Rooting For Women's Hockey Hits Home for Alex Newhook

For Alex Newhook, there's an extra appreciation for the growth of the sport of hockey, especially as he was just the third-ever from his province of Newfoundland to win the Stanley Cup as he did with the Colorado Avalanche this past June.

And as much as the 21-year-old is thrilled to see the sport continue to grow and the diversity in the NHL continue to spread with players like himself defying odds to make it to 'The Show,' Newhook is equally ecstatic to see the growth in the sport specifically on the women's side as he is the older brother to Abby Newhook, a current sophomore at Newhook's alma mater of Boston College, where she is one of the top players on the women's division l hockey team hockey and is aspiring to crack the juggernaut Team Canada roster in the coming years. She already attended Hockey Canada's National Women's Program selection camp in Calgary over the summer.
"It's been a cool journey for me to watch and to be a part of from a young age," Newhook said. "I remember watching her at the rink and watching her really get into hockey. We played on the same team in [St. John's] atom for a year. Then, just watching her now, pursue her own dreams as well. Those might look a little different than [mine] since it's women's hockey, but she's right there. She's got some work to do, but it's going to be fun to watch. She'll have a crack at it in the next few years."
Abby, who is 19, credits Alex for introducing her to the sport of hockey as she attended all of his practice growing up before joining him on the ice and has often referred to him as her role model. For Newhook, the feeling is mutual.
The pair often call each other after games to blow off steam or gain a different perspective on a specific shift of play. Even while discussing the growth of women's hockey and his relationship with his sister, Newhook was eager to see how Abby and the BC Eagles were doing in their game against Penn State on Oct. 15, where Abby went on to record a highlight-reel goal where she took a defender on one-versus-one took the puck from her backhand to her forehand and lifted her shot top shelf.

"It goes for her too, she's a top player on her team," Newhook said. "She's gone through a lot to get to where she's at. It's nice to have someone to talk to about it. Obviously, I went through her positions, being in college and playing at that level. It's nice to be a role model for her, but it goes both ways. I'm always cheering for her and I'll always be her biggest fan."
So for Newhook, it's special to see the Avalanche celebrating girls hockey with a designated night on Oct. 21 while the team takes on the Seattle Kraken and simultaneously honors the local youth girls hockey teams and continues to try to promote the growth of the sport.
Just in this past year alone and according to USA Hockey, the United States has received 22% female participation, while the state of Colorado has recorded 26%. Currently, there are 3,008 USA Hockey registered female hockey players in Colorado which has already doubled the output from last year alone.
"I think it's only going to grow more now," Newhook said. "I think people are recognizing that there's a lot of talent in the women's game. It's a fun game to watch. There's more and more skill and talent starting to come through especially with the state of the growth and support that the women are starting to get now. You're seeing more and more young girls get on the ice, it's great to see. And just for Abby to be a role model, especially back in our hometown is amazing."
The Newhooks aren't the only sibling duo playing hockey at an elite level, as the Avalanche also have J.T. Compher and his younger sister Jesse, 23, who is a current forward for Team USA's women's hockey team and represented them at this past year's 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and also played division l hockey at Boston University for four years and is currently playing at Wisconsin.
And while the Team Canada and Team USA rivalry runs deep - especially on the women's side - Newhook and Compher can both set nationalities aside - after some playful exchanges - in support of the bigger picture of just rooting for the growth of the sport in its entirety.
"Me and Compher obviously come from different sides of North America, but to see both of our sisters doing so well is so cool," Newhook said. "I had the chance to meet Jesse last year and she's awesome. It's nice to root for her as well despite the rivalry. It's just nice to root for women's hockey as a whole."