BUILDER OF THE GAME: HAZEL MCCALLION

On the National Day for Girls and Women in Sport we are grateful to Hazel McCallion. She was a pioneer and game builder who enabled us to enjoy women’s hockey as it is today, and we thank her for inspiring us to keep growing the sport for the future. 

Hazel McCallion passed away this week at the age of 101. She was well-known as the longest serving mayor of Mississauga ON, but maybe less well known is her lifelong involvement with hockey and her impact as a builder of the women’s game.

Mrs McCallion’s love for the game began as a child in Quebec where she played in the Gaspé Coast League. In the 1940s she played professional hockey in Montreal for $5 per game as part of the Kik Cola team. From Mississaugua in the 1970s she became a board member of the OWHA. She was active in growing the game locally and internationally, bringing the first Women’s World Hockey tournament to Toronto in 1987.    

You can also re-cap her hockey career in pictures on X @HazelHallofFame.

Read more about the National Day for Girls and Women in Sports here.