Smith is keeping his eye on girls from Arkansas to New Mexico to Seattle. As the NHL has spread as far south as Tampa, Fla., the interest in hockey has spread right along with it. Mass. Girls interest in hockey has grown rapidly since the 1998 Olympics. The growth of girls hockey has caught the attention of college administrators, who are building new hockey rinks and starting NCAA teams. The academy, whose sessions run from November through mid-April, is an attempt to fill some of that need for quality players.
Girls study in the morning and then play hockey and lift weights in the afternoon.
The academy, now in its second year, is novel because, in the past, most of the top female players either had to attend a prep school or join an elite team. These clubs have intense schedules, sometimes playing two games in one day. In some ways, teaching girls hockey skills is easier, says Elmer Laydon, who has coached both boys and girls for many years. For example, during practice sessions he does not want players whacking the puck up against the boards while he instructs. But with girls, I only have to say it once, and they don't do it again.