Jul 8, 2015
Mikkelson proud of Canadian female athletes, ready for new challenge
Meaghan Mikkelson has done a tremendous amount to promote women’s sport with her play on the ice. But the two-time Olympic gold medal winner couldn't be more proud of all female athletes in Canada, especially after the Women's World Cup. She is also taking to twitter in search of some advice for her newest challenge.
TSN.ca Staff
,Meaghan Mikkelson has done a tremendous amount to promote women’s sport with her play on the ice. The seven-year Canadian national team veteran has an impressive resume which includes two Olympic gold medals as well as a gold and four silver medals at the IIHF Women’s World Ice Hockey Championships.
Mikkelson usually spends much of her off-season training for the upcoming campaign; however, similar to most Canadians over the past month, Mikkelson has had her eyes glued to the television watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The tournament smashed attendance and television records proving that women’s sports in Canada are steadily on the rise. Although the Canadians fell short of their ultimate goal bowing out in the quarter-finals, Mikkelson was thrilled with their play.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be a Canadian female athlete after watching the [Canadian Women’s team] and seeing the response from Canada,” Mikkelson said. “It is huge for young girls to have role models to look up to so to have an event like [the Women’s World Cup] in Canada and for those girls to have done what they did … it’s amazing. I am a huge fan of that team.”
For Mikkelson, the excitement around the World Cup as well as Canada’s recent overall success at the Olympics has only been beneficial for the development of women’s sports.
“I think back to when I was young. There was no girl’s hockey when I started. Now when I go back home to St. Albert (just outside of Edmonton), there are multiple female teams at every level and girls are signing up more and more. The numbers are increasing each year.”
Mikkelson noticed a big difference after the magic of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics where Canada edged the United States 2-0 in a gold medal game thriller.
“I think that having those Olympics in Canada was huge,” Mikkelson describes. “It was great for women’s hockey. The growth has been tremendous and I hope that it continues.”
The momentum from 2010 continued for Mikkelson and the Canadian squad at Sochi 2014. Despite playing with a broken hand, the veteran defender played a major role in helping the Canadians complete a stunning comeback erasing a 2-0 deficit in the final three-and-a-half minutes of regulation against the Americans setting up Marie-Philip Poulin’s golden goal in overtime clinching a fourth straight gold medal for the Canadian women.
“The entire experience, the sacrifices we had to make and how we won the gold medal made that one so special,” Mikkelson remembers. “Both [Olympic Games] were so different. Vancouver was special too because it was my first Olympics. To be in Canada representing your country playing hockey was unbelievable. I don’t think I could ever pick one over the other.”
In her childhood, it wasn’t a difficult decision for Mikkelson to take up hockey as the sport runs in her blood. Her great uncle, Jim McFadden, played in the NHL in the 1940s and 1950s winning the Calder Trophy in 1948 and a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1950. Meaghan’s father, Bill Mikkelson, also played for three NHL franchises in the 1970s. Most recently, her brother, Brendan, was drafted 31st overall by the Anaheim Ducks in 2005 and is currently a member of the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate.
“Maybe our family genes have something to do with it. It was something my parents let us try and I just fell in love with it,” Mikkelson said.
Mikkelson is currently taking a leave from hockey as she and her husband, Scott Reid, are preparing for the arrival of a baby boy in September. As the months passed, the two continued to struggle to find a name for their son and decided eventually to launch a Twitter campaign called #NameMyBaby.
“The response has actually been really positive and a little bit overwhelming. With something like this, you either hear crickets or it kind of blows up and it has blown up a little bit. Everyone is following along so right now we are just having a lot of fun with it. I am just excited that we are having a baby.”
Despite the new family commitments, Mikkelson isn’t planning on hanging up her skates anytime soon.
“I’m hoping to get back [on the ice] as soon as I get the green light. My goal is to play next year in April at the World Championships in Kamloops, BC. Ultimately, I want to play in the Olympics in 2018,” Mikkelson says. “Obviously with having a baby, there is a lot that is out of your control. I’ll take things as they come and hope for the best.”
To help Meaghan and Scott with their big decision, follow her on Twitter @Mikkelson12 to vote.