Fran Rider

Fran Rider CM OOnt is a Canadian ice hockey executive, and former player. She has made a substantial impact on the growth and development of the modern game of female hockey,[1] and is one of the founders of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. Rider has been both an ice hockey player and organizer for the women's category of the sport. She began playing ice hockey in 1967,[2] with the Brampton Canadettes, the predecessor to the Brampton Thunder. Rider was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA)

The Ontario Women's Hockey Association was formed in 1975 by Cookie Cartwright and was formed to generate interest in women's ice hockey. About a decade later, Rider would become the association's executive director.

Organized women's ice hockey competition

Canadian

Rider set up a Canadian national championship for women's ice hockey in 1982, called the Esso Women's Hockey Nationals, which was the Canadian senior women's championship from 1982 to 2008. With the evolution of the Nationals into a professional tournament, Hockey Canada elected to discontinue it in 2008 and replace it with a national female midget championship known as the Esso Cup.[3]

International

Rider was instrumental in helping organize the 1987 World Women's Hockey Tournament, which was hosted in Toronto, Ontario. The Ontario Women's Hockey Association hosted the tournament.[4] However, the tournament was not recognized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and was therefore considered an unofficial event. During the tournament, representatives from participating nations met to establish a strategy to lobby the IIHF for the creation of a Women's World Championship.

In 1990, Rider helped organize the first IIHF-sanctioned tournament for women's ice hockey which was held in Ottawa, Ontario. The 1990 Women’s World Championships did not receive any financial support from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.[5] The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada.

Recognition for women's excellence in sport

When Angela James was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2010,[6] James said that without Rider, she would never have made it into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[7]

Rider was appointed Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in the 2015 Canadian honours, "for her contributions to the development of women’s hockey, both at the national and international levels";[8] in 2016, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Ontario (OOnt).[9] Along with Scotty Bowman and Murray Costello, Rider was among the 2017 class named to the Order of Hockey in Canada.[10]

Accolades

Personal

During May 2018, Rider was part of a group of four female athletes, including Cassie Campbell, Jen Kish and Kerrin Lee-Gartner to publicly pledge their brain to a Canadian research centre. The posthumous donation shall be made to Toronto Western Hospital’s Canadian Concussion Centre to further research on the effect of trauma on women’s brains. [15]

References
  1. Lois Kalchman (December 19, 2014). "Canada's Fran Rider to be inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame". The Toronto Star. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  2. CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey - Women: Their own ice age
  3. "NR.156". Hockey Canada. December 1, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  4. Welcome to Andrew Podnieks.com
  5. Elizabeth Etue; Megan K. Williams (1996). On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-929005-79-9.
  6. "Legends of Hockey, Induction Showcase, Angela James". The Official Site of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  7. Goyette, Heaney and Campbell could earn Hall call - NHL.com - Hall of Fame
  8. "Ms. Fran Rider". Governor-General of Canada. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  9. "The 2016 Appointees to the Order of Ontario". December 14, 2016.
  10. "Legendary Scotty Bowman named to Order of Hockey Canada: Costello, Rider also honoured for contributions to development of Canadian game". CBC.ca. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  11. HHOF Site Map Archived July 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Elizabeth Etue; Megan K. Williams (1996). On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-929005-79-9.
  13. Kalchman, Lois (December 19, 2014). "Canada's Fran Rider to be inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  14. Aykroyd, Lucas (May 17, 2015). "IIHF class of 2015 honoured". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  15. Morgan Campbell (May 10, 2018). "Four high-profile Canadians to donate their brains for research into concussion effects in women". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
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