Kings Hockey Ops Advisor Manon Rheaume talks upcoming Rivalry Series in LA

Last updated Dec 16, 2022 Edit Source

• News post

• Zach Dooley

Two days without game is a rare break in the LA Kings schedule this season, but that’s exactly what we’ll have on coming up early next week. Despite the gap in the NHL schedule, there will be no shortage of hockey at Crypto.com Arena, with the top international woman’s players in the world set to converge on Los Angeles as the Rivalry Series heads West for the first time since 2020.

• Manon Rheaume

# Manon Rheaume

A lot of the players are friends off the ice, but when you get on the ice, you’d think it’s full-on bodychecking because of how the rivalry is. It’s a lot of fun to watch.

It’s important for growing the game. Girls hockey has been one of the fastest growing segments of USA Hockey and part of growing the game with younger girls is to have access to those players, when you see it you believe it. Having that game here I think is going to be important for those girls and not just for the girls. Every time my son watches the Canada – USA women’s game, he’s interested in watching because it’s such a great rivalry. The last Olympics, they had a record number of viewers in the US, people are interested in women’s hockey.

That would have been amazing, to have had the chance to do this when I was younger. Having the chance for those young girls to have a female to look up to, feel like they’re not alone and hear their story, it’s great. They all have different stories and I think a lot of girls can relate to them, it’s inspiring. That’s why it’s important to have that access.