USA Hockey Adult Hockey

When Shelley Looney played hockey, there was no youth girls team to join. She didn’t dream of playing women’s college hockey, nor did she expect to join the women’s rec league at the arena down the street as an adult. But when she delivered that gold medal-winning goal in the 1998 Winter Olympics, it was the start of change and the start of growth for the women’s game.

Since retiring in 2006, the 42-year-old Brownstown, Michigan, native turned her attention to coaching and growing the game. She is currently the head coach of the Buffalo Beauts in the inaugural season of the National Women’s Hockey League and also served as the assistant coach of the 2015 U.S. Women’s National University Team during the World University Games in Granada, Spain.

Looney recently spoke with USA Hockey about her role with the Beauts, the growth of women’s adult hockey and how she’s helping foster the passion girls and women have for the game today.

USA Hockey: What type of impact is the NWHL going to have on young girls and adults who love the game?

Shelley Looney: Being in the first pro league, I don’t think that our players have to be reminded that they’re role models. I think these girls understand where girls hockey came from and where it is and what they represent. (Beauts defenseman) Emily Pfalzer said right after the first game: ‘If it takes us skating with (girls and women) after each game, I’ll do it if the fans come back.’ Our girls fed off what was out there, knowing all these little girls were staring at them.

USA Hockey: Before the NWHL, you were involved with the World University Games. Can you describe your role with the WUG? How did you get involved and what has your experience with the WUG been like?

Looney: That was an amazing experience to be a part of the World University Games. Last year was my first time participating. I serve on USA Hockey boards as an athlete representative and I serve on the adult counsel. The Adult Council helps fund the men’s and women’s World University Games teams. I thought it would be a good fit, as an ex-Olympian, to go out there and help these young girls coming up. All I can say is that it was a really amazing opportunity.

USA Hockey: You’re also involved in Adult Try Hockey For Free. Why do you think that program is so important for making hockey more accessible to those who have maybe never played before?

Looney: I think what it shows is that, when it comes to trying hockey for the first time, it doesn’t matter what your age is. I think a lot of people think hockey is only for kids. To me, hockey’s for everybody. It’s for adults, too, and if it’s a passion, you can play for the rest of your life, even if you start at an older age. Once you get that bug, I feel that it will never go away. It doesn’t matter if that bug gets you when you’re 8 or when you’re 28 or 38. To get people out there to give it a try, it’s great.

USA Hockey: As a player, you accomplished almost everything a women’s player could accomplish in your era. What would have been different for you had all of these opportunities been available?

Looney: I think we all dreamed about something like this when we were playing. There was a little bit of talk, here and there, but nothing ever happened. I think over time, with the growth of the sport, the dream and passion that Dani (NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan) had to create this, it’s special to me, even though I never got to play in it. I’m happy because I think these girls and women deserve it.

USA Hockey: If we were going to talk to you a year from today, other than wins and losses for the Beauts, what would you hope that the NWHL will have accomplished?

Looney: For the league, I hope to accomplish what we did on opening weekend and that’s to show the public what women’s hockey is all about, and to showcase these great athletes. I expect that it’s going to continue. That’s the hope