Purple Posts Episode 6: Calgary and the Wild West of Women’s Hockey

Want more offbeat women’s hockey history stories? You’re in luck! This episode of Purple Posts is all about the extensive, often-chaotic history of women’s hockey in Calgary. Joining host LJ to help tell this tale is Maya Smith, The Ice Garden’s Vancouver Goldeneyes beat writer and a native Calgarian. 

LJ and Maya dig into everything from the city’s earliest women’s hockey teams and the Alpine Cup scene in the early 1900’s and perhaps the first Battle of Alberta on the women’s side, to the unfortunately-named but absolutely stacked Calgary Oval X-treme, to the complicated series of leagues and trophies that comprised high-level Canadian women’s hockey in the 90’s and 2000’s. Follow along for Maya’s minor hockey stories, LJ’s lack of Canadian knowledge, an exploration of the logistics of hockey in a speed skating rink, and plenty of real-time research—because we’re real historians. 

Purple Posts is a podcast about the memorable, funny, and sometimes just strange moments in women's hockey history. Hosted by TIG writer LJ Bachenheimer, Purple Posts is for the people who love a Wikipedia rabbit hole. In each episode, LJ will have a guest on to trade stories and drop lore on some of the wilder moments from the world of women's hockey. If you have a story you’d like us to cover, leave a comment or give us a shout on social media!

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