QUEBEC CITY (AP) 鈥� The autograph session over and her Olympic medal safely packed away, Charline Labonte acknowledged feeling a pang of jealousy during her latest visit to the International Peewee Hockey Tournament, where she played in net on a boys team in the early 1990s.
The three-time Canadian gold medalist, who also appeared in 28 games for Quebec Major Junior Hockey League鈥檚 Acadie-Bathurst, wouldn鈥檛 change a thing about her past nor the challenges she and her trailblazing female contemporaries overcame in pursuing their dreams to play hockey.
And yet, the 40-year-old experienced a sense of wonder in looking around Quebec City鈥檚 Videotron Centre, seeing collections of girls wearing their team uniforms in the hallways, stands and, most importantly, on the ice.
鈥淚 wish I would have had those opportunities when I was younger,鈥� Labonte said over the weekend. 鈥淭o have the opportunity for young girls to compete against other girls, it shows that women鈥檚 hockey has grown so much over years ago. I think this is very exciting for them.鈥�
Though the 63-year-old tournament has been open to girls competing on boys teams or as all-girl teams in boys divisions, this year鈥檚 11-day event was distinctly different: It launched its first girls peewee division, made up of 12 teams representing Canada, the United States, Switzerland, England and France. The three U.S.-based teams are from Connecticut, North Carolina and Florida.
鈥淭he demand was there. So we said, 鈥楴ow it鈥檚 time to stop celebrating the girls/women鈥檚 hockey once every four years. Now it鈥檚 time to celebrate every year,鈥欌�� tournament general manager Patrick Dom said, referring to the four-year Olympic cycle. 鈥淚t was time.鈥�
Because the tournament places an emphasis on international competition, the was the tipping point. The 2022 Beijing Winter Games featured 10 nations, up from eight in 2018 and six when the sport was first introduced in 1998. There's also been a steady rise in the number of on both sides of the Atlantic.
Twelve teams competed in Quebec City this year, and about 28 more were turned down, opening the possibility of the girls division expanding by four next year 鈥� even at the expense of reducing the number of boys teams.
鈥淚f you take four more girls teams, you鈥檙e going to get four more calls from the boys teams saying, 鈥楬ey, the girls are taking our place.鈥� Well, you know what, this is what it is," Dom said. "Women鈥檚 hockey needs to play, and it needs to be in the tournament.鈥�
The boys side features four divisions, and 108 teams, including the all-girl Etoiles Du Quebec, which opened the tournament with a 7-0 win over France鈥檚 Rouen Dragons in Class BB boys play Saturday.
The cover of the tournament program features a girl holding up a hockey stick. Janes, a Canadian-based frozen food company, has signed on as the girls鈥� division sponsor. On Sunday, the tournament dedicated its prime early-afternoon ice times to a four-game stretch of girls division action, which included a woman as the public-address announcer and one game featuring an all-women crew of officials.
Another priority was ensuring girls games were played in the NHL-sized Videotron Centre instead of a smaller, secondary rink.
鈥淚t was very important to make sure that they get invited in the big door as the boys ... to make sure that they feel like they are not outsiders, but that they are part of it,鈥� Dom said.
Florida Alliance girls coach Shawn Ray is no stranger to the tournament. His previous trips to Quebec City came coaching boys teams from Long Island, New York, whose members included Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and his daughter, who is now playing in college.
鈥淢an, I wish my daughter was 12 years old again,鈥� Ray said, noting she addressed his team by Facetime before its first game. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think people realize the effect that this is going to have on them until years down the road.鈥�
Florida Alliance player Cheyenne Friesen already has an inkling.
鈥淎s soon as we stepped in here, everything was like so professional. So that鈥檚 when I realized how big of a deal it is to come here,鈥� Friesen said. 鈥淚 completely appreciate it. I think it鈥檚 really fun for all the girls, and it鈥檚 a fair game.鈥�
England defender Grace Reilly was so in awe of having the opportunity to size up the competition in playing her first international game that a 6-0 loss to Florida Alliance didn鈥檛 bother her.
鈥淭his was our first proper game as a team, and I think from the start to the end, our team鈥檚 already improved massively,鈥� Reilly said. 鈥淪o by the end of this tournament, we鈥檙e going to be at another level. It鈥檚 crazy.鈥�
Developing the game in England is important, but so are the experiences coach Josie Lamey said her players are enjoying.
鈥淲hen they look back 20 years and say 鈥業 played in the first female tournament over here,鈥� it doesn鈥檛 matter that they lost six-nil in the first game,鈥� Lamey said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about coming here and being involved and making memories forever.鈥�
Former U.S. national team defender and two-time Olympian Megan Bozek competed on both girls and boys teams in Quebec City, and made it a point of returning last weekend.
鈥淭o have the 12 teams that have really pioneered this tournament, and to see where it grows in five to 10 years, is just incredible,鈥� said Bozek, . 鈥淭o see girls get the same treatment, the same thing as boys, finally, finally. Yeah, it鈥檚 about time.鈥�
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John Wawrow, The Associated Press
