REPORT | The NHL could have its first female play as soon as next season

The upcoming season could feature a historical event as it may be the first time women feature in a regular season game.

No other women have come even remotely close to what Manon Rheaume achieved in the early 2000s when she was granted a start during the Tampa Bay Lightning's training camp. After a few years in the QMJHL, she was invited to the training camp, and since then, no other player has come close.


With the recent emergence of Emergency backup goaltenders (EBUG) and the announcement of the newest professional women's hockey league, this may be up for a change. Women could potentially become the better options as EBUG:



Ian Kennedy, a journalist from the Hockey News, made a solid case for women to become the NHL's potential EBUG as soon as next year:


This would be a groundbreaking development for women in the sport and a much better option for NHL teams since they've tended to employ goaltenders who never even built up a decent resume. Only time will tell when we witness such an occurrence; at the end of the day, do you think women goaltenders could hold up their end? Could they get the job done? While it remains to be seen, I'd have to say yes.

As seen on - The Hockey News