Women's Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is one of the fastest growing women's sports in the world, with the number of participants increasing 400% in the last 10 years. While there are not as many organised leagues for women as there are for men, there exist leagues of all levels, from the National Women's Hockey League to Olympic teams to recreational teams.

The main difference between women's and men's ice hockey is that bodychecking is not allowed in women's ice hockey. After the 1990 Women's World Championship, bodychecking was eliminated because women in many countries do not have the size and mass seen in North American players. There are many who feel that the relative lack of physical play is a detriment to its popularity among the mainstream hockey public.

One woman, Manon Rhéaume, appeared as a goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a preseason game hosting the St. Louis Blues, and in 2003 Hayley Wickenheiser made history by becoming the first woman skater to play in a men's ice hockey league when she signed with the Kirkkonummi Salamat in the Finnish Suomi-sarja league.