James' Hall of Fame career celebrated at Player Inclusion Coalition girls hockey clinic

TORONTO -- Erika Kinsey was in Grade 5 at a Toronto-area school when her class was given an assignment to write about, in her words, "a big person in history."

Her choice: Hockey Hall of Famer Angela James.

The connections? Both are female. Both are people of color. And both are connected by the sport of hockey.

"I thought that Angela James would be a good person because of how much she changed everything for women in sports," Kinsey said. "I remember hearing, even from my dad, that she was the Wayne Gretzky of women's sport. That was a big thing."

Fast-forward to Monday, when Kinsey and 24 other elite girls hockey players from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) were on the ice with James and a number of other celebrities for a unique skills clinic at Coca-Cola Coliseum in downtown Toronto.

For Kinsey and her peers, all girls of color, the opportunity to spend a few hours around James, former United States Olympic star Meghan Duggan, who is now the director of player development with the New Jersey Devils, and former NHL players Anthony Stewart and Anson Carter, was a dream come true, a concept that many thought might be unrealistic years ago.

"To be out there with (James), it was really, really exciting,” said Kinsey, now 14 years old. "And it's amazing just seeing all the girls come out, different races, different ages, and everyone just hanging out and coming out and playing together."

Yet another example of how far the sport has come.

Just ask James.

The event was held in collaboration with the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition to celebrate James' continued efforts to grow the game. Once the clinic was over, the girls boarded a bus to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where James-related artifacts were on display. They also will be at Scotiabank Area to watch the game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, CHSN).

The 60-year-old James is considered one of the first superstars of modern women's hockey. She helped Canada win the gold medal four times at the IIHF World Women's Championship (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997), and the Toronto native was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in 2008 and was one of the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.

Now all these years later, James finds herself in disbelief at how inclusive the game is.

"When Anson and Stewart allowed me to talk to the girls and I'm looking at them, I'm thinking to myself, 'Never in my life would I have imagined that all of these girls with diverse backgrounds would be standing in front of me on the ice like that,'" James said. "And they're all so talented."

When informed that girls such as Kinsey would do school projects on her influence, she shook her head.

"I don't think I'd have ever imagined it," she said. "I have kids to keep me humble. Besides, growing up there weren't a lot of people around to give you confidence in this world, never mind where you belong.

"So, to have a beautiful session like today and to know someone wants to know about your lifestyle and your influences and that you inspire them, it's just so special."

Carter, a member of the Player Inclusion Coalition, couldn't agree more.

"When you think about our group, the inclusion and the diversity, it's not just about black, white, brown," he said. "It's girls. It's boys. It doesn't matter about your sexuality. It's about making the game as inclusive as possible, and to see all the girls of color out here, it's amazing.

"Now it's all our jobs to keep it going."