By STEPHEN SWEET – Special to the Examiner
It's the dream of many kids to one day play hockey for a living.
For most of the women at the Clarkson Cup, that's still something that they hope to aspire to one day.
Unlike most professional sports, where the athletes will earn a living wage, players in the Canadian Women's Hockey League — or its western counterpart — often end up with a net loss by the end of the season.
"We usually have to pay our own way," said Minnesota Whitecaps defenceman Chelsey Brodt-Rosenthal. "Our vacation days from work end up going to hockey, and it takes a big commitment."
With all of the teams staying at Horseshoe Valley Resort for the length of Clarkson Cup, presented by Scotiabank, it's meant taking at least a few days off of work.
"I took an unpaid day to come here, and I was still checking my e-mails on the way here on Wednesday," said Montreal defenceman Nathalie Dery, a vice-principal at a high school in Lachine, Quebec.
Dery was named the game's second star Friday night as the Montreal Hockey Club defeated the Brampton Hockey Club 7-4 to earn a spot in Sunday's final.
"We had a really good game," Dery said. "Even when we ran into penalty trouble, we stuck to our game."
Dery keeps herself busy, thanks to work in the school, as well as being an assistant coach for Concordia University's women's hockey team. She's doing all of this while taking her Master's degree.
"On a typical day, I wake up at 5 a.m. and work at the school from 7 a.m. to (at least) 4 or 5 p.m.," Dery said.
"From there, I go and coach the Concordia practice, come home to grab supper, and then go out and practice with my team."
Some of the players, like Brampton forward and former National Team member Lori Dupuis, try to find jobs that allow them to create their own schedules.
"I think you see a lot of females in this game getting into jobs that have shift work," said Dupuis, a mortgage broker.
"It can create the ability to get times off."
Given that almost everybody who plays in the women's game has come through university, they're given the tools to succeed.
"That's one of the good things about women's hockey," Dupuis said. "We're all educated, and we can go wherever we want with our jobs."
Many of them, like Minnesota captain Winny Brodt-Brown, choose to work somewhere within the game, because of the understanding there.
"The good thing is, my boss is a hockey guy," said Brodt-Brown, who works for a hockey accessory company alongside teammate and defence partner Allie Sanchez.
"We're able to get off for tournaments and such, because they're cool with it."
For some of the more local players, like Toronto forward Frances McPhail, she wasn't able to get time off of work.
"I work at Twist Sport Conditioning in Burlington, in what's typically a 9-5 job," said McPhail, an Oakville native.
But when you have to work on days where you play a 12 p.m. game, you have to get creative.
"The past two days, I got to work at eight and worked until 10 a.m.," McPhail said. "Then, I jump in the car and drive up to Barrie to play."
It meant she missed the pre-game warmup on Thursday, though she did make it up here in time for it on Friday.
"Then, I jump back in my car, drive an hour and a half to Burlington, and work until 8:30 p.m.," McPhail said.
The players put themselves through this difficult juggling act because of both necessity to work and love for the game.
"I just enjoy the game so much," said Dery, who is considering retirement after the tournament ends. "I like it a lot, so I just live in the moment."
There's also the thought that if they don't make it through these times, the next generation won't even get that shot.
"We want to see it continue to grow, so that my nieces, 15 years from now, will have a spot to play," Brodt-Brown said. "That's why we're playing, for an opportunity."
Source: http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3045358
