Considering the expansive hockey-related résumé that Joe Drago has accumulated over decades of involvement with the sport, his description of anything as "eye-opening" is interesting.

Yet, those were exactly the words that best described his recent sojourn to the Czech Republic, accompanying the national women's U-18 team over the holidays in his role as a Hockey Canada official.

While the initial plan last summer was to have Drago attend both the U-18 playdowns, as well as the World Junior Hockey Championships in Calgary and Edmonton, some shuffling of the girls' schedule created an overlap between the two events.

The initial disappointment over not being able to take in what has become a Christmas-time tradition for Canadian hockey fans, gradually gave way to an appreciation for all that was different, unique and special in his role with the young ladies.

"I think a major role I played this time was that I spent a lot of time with the parents, keeping them active and involved," Drago explained.

In fact, the former president of the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) suggested that both he and his wife, Sylvia, were made to feel as part of the team, more so than at any previous competition he attended.

"It's much different than with the boys," Drago said. "There is much more of a friendly, family atmosphere. The girls were so appreciative of everything we did. At a New Year's Eve party that we hosted for the team, every single girl in that room came up to Sylvia and I to thank us for that party."

With limited previous exposure to the world of girls' and women's hockey, Drago was soon to be enlightened.

"The thing I found with these girls is that they were so conscious of playing well to get an education," he said.

Such is the world when there are no prospects of million-dollar contracts at the professional hockey level. Of course, Drago could relate, he himself being a graduate of Clarkson University, having travelled state-side on a hockey scholarship back in the day.

Needless to say, he was more than a little thrilled to learn that his alma mater would soon benefit from the services of Canadian team captain Erin Ambrose, also named as tournament MVP. In fact, no less than four young ladies from this particular team were already committed to Clarkson.

With a knowledge of the female game dominated solely by what he had seen on TV, Drago was pleased to enjoy the opportunity to witness high-level competition first-hand.

"What you saw in the girls' game was that they don't run you or bang you, they ride you off the puck, they ride you into the corner," Drago explained. "And that's really, I think, what we're trying to stress with the boys. There's a way to check — I don't call it 'hitting,' I call it body checking."

The eight-team tournament also provided the long-time Sudburian with the chance to weigh in on the state of international female hockey, fully aware of the concerns that exist over the fact that it is primarily a two-country sport.

"First, I think we have to remember that it wasn't all that many years ago that the male game was in exactly the same position," Drago said. "Canada was hammering everybody. What we have to do, as Canadians, is to be ambassadors, to put our people in their country and bring their people over here.

"I don't think the rest of the world is closing the gap as fast as we would like it to be closed,” he added. “I did see a lot of good individual players (on teams other than the US and Canada), but as a team, they don't have that strength yet."

Mind you, the numbers are glaring and quite likely surprising to most. The combined total of registered North American female hockey players (85,827 in Canada and 65,609 in the USA) easily dwarfed the rest of the field combined.

In fact, there are some local hockey associations in the Nickel City that might well surpass the total of 530 Russian girls who compete in a sport that is almost a national pastime for the men.

Finland (4,760), Sweden (3,075), Germany (2,580), Czech Republic (2,169) and Switzerland (1,172) have a ways to go before the critical mass of talent exists that will allow for some competitiveness on the international stage.

"They need direction, they need guidance, they need support, and that has to come from the powers that already have these programs," Drago said. "This tournament in the Czech Republic is going to do wonders for their country."

Posted by Arron Pickard