Ice in Their Veins

LoveReading Says

Packed with inspiring stories of puck-related pluck, Ian Kennedy’s Ice in Their Veins sets out to serve two valuable purposes. First, to provide “much-deserved and long-overdue credit” to pioneers in the field of women’s ice hockey. Second, to highlight “the many barriers and misogynistic beliefs women and girls have faced and continue to face today — in sports and in society”. Spoiler alert: this comprehensive work delivers on both fronts.

Beginning in the early-twentieth-century, Ice in Their Veins shares how “women athletes became front-page news when, for the first time, they were allowed to compete in athletics as part of the 1928 Olympics”. While that constituted progress, early pioneering women’s ice hockey teams were hindered by being relegated from arenas to outdoor rinks, and being given late-night slots men didn’t want, even teams that drew thousands of fans. From this historic context, Kennedy shares detail on the experiences of female ice hockey luminaries across 150+ years, and across continents, from the USA and Canada to Europe, covering the barriers and abuses endured, and charting the sport’s development to the present-day.

Thanks to its blend of personal passion, player profiles, detailed history and broad-stroke context, Ice in Their Veins won’t only satisfy dedicated ice hockey buffs — it’ll also appeal to anyone interested in women’s sport and history. For example, I was astonished to discover that the Professional Women’s Hockey League was only formed in 2023.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About Ice in Their Veins

Women have been playing hockey since the beginning—but their fights took place off the ice.

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