Strathmore Rockies History

In the spring of 2006 over breakfast, the initial thought of developing another competitive women’s hockey team in the Calgary area was born. After many more discussions, Samantha Holmes and Brigitte Lessard put together what they believed was a winning proposal that would gain them entrance into the Western Women’s Hockey League. 

The WWHL is the elite league in Western Canada showcasing the best of the best in women’s hockey. Teams currently in the league are the British Columbia Breakers, Calgary Oval X-Treme, Edmonton Chimos, Minnesota Whitecaps, and Saskatchewan Prairie Ice. The league boasts National Team players from Canada and the U-S, players from the CIS and NCAA, as well as up and coming young talent from the “minor leagues”.

After much discussion, the decision was made to base the team in Strathmore, and it quickly became very evident that the town would welcome us with open arms.  Armed with a letter of support from the Town of Strathmore and the seal of approval from the Strathmore Chamber of Commerce, Brigitte and Samantha felt confident that the proposal would be seriously considered.

It was at that time, in March 2006, that a proposal for the new team – the Strathmore Rockies -- was submitted to the Board of Directors at the WWHL Annual General Meeting. After negotiations with the League, the Rockies were accepted in June 2006, as an Associate Member Team for the 2006/2007 season. The rest of the summer was filled with preparations for the upcoming season, including finding sponsorship, and organizing fundraising events to raise as much money as possible in our first year.

On Saturday October 7th the Rockies celebrated their entrance into the WWHL with a win over the Saskatchewan Prairie Ice at home. We won in front of a good sized and very enthusiastic crowd, with Strathmore Mayor, Keith Schneider dropping the puck at our inaugural home game.

More recently, on Saturday March 3rd 2007, the Strathmore Rockies were unanimously voted into the Western Women’s Hockey League as a full member for the 2007/08 season.