She blazed a trail playing Thunder Bay minor hockey. It's emotional seeing the PWHL take off

1982 may not seem like so long ago, but for young girl dreaming of hockey skates while growing up in Thunder Bay, Ont., a lot has changed since then. 

That's when Sandee Astrom, who was 11 at the time, became the first girl to lace up for a Thunder Bay North Minor Hockey Team, joining the boys on the North End Blazers. 

Astrom said she remembers it as a highlight of her childhood. She felt accepted by her teammates, she said, and was a natural on the ice. 

"I woke up every morning and that's all I wanted to do was skate and play hockey," Astrom said in a recent interview with CBC Thunder Bay's Superior Morning. "That was the best time of my life."

Astrom said her love of the game stemmed from evenings spent watching NHL games on television with her dad, and a love of skating that began at a young age. 

She was taking part in a power skating course at a local recreation centre, when she caught the eye of Don Morin, who coached the North End Blazers in the early 80s. 

"I tell you, she could skate circles around any of the boys," Morin said. "And right then and there I made the decision that, you know, she belongs on a team." 

But not everyone was as enthusiastic about the idea of a girl joining a boys team. 

Morin recalls that practices with the team went well, but when it came time for the first game with Astrom on the roster, other officials took issue with a female player. Against his objections, he said, he was forced to take her off the ice.

It was an upsetting moment for Astrom, who remembers feeling distraught, but Morin said it strengthened his resolve to fight to keep her in the game.

It wasn't long before the minor hockey association was convinced to let Astrom play. 

The fact that a girl was playing on a boys