A Goalie From Mars?

The goalie to the left probably isn't well-known, but the team she's playing for has also been lost in the echoes of time. That's Jennifer Price between the pipes for the BC Breakers of the old Western Women's Hockey League, and she did something that no one else in western Canada had done before. Price was a very good goaltender who was born in Victoria where women's hockey hadn't quite caught on like it had in other cities, but Price didn't let that deter her as she practiced and played as much as she could. As she got older, she got stronger, faster, and better, and that put her on a few radars including one that no one may have expected when she was fifteen. And it's pretty cool!

I will point out that Jennifer Price is not from Mars to which the title of this article alludes, but Rick Brodsky is on record saying, "If she was from Mars, it wouldn't matter. She's good. Simple as that." Check out his comments about Jennifer Price in the article below.

Jennifer Price may have been the first female goaltender ever to have been put on a WHL team's 50-player protected list on September 9, 1992 after the WHL's Victoria Cougars opted to keep her on their protected list. For those who are unaware, the protected player lists are "used by the Western Hockey League to ensure there is a method of organization and control in the League for the rights to players". Basically, it ensures that players who are selected or signed by a WHL team can remain as part of that organization in order to prevent specific teams from amassing all the talent.

There's a quip about Manon Rheaume reaching out to Price after it was announced that she was on Victoria's protected list, and that's a pretty cool connection after Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play major junior hockey in Canada in the QMJHL. While Rheaume played, Price unfortunately did not, but it makes her achievement no less impressive as she was recongized as a talented player by Cougars owner Rick Brodsky who used one of his prospect spots for Price.

Price earned her way into the women's game by playing well. She was on the original roster for the NWHL's Vancouver Griffins in 2000-01 as one of the three netminders as the Griffins joined the NWHL as the first non-Ontario or non-Quebec team in the league. The Griffins would soon fold at the end of the 2003 season, but the Western Women's Hockey League would establish the BC Breakers in the province, and Price joined that team as their starter in 2004.

Price was also a regular for Team British Columbia at the Esso National Women's Championship during those days, and she would routinely shine against the game's best as she was tasked in stopping Hayley Wickenheiser, Danielle Goyette, Jennifer Botterill, France St-Louis, and Cheryl Pounder as the other provinces loaded up their rosters. While BC didn't medal at the Esso National Championships, Price was respected among her peers for the number of saves she made against the country's best teams.

Price was named as the top netminder at the 2004 tournament in Sherwood Park, Alberta, and that honour put her among this country's best players as she stood alongside MVP Hayley Wickenheiser, top defender Cheryl Pounder, and top forward Danielle Goyette. Her Team BC squad was also named Most Sportsmanlike of all the teams in the tournament, so Price brought home some hardware to display in 2004. She'd follow that up with another Top Goaltender honour at the 2005 tournament in Sarnia, Ontario as Price stood on her head in the bronze medal game. Making 57 of 61 saves, Team BC would lose 4-2, but Price and the BC defence held Quebec to a 2-1 score until there were less than ten minutes to play before Quebec struck!

"Getting that first award was probably the best surprise for me because I didn't expect it," Price told Mark Staffieri. "To get the second was also special, but the first one is the one that really sticks with me because of the team I shared it with. For the second one, I think it was tempered by the heartbreak of losing the bronze medal game after it had been so close. It’s the one loss that still haunts me."

Price was a regular on the ball hockey scene as well as she tended the nets for Team BC at the National Championships, and she was still playing every week in the South Coast Women's Hockey League while tending to her kids when not stopping pucks. Family life has taken center-stage for the 47 year-old Price today, but her imapct on the game is certainly not forgotten after all she's done.

She may not have had the legendary career that Manon Rheaume or Shannon Szabados did, but Jennifer Price made a little history by being the first woman protected by a WHL team. It would have been cool to see her in camp or in games for the Cougars like Ève Gascon or Charline Labonté, but Jennifer Price proved she was one of the best with her work at the Esso National Championship tournmaents.

Not bad for a goalie from Victoria. On Earth, not Mars.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!