Fran Rider

Fran Rider was one of the founders of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. She began playing hockey in 1967[1] with the Brampton Canadettes, predecessor to the Brampton Thunder.

The Ontario Women's Hockey Association was formed in 1975 by Cookie Cartwright. About a decade later, Rider would become the executive director of this association. The Association was formed to generate interest in women's hockey. She helped to organize the unofficial Women's world hockey championship in 1987.[2] She also helped to organize the 1990 Women’s World Championships with no financial support from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.[3] When Angela James was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8, 2010, James said that without Rider, she would never have made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame.[4]

She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2015. In 2016, she was made a member of the Order of Ontario.[5] Along with Scotty Bowman and Murray Costello, Rider was among the 2017 class named to the Order of Hockey in Canada.[6]

Accolades
  • An award is named after her and is given to the silver medal-winning team at the Canadian Senior Women's National Championships. The award is known as the Fran Rider Cup.
  • Of note, Rider was the first female recipient of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association's Award of Merit.[7]
  • The Ontario Hockey Association's Minor Hockey Service Award was given to Fran, and she was the first woman to claim that honour.
  • OHA's Gold Stick Award (She was the first woman in forty five years to have the honor bestowed upon her.[8])
  • Ontario Ministry of Culture and Citizenship's Contribution to Sport Award
  • Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame (2001)

Personal

During May 2018, Rider was part of a group of four female athletes, including Cassie Campbell, Jen Kish and Kerrin Lee-Gartner to publicly pledge their brain to a Canadian research centre. The posthumous donation shall be made to Toronto Western Hospital’s Canadian Concussion Centre to further research on the effect of trauma on women’s brains. [9]

References
  1. CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey - Women: Their own ice age
  2. Welcome to Andrew Podnieks.com
  3. Elizabeth Etue; Megan K. Williams (1996). On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-929005-79-9.
  4. Goyette, Heaney and Campbell could earn Hall call - NHL.com - Hall of Fame
  5. "The 2016 Appointees to the Order of Ontario". December 14, 2016.
  6. "Legendary Scotty Bowman named to Order of Hockey Canada: Costello, Rider also honoured for contributions to development of Canadian game". CBC.ca. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  7. HHOF Site Map Archived July 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Elizabeth Etue; Megan K. Williams (1996). On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-929005-79-9.
  9. Morgan Campbell (10 May 2018). "Four high-profile Canadians to donate their brains for research into concussion effects in women". Toronto Star. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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