February 21, 2026
At the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Team Canada’s women’s hockey team earned a silver medal, narrowly losing to the United States in overtime on February 19. While the spotlight shines on today’s players, women in Vernon were skating and competing over a century ago, showing the city’s long-standing connection to the sport.
Hockey has been part of Vernon life since the city’s early days. Men played on frozen ponds and outdoor rinks until 1902, when an indoor rink opened on 34th Street. But women were soon drawn to the game as well.
In the February 2, 1905 edition of the Vernon News, an editorial asked why a city so enthusiastic about hockey had no women’s club. By the next issue, a group was forming. Their first practice was held on February 7, and later that day, Miss Byers was elected captain and Mrs. Kenny secretary (as was common in newspapers of the day, only last names were recorded). The club quickly organized a game against Revelstoke’s women players, with local newspapers hinting that Vernon’s favorable weather might give the new team an advantage.
Despite the early excitement, women’s hockey in Vernon quieted down for several years. It reemerged in 1916, when a new ladies’ club formed with over 20 members practicing twice a week. The president was Elizabeth Ellison, who may have developed her love for hockey while attending Havergal Ladies College in Toronto from 1908-1909. Her sister, Ellen Ellison, had also played on the college team around 1905, connecting the Vernon women to a broader tradition of female hockey in Canada.
After another long pause, interest in women’s hockey returned in 1969. The Civic Arena hosted a series of practices for young female players, eventually forming a team. Newspapers treated this as something novel, describing the “excitement of being part of this national sport” for women, even though local women had been participating for decades.
From those early days on ponds and indoor rinks to competing at the highest levels internationally, the history of women’s hockey shows deep and lasting engagement. Vernon’s local women laid important early tracks in that story, engaging with the sport long before it became a major stage on the world scene.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans