Women’s hockey star coming home to Waterford
Lucy Fox has June 15 circled on her calendar. It’s not every day you get to meet your hockey hero.
The 11-year-old hockey player from Simcoe is an avid fan of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and one player in particular — Waterford’s Elaine Chuli, who tends goal for Fox’s favourite team, PWHL Montreal.
“She’s a great athlete,” Fox said. “She’s really good at covering up pucks and getting those rebounds away.”
Fox, who plays defence with the Norfolk Hericanes U13 rep team, quickly signed up to be one of 100 people to take the ice with Chuli at the Waterford Tricenturena on June 15 for Skate with the Greats, a free event hosted by the Norfolk County Sports Hall of Recognition.
Attendees must preregister through norfolksports.ca to skate with Chuli, with a maximum of 50 people per time slot, followed by an autograph session that is open to everyone.
Past president Lisa Timpf said the sports hall’s directors are thrilled to have Chuli as their featured guest.
“For one thing, she’s a great role model,” Timpf said.
“When I was growing up, there wasn’t even girls hockey in Simcoe. And the idea that there would be a professional women’s hockey league was kind of like somebody’s wild dream.”
Serving as backup to Ann-Renée Desbiens — Team Canada’s starting goalie — with PWHL Montreal, Chuli had the highest save percentage and lowest goals against average among all goalies in the league’s inaugural season.
“This shows people, very tangibly, that this is possible, and here’s somebody local that’s doing it and has been successful,” Timpf said.
“It lets the next generation have their own dreams about what they might want to accomplish.”
Veteran sports reporter Darryl Smart, who has followed Chuli’s career since she earned team MVP three consecutive years with the University of Connecticut Huskies, called her “an inspiration.”
“Just a really great person,” said Smart, a fellow Waterford-raised goalie and a director with the sports hall.
“She’s inspiring not just young girls, but male goaltenders as well. You have this goalie from Waterford who’s doing great things.”
Chuli backstopped the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation to an Isobel Cup in 2023 after being named the league’s top goalie and the all-star game’s most valuable player the previous year.
“Everywhere she’s gone, she’s shone,” Smart said.
“She’s on a major stage right now. She’s been on the cusp of the national team forever, and she’s proving to be one of the best goaltenders in the world.”
Chuli’s success “led the trail for girls hockey in Norfolk,” Smart added, noting the growing number of collegiate women’s hockey players now coming out of the county.
Timpf hopes Chuli’s star power will shine a light on the sports hall of recognition, which for 30 years has celebrated the “outstanding contributions” of Norfolk’s local athletes, officials, organizers and sport ambassadors.
Displays honouring roughly 100 individual inductees and dozens of championship-winning teams line the walls overlooking the pool inside the Simcoe Rec Centre.
“But a lot of people really aren’t aware of it,” Timpf said.
“So this year, with the 30th anniversary, we’re really trying to promote that awareness and reach out to new audiences as well.”
Meanwhile, Fox is counting down the days until she can skate with Chuli and ask the goalie to sign her PWHL Montreal jersey.
“I’m very excited. I never thought I would even be in the same room as a professional women’s hockey player,” Fox said.
“I hope that one day I can be like her.”
J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator
