First Women Inducted into Hockey’s Hall of Fame
I had a conversation with my friend yesterday. We were talking about an upcoming competition for women. She believed that women weren’t as competitive as men. I believe they’re often discouraged in sports, with not nearly the attention men receive. Then I read about these women today. Guess they’re skating through the glass ceiling!
TORONTO (AP) — The Hockey Hall of Fame is no longer just for male inductees.
Cammi Granato and Angela James changed that on Tuesday when they became the first women elected to be enshrined in Toronto. Along with former NHL All-Star Dino Ciccarelli, Granato and James will go in as part of the players category during an induction ceremony in November.
Longtime Red Wings executive Jimmy Devellano and the late Daryl (Doc) Seaman — a founding owner of the Calgary Flames — were elected as builders.
While women had always been eligible for induction, the Hall made it easier for them to be voted in when it established a women’s subcategory this year.
Up to four male players are eligible for induction annually, but only Ciccarelli was voted in Tuesday. Eric Lindros and Joe Nieuwendyk were potential contenders among NHL players in their first year of eligibility that didn’t receive enough support.
Women were given their own player category this year, and James and Granato filled the maximum of two female inductees per year.
“This is a day I never really thought would ever happen,” James said. “I’m really honored to represent the female hockey players from all over the world.”
Granato played on the U.S. women’s hockey team for 15 years and led the club to a gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Her brother, Tony, played and coached in the NHL.
“I dreamed of being in the NHL my entire life, and this certainly makes up for those dreams,” Granato said. “Being amongst the first women to play at college and later at the Olympics, it certainly was worthwhile being a hockey pioneer.”






