Why aren't there more female goalies in the NHL?

Question

Someone asked a question about females playing football, and that got me thinking that the one position in the four major sports that women would be at absolutely no physical disadvantage in would be goalie in hockey.

Strength is a nonfactor. Agility is all that you need.

I know that Tampa had Manon Rheaume for a few games (I think it was only preseason), but I am a little surprised that it isn't more prevelant.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

First of all strength is a factor because you have to be able to freeze the puck and not get your hands whacked into the goal losing the puck into the goal.

Also strength and endurance is a question mark with the goalie sometimes getting into hard collisions with large players.

It might happen someday but right now there just isn't any women goaltenders that are good enough.

Answer 2

I think if a female has the ability to play like size, strength, endurance and the grit and also expect to be a target because there is alot of players that don't agree with the cross over they will be pushed to their limits, no it's not fair but thats the way male sports are. I saw Sami Jo Small play wow can she stop pucks, I think she has everything to be in the NHL same with Danielle Dube she's good too but the whole male versues female stuff will always be on the table as not being a good thing. I'm a goalie and if I had a female back up or even if I was a back up to a female starter that's fine with me I think if you can play you should be able to be given a shot but always expect some type of problem and hey if you can get pass all that then play your heart out

Answer 3

The answer is simply because there aren't any females good enough to play at the NHL level. I am sure that if there was a female that could out perform the thousands of other males trying to make the NHL, she would be signed. Genetically males are superior to females and a minute fraction of a percentage of males will ever make the NHL. Before we ask why females can't play in the NHL, you gotta realize that females can't even get close to playing in the leagues below the NHL.

The people making a comparasion of Michelle Wie, insult every professional hockey player to have ever played the great game of hockey.

Answer 4

Well, you stirred up a hornet's nest. You know, I haven't seen a women yet who has shown the ability to compete in a professional sport on an equal basis with men. They tried it in the NBA, they tried a co-ed volleyball league that tanked and a couple of women have tried to play golf on the PGA but have not yet made the cut.

Strength is important - TV and movies have given the public at large the delusion that women and men are fairly equal in strength but we are not - it's a testosterone thing.

Goalies may not look muscular to you but you should see them without the pads! That position takes more strength than any other in the game.

I'm a woman, I am an athletic women, I watch women play sports, I want there to be women leagues. But I have been hit by a man and I know I don't want it to happen again to me or any other women in any circumstance. Hitting is part of the game of hockey - they keep stats. What about the hockey fights - are women invited to those, too?

There may someday be a game when gender does not influence performance - how about chess - but it will never be hockey.

Answer 5

I don't think the first woman in the NHL will be a goalie. It will be a female that can skate as fast as Pavel Bure and who can score some amazing goals.

It will be the beginning of the end of fighting, because not too many people would feel comfortable seeing some guy beating the crap out of some woman or vice versa, lol

To the post below me, Cindy Klassen could outskate Pavel Bure. She won 5 medals for Canada at the Torino Winter Olympics and was the female athlete of the year.

Answer 6

NHL , not yet but i think a team in Europe use the female Swedish olympic goalie to play with the guys. NHL with men is just to physical for the ladies. Maybe if they play under olympic rule for women , it will be ok. I mean as tough as Fedoruk is , he got knock out by Orr , Howlleg took a stick to the neck (if Simon had lower the stick a bit , he would have broken the guy's neck) , people get injured by checks and even goalie at time get rough up (Dipetrio of Isles 2 weeks ago got hurt skating up to play the puck getting hit while at it)Nothing against women who play hockey but NHL is just too rough for the girls. If WNHL is in place , they may be able to play. I think hockey is not popular in U.S (more in maybe Canada and parts of Europe)

Answer 7

Manon Rheaume was the first woman to play in a men's professional hockey game. She was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League in 1992 and played in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues on 23 December 1992. her brother plays with the Coyotes i believe and she also played in another exhibition game in the NHL i think vs the Bruins not 100% sure. she was a great goalie.

http://www.adaholic.com/fullaccess/1634_I1.jpg

http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~shipengr/Rheaume/Old/manonr11.jpg


GO HABS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Answer 8

More? There aren't any at all! (and haven't been except for preseason as you mentioned).

This is an explosive issue to some I'm sure, but there's MUCH more to this to strength. Men do MUCH better at ALL FORMS of competition -- Tennis, Golf, Auto Racing, even Chess!

I'll leave it to the scientists to tell us WHY that is (what "competitive gene" Men have "more of" or whatever it is) but suffice it to say that it is NOT sexism, if a Woman was discovered who could play at NHL level, she'd be in there fast. The publicity would be worth a lot of money to some team.

Answer 9

Ladies have NO business in men's athletics. Rheaume was a stunt and nothing more.
Size makes a big difference in the net. The bigger you are, the more space you take up.
Let's leave the women playing with the women or we open another huge issue. "Why can they cross over to the men's but the men can't do the same?" Wouldn't that be discrimination?

Answer 10

While were at it why don't women play in the NHL period, forward, defense.... oh wait I wonder what would happen if a 6'4" 225lbs man crushed a 5'10" 170lbs woman into the boards hmmm, just a guess but I don't think she would be getting up... period, it's a fact,women do not belong in men's sports deal with it that's why they have women's leagues!

To txkathidy I think I just fell in love with you!