Longtime Team Canada women’s star Vicky Sunohara (left, with Hayley Wickenheiser) was recently released from the Canadian National Team. (vickysunohara.ca)
Women's hockey has been witness to some pretty controversial cuts or releases over the years, but none have made me shake my head in such disbelief as the recent release from Team Canada of superstar Vicky Sunohara.
One person doesn't necessarily make a championship team but Vicky was definitely sorely missed at the recent World Women's Hockey Championships in Harbin, China.
To me, Vicky is still an amazing hockey player at 37, proving that with her play this season as a member of the Brampton Canadettes-Thunder of the CWHL in which she finished fifth overall in scoring to captain her Brampton team to a CWHL championship. Night after night she is one of the best players on the ice, centering of one of the best lines in women's hockey history that includes Jayna Hefford and Lori Dupuis.
Her speed at 37 may not be the same as when she was 21 but she sees the game better than anyone I know. Her stick-handling skills put her head-and-shoulders above most players and that, combined with her athleticism, makes her one of the most exciting players to watch.
I could go on and on about Vicky as a player, but Canada has a lot of great skilled hockey players to pick from. Why I think Vicky still deserves to be a member of Team Canada is her incredible leadership ability. I have had the privilege of playing with some pretty amazing people but none have struck me as born leaders like Vicky Sunohara. She's the one who remembers the snacks on the road trips and she's the one that makes sure everyone is having a good time. She constantly stresses about everyone else's stresses but she's also the one that makes everyone believe. She rallies the troops in desperate times and tells funny jokes when the pressure is mounting.
Vicky could be a first-line centre or a fourth-line player and her demeanour remains the same. She's always there for her teammates and always willing to do whatever it takes to win. She makes those around her not only better hockey players but also better people.
I'm not sure if Vicky Sunohara will ever get the chance to play for Team Canada again, that will be up to the management of Team Canada, but I do know that in the ten years I played on the team I never saw another player touch as many people in such a positive way as Vicky Sunohara.