wound up … extremely wound up."

Canada's team includes three players from Templeton's area: Hamiltonian Sarah Nurse, as well as two players from Burlington, forward Emma Maltais and defender Renata Fast.

It's a big year for the Canadian women. With the National Hockey League revoking its participation in the Olympics due to COVID-19, more eyes than usual may be on the women's team. That's what Templeton is hoping for, anyway. 

"As much as I was looking forward to NHL players in the Olympics, this will bode well for women's hockey," she said. "The best ones we got are the women."

The Canadian women's team has historically done well — winning four gold since 2002. In 2018 at Pyeongchang, South Korea, they lost to the United States in a shootout to take silver. 

As the team looks to get another chance at gold, Rikki Frith will be watching.

A longtime player and Templeton's league mate in Stoney Creek, Frith typically follows her favourite players through the Dream Gap Tour, a travelling women's hockey showcase featuring five teams from Canada and the United States. 

Frith is a student of the game who