Members of the original Pittsburgh Pennies, established in 1972 as the city’s first women’s hockey team, were in the building on Sunday for the seventh annual Her Hockey Game presented by 84 Lumber – which recognized the incredible passion of women fans during the NHL’s Celebrating Women’s History Month. Seeing all of the support in the arena held a lot of weight.
“It means a lot to young girls in attendance,” said Patti Gaab, who was a part of that group, which was comprised of players aged 9 to 50 and competed in the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Hockey League across the Northeast and Canada.
“I remember going to games when I was young, and just to see that there’s all this support out there for them… it’s nice to see they’re backed and supported. Fun day for everybody.”
The game against the Rangers kicked off the Her Hockey Auction, which runs through 12 PM on March 10. Fans can text HERHOCKEY to 76278 or visit **herhockey.givesmart.com** to contribute. The auction features Her Hockey locker room nameplates, Penguins autographed memorabilia, female featured art and more, and all proceeds will support the new Pittsburgh Pennies Girls Hockey Program, established to increase the number of girls who play hockey and to promote gender equality in the sport.
The initiative aims to build upon the Penguins’ community hockey programming, ensuring sustainable growth and widespread adoption of girls’ hockey projects. It includes a nearly $300,000 investment over two seasons from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.
“The Pittsburgh Pennies program is all about building a network and building a community within girls’ hockey – and then, just the possibility, right?” said Shannon Webster, Penguins Senior Director of Youth Hockey. “Providing an opportunity for every girl that picks up a stick and making sure that they all feel welcome. The girls may play on different teams, but ultimately, everyone has the same goal, and that’s enjoying and loving the sport and sharing that passion.”
Girls’ hockey participation in Western Pennsylvania has increased 80% in the last 15 years, according to USA Hockey. Coming from a time when piecing together a single Pittsburgh Pennies roster was a challenge, seeing the massive growth in the area has been a delight for Gaab.
“I was one of the first people on the team organizing it, and it was a struggle,” Gaab said. “Trying to get money, we did fundraising… trying to get ice time, and getting enough girls to even play… it was a process that took a lot of time, we had no backing or support.
“I mean, we didn’t have anyone to play; we were playing boys’ teams. When we played girls’ teams, we had to go to Canada, Philadelphia, or New Jersey—wherever we could find teams and tournaments to play in. It’s nice seeing all the girls’ teams. It’s been fun… I want to go out and see some of them play.”
That process was one fueled by passion from Gaab and her teammates, to play the game they loved, which built a community.
“It was wonderful,” Gaab said. “It was a good team-building experience just doing it all together. Just seeing where we started from and where we ended up, it was impressive.”
Now, years later, Gaab and her crew were down at ice level at PPG Paints Arena in December for the skills clinic that officially launched this iteration of the Pittsburgh Pennies, before heading up to a suite on Sunday. Seeing the Pittsburgh Pennies legacy live on through such an initiative, centered around creating opportunities for girls to enjoy the sport, is a full-circle moment for Gaab and her former teammates, who at one point were their only advocates.
“I just feel proud and honored that I had some small part in girls playing hockey, from the past to the future,” Gaab said. “I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like 10 years from now.”
