VOX Reporter Mary Theresa Pitre, asks 10 Questions of MODG student and hockey player Kaitlyn Krikorian. Kaitlyn, of Ontario, Canada, talks about her love of hockey as a competitor, as a Canadian, and as one of seven siblings who plays hockey.

1. How long have you been playing hockey?

I’ve been playing pickup hockey, on and off ice, ever since I can remember, but I only actually joined a league and started playing on a real team three years ago.

2. What is it about hockey that first interested you?

Well, I was originally introduced to hockey by my dad. He grew up playing hockey and taught us all (my six siblings and me) how to skate when we were really little. I also live in Canada, just outside of Toronto, which is known as the hockey capital of the world, so I guess for me it was the first sport I was really introduced to and so that’s probably the reason it first interested me.

 3. What is the name of your team?

In my league the teams are named after their sponsors. In my team’s case, we are sponsored by the Oxford Learning Centre and so our team is called the Oxford Ice Hawks.

4. Do you play a specific position on your team?

I do! I am the centreman on my team. This is the first year I’ve really had a position that I am in every shift and I’m liking it a lot. Some people think it’s better to try and rotate to every position so you learn more skills, which is definitely a  good thing, but I find its good to have a position that you always play, so you can try to excel in that particular area.

5.What is your favorite part of playing hockey?

There are so many things I love about hockey it’s hard to narrow it down! I love the fact that it’s a team sport, that your teammates become so close, being there for each other through the ups and downs of a season. I love the feeling of a win after a hard game, knowing that  your team had to pull together to do it, and did. I even love the feeling of being totally exhausted after a shift because that’s what hockey, and all team sports really, is about, a group of people working together for a common goal, to win games.

6. What is your least favorite part of playing hockey?

Losing.

7. Have you ever been injured while playing hockey?

Not really. I’ve definitely had the usual bumps and bruises, and last year I had some back trouble, but girl’s hockey is no contact so other than that, nothing serious.

8. Does playing a sport take a lot of your time?

In my case, I have two games and a practice each week, each probably taking about two and a half hours from the time I leave my house to the time I get back home. To different people that may seem either like a lot or hardly anything. Sports, depending on how competitive you play, can take up a lot of your time. For me though, I don’t play at a high level at all so it doesn’t demand too much of my time. In my family though, all seven of us of play hockey so it’s really my parents that feel the time commitment, driving everyone to rinks all over the place. I’m sure there have been days where they have spent more time at the arena than at home.

9. Are there any famous hockey players you look up to?

There are a few actually. I’m a big Leaf’s fan (even though they aren’t doing all too well of late), and my favorite player on that team is Tyler Bozak. I don’t know what it is about him that I like so much, but he is a centreman like myself so I guess we relate there. He is also great at taking the face-offs, which is something I love to do, and although he is not one of the stars of the NHL, he is a very unselfish player and, in my opinion, underrated. I’m also a fan of Sidney Crosby (when he is not playing the Leafs of course ) for the obvious reasons of being the greatest hockey player alive and playing for Team Canada. On the women’s side of hockey, my favorite players are Natalie Spooner, who plays for the Toronto Furries and has represented Canada at two Olympics, and Marie-Philip Poulin, who plays for the Boston University Terriers and has also represented Canada twice at the Olympics.

10. Do you have any interest in having a career in hockey someday?

It would be a dream come true to play hockey for a career and I am extremely jealous of everyone who has that opportunity. For me, however, there are two main problems. First off, plain and simple, I’m just not good enough. I got a late start taking hockey seriously and even now I only play in a house league. Secondly, even if I played as well as Sidney Crosby, I still wouldn’t be able to play hockey for a living for the simple reason that I am a girl, and unfortunately, there isn’t a market yet for women’s sports, let alone women’s hockey. I do think that it’s getting there however, and maybe in a few years there will be more opportunity for girls. (I am a reporter for VOX and actually wrote an article addressing that. You can check it out here cwhl-all-star-showcase-report )   

For now though, I’m content just playing house league with my friends, going through the ebbs and flows of the season, cheering on the Leafs with my family from my living room, and feeling lucky that I get to play the greatest sport in the world.