A Greater Toronto Area hockey mom of three, Amy Laski says she’s all too familiar with the struggle to get reasonable ice time.
Laski, who is also the founder of the Tween Girls’ Hockey League (TGHL), is a player herself.
While girls’ hockey has seen exponential growth in popularity and participation, she told Global News many barriers still exist.
“If you’ve been playing since you were young, there are some girls’ leagues in Toronto, but if you want to start learning how to play hockey a little bit later — say eight or nine years old, or even into your tween and teen years — there are almost no options,” she says.
In response, Laski launched her own league. The TGHL started out with 15 players in 2021.
It has grown quickly. This upcoming season the hope is to run two divisions, for a total of 60 girls, ages seven to 15.
However, she said, scoring reasonable ice time is virtually impossible.
Laski says thanks to the current booking system, her girls are often being left out in the cold.
“Year-over-year, I’m told your chances are slim to none of getting prime-time ice available for your girls.”
In a statement to Global News, the city says staff work with applicants to accommodate their preferred time and location, based on availability and its ice allocation policy.
In the event that an applicant’s preferences cannot be met, staff work to come up with alternatives.
“The City has been engaged with the founder of the Tween Girls Hockey League (TGHL) to find an indoor hockey location and time that works best for the league. The group’s desired day, time and location on their permit application were unavailable,” the statement reads.
“However, City staff have provided alternative options to the TGHL, which include available time on Tuesday evenings and look forward to continuing to provide ice time to this new league.”
Laski said she could likely expand her program further in Toronto if more ice time was available.
The city directly runs 48 indoor arenas and more than 50 outdoor ice rinks.
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