One of Ginette Aten's greatest prides is that she paved the way for the Professional Women's Hockey League.
• Also read: Quebec man writes a page in hockey history at 81
• Also read: Religion has slowed women's hockey's progress, says Hall of Famer who's over 80 years old
“We didn't play like Marie-Philippe Poulain, but we made it through. There's a little bit of us in that,” notes the 81-year-old pioneer.
“I feel like we've been through a lot, but we were playing the same game. We wanted to make room for those who followed us,” continues the woman, who still plays golf and walks up to 4km a day despite diabetes.
The amateur guitarist attended several matches between Poulin and Victoire de Montreal. If her friends insist that she perform a formal face-off, M.to me Hatin would like to talk to the players and tell them what her generation experienced.
“For men only”
Ms. Hatin was part of a group of women who petitioned the government in 1977 to change the rules of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The Federation was “men only.” With the support of the Minister of State for Health and Amateur Sports, Iona Campagnolo, the following year the designation was changed: “For men and women.”
From that moment on, women's hockey went uphill, says M.to me Come.
“We were able to show up to practice at 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m.,” she says of the big improvement.
This is because at that time skating rinks were only for men. The only ice hours available were at night. You had to be motivated and persistent.
“There is even a girl who left the Annunciation” [à deux heures de route]. When we were training at 3 a.m., she came home to take a shower and went to work,” she recalls.
During the interview, Ginette Hatin shared several memories, including black and white photographs.
Photo by PIERRE-PAUL POULIN
.jpg.png?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Your Weekly Horoscope: October 26 to November 1, 2025")
