Marney LeBlanc is back at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., for the second time this week as she joins her women’s hockey group for another day on the ice.
After retiring 13 years ago, the 72-year-old started Marney’s Ladies Hockey as a way to offer exercise and fun to women around her age.
“I noticed that there wasn’t daytime hockey for ladies,” LeBlanc said. “And people like myself who wanted to play during the day — who didn’t want to play in the league in the night — it fit that bill.”
Many of the women in LeBlanc’s group are over the age of 55 and view the group as a source of community.
“There’s a lot of women who are in a situation like me, they weren’t allowed to play when they were younger or they don’t want to play in the league because it’s too aggressive,” LeBlanc said.
“They want a safe place to go to play the sport, and a lot of people will say that this is the place for them.”
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For 64-year-old goaltender Wanda White, the group has allowed her to return to the sport she loves.
“This is a shinny group, and these shinny groups are like sisters,” White said.
Having played hockey in her youth and competitively until she was 24, she took decades off from the game — before returning on a dare at 48 years old.
“We have older players, we have younger players, but they’re all in that same mindset where you’re out here to have fun,” White said.
“Exercise, fun, fitness and fellowship.”
White recounts occasions where games end with many of the teams’ players heading over to Tim Hortons to continue the fun.
“Everybody knows everybody, it’s one big family,” Michelle Chapple said.
New to the game and the province, Chapple first began playing hockey around a year ago.
“I was looking for places to go because I’m learning…. I’m older, I’m 66, and some of the younger shinnys were very fast, very kind of aggressive. So here, it’s awesome,” Chapple said.
Many players tell Global News that Marney’s Ladies Hockey offers a safe place for them — it’s about more than a game.
“I do it twice a week and it gets me through the real bad times,” White said.
Facing an especially hard year, she’s been through a lot of life-changing events.
“Lost a lot of family members, got evacuated from the fire…. I pretty well kept the hockey in,” White said. “It’s like my drug. It’s the thing that keeps me grounded.”
LeBlanc hopes to encourage women from all walks of life to pick up a stick and give it a try — always open to beginners.
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