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From: "Denise Smith" 
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Subject: Hayley Wickenheiser
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 20:37:54 -0230
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Found this on the faceoff.com site and thought that you would like to read 
it:

Hayley eyes men's pro team
Olympic role model training in Europe: Levelling the playing field
The Edmonton Journal

Before, Hayley Wickenheiser didn't have a choice. If she wanted to play 
hockey, she had to play with the boys. Now the Olympic gold medallist has 
options, and she wants to play with the men.

The 23-year-old forward flew to the Czech Republic this week to begin 
another training stint with a men's team. Last summer, Wickenheiser and her 
boyfriend Tomas Pacina, a coach and a Czech native, spent five weeks there 
training for the Olympics.

This time Wickenheiser, the star forward of Canada's national women's team, 
is also auditioning for a job. She has her sights set on playing with a 
men's pro team next season and she'll know by the end of July if there is 
going to be a job for her in Germany, Switzerland, Austria or Italy.

"As far as playing at a higher level in North America, there really isn't a 
place for me to play," said Wickenheiser. "It's more physical, the ice is 
smaller, and there's a greater chance of getting injured. I don't know if I 
could play.

"But over there, the ice is bigger, the players are smaller and there's more 
emphasis on finesse. It's a different kind of hockey. I really enjoyed it 
last year when I was there and I think it's probably one place where I could 
play."

The only other woman to play a regular-season game with a men's pro team was 
goaltender Manon Rheume who played with the Atlanta Knights of the IHL.

"I know there's lots of girls who still play with the boys and it's 
challenge for them. They enjoy it. And why not? I don't really believe it 
has to be either/or," said Wickenheiser, who attended the Philadelphia 
Flyers rookie camp in 1998 and '99. "It's not uncommon now to see a girl 
walk into a rink with a hockey bag over her shoulder."


Denise

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