What a huge score Carla MacLeod turned out to be as guest of honour of the International Women’s Day Breakfast Reception co-hosted at Ottawa City Hall this morning by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Coun. Ariel Troster, Council Liaison for Women, Gender Equity and 2SLGBTQ+ Affairs.
The head coach of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Ottawa team proved to be not only engaging and effervescent but also funny, warm and gracious — the kind of person you could listen to all day.
She and the mayor touched on a variety of hockey-related subjects during their conversation, captivating an audience full of community and political leaders, volunteers, advocates, and representatives from diplomatic missions. Among the many senior women leaders from the City of Ottawa were city manager Wendy Stephanson and the newly announced city clerk, Caitlin Salter MacDonald. More than half of the leadership roles at the City of Ottawa are occupied by women, the mayor pointed out.
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MacLeod, who’s also a retired member of the Canadian national women’s hockey team, is originally from the Alberta city of Spruce Grove. She took up the sport at an early age, playing with boys because there was no alternative at the time.
Later, she would ask her parents why they rolled with it so easily, when there were no other girls playing at the time. “I’ve always given them a lot of credit for being really cool parents, in all honesty. They said, ‘Simply because you asked.’ How nifty is that?”
MacLeod told the room how she’s always had the rock-solid support of her parents, but without any of the burdensome expectations. She recalled speaking to her mother after her induction into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. “My mom just stopped for half a second and said, ‘You know what, Carla? We didn’t even know you were any good’. I thought, ‘Isn’t that the nicest thing they could have ever said?’. The reason I say that is because they never added pressure. They just let me be and were so proud to watch me play.”
The two-time Olympic gold medallist touched on highlights of her hockey career, including the roar of the crowd – a sound she’ll never forget — at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Of coaching, she summed it up as an investment in people. “I’ve yet to see a better return on an investment in life than trying to build others up.”
MacLeod, who was joined by her two female assistant coaches, is hopeful there will be more women coaches in the future. “Certainly, we aren’t the first to do this. We’ve had incredible mentors who’ve helped to coach us along our way, and incredible people who’ve helped open these doors for us, so we’re just simply continuing to walk down the path that they’ve created for us.”
She spoke with pride about women’s hockey, and how it’s not trying to emulate men’s hockey. “Diversity is what makes this world go around for us.”
The PWHL Ottawa fans have been “unbelievable,” she said with gratitude. She predicted the team’s popularity based on two factors early on: a sold-out warm-up practice and the booing by fans of Montreal player Marie-Philip Poulin. “I said, ‘We’re on to something here’.”
Coun. Ariel Troster never would have described herself as sporty when she was growing up. “I have to tell you, I was an artsy theatre kid,” she told the room before describing how much fun she had attending a PWHL Ottawa game last month with her wife, their 11-year-old daughter and her mother-in-law. They weren’t the only ones who screamed their faces off. “Seeing little girls cheer their hearts out is absolutely amazing,” she added.
When it comes to this year’s IWD theme of Invest in Women, Troster said: “I cannot think of a better example of investing in women than with the brand new professional women’s hockey league.”
Attendees from the Ottawa hockey world included Erin Crowe, executive vice president and CFO of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club.
The IWD breakfast gave invited guests time to mingle over a quick breakfast prior to the formal program in council chamber. There were plenty of purple touches, both in the decor and in women’s attire, in keeping with the IWD colour.
The mayor began his official remarks by asking everyone to stand for a moment of silence in honour of the six victims, all newcomers to Canada, who died Wednesday in what’s being described as the “worst mass killing” in the city’s history. The victims included four children and their mother.
During his remarks, the mayor also addressed challenges facing women in leadership roles by acknowledging the recent unexpected resignation of Gatineau’s mayor, France Bélisle. He expressed his concerns over the rising number of personal attacks and threats against elected officials and people in leadership roles, especially those who are women, people of colour and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
It’s “utterly unacceptable,” said the mayor. “There needs to be an end to the thought that politicians and people in leadership roles are somehow fair game, and that it comes with the job. It doesn’t come with the job.”
The mayor said he’s had conversations with individuals who are opposed to running for politics because of the perceived toxic environment. “If we want to have good leaders to choose from in the future we must create a work environment that is welcoming to everyone. It needs to stop. It’s not just about us, it’s about the next generation, as well.”
caroline@obj.ca
