STAMFORD, Conn. – Goalie Jaime Leonoff stood in the Connecticut Whale locker room, her hair drenched in sweat and the newly sewn logo on her jersey scuffed up with black streaks from flying pucks.

The 22-year-old Montreal native had experienced cheers and victories before as a goalie for Yale and for national teams. But on Sunday afternoon at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Conn., she experienced them for the first time as a paid professional hockey player.

“It’s honestly a dream come true. Because never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this,” said Leonoff, who made 35 saves in the Whale’s 4-1 win over the New York Riveters in the first ever National Women’s Hockey League game.

“As a kid, you think about playing in the NHL. As you get older, you kind of realize that it doesn’t exist for women.”

Now it does.

The NWHL opened with its four teams – the Whale vs. the Riveters, and the Boston Pride at the Buffalo Beauts – in action, playing fast-paced games in front of the rapt attention of hockey fans that have waited a lifetime to see women earn a salary in a pro hockey league, and young girls that suddenly have a slew of role models to aspire to emulate.

“They sold over 800 tickets, and you had people screaming at the girls on the ice,” said Leonoff. “It’s what every girl dreams of. Every. Hockey. Girl.”

GRAND OPENING

There was a large line outside the rink before the afternoon game, as fans waited for their chance to witness history. The capacity wasn’t enormous – it’s a high-school hockey-sized arena – but the anticipation was.

“It was awesome. The atmosphere was amazing, because everyone came here excited. We all fed off that,” said forward Kelly Babstock, who scored the Whale’s fourth goal.

That was evident when the Whale left their locker room and skated onto the ice, the piercing screams of young girls in the stands acting as their soundtrack. The Riveters followed, getting their own ovation from the faithful who trekked up from New York for the game.

“I don’t know about you guys, but …” Whale forward Shiann Darkangelo said, indicating she had goosebumps. “It was so cool seeing all of those young girls at the game, knowing they have role models now.”

Right away, the League distinguished itself by its uniforms. There were the green and blue Whale, evoking the Hartford Whalers in look and name.

“Oh, yeah, these colors,” Leonoff said. “We have the best jerseys, the best fans, the best facilities. I don’t know why everyone doesn’t want to play with us.”

There was the “Rosy The Riveter” inspired crest on the New York jerseys. There were the flags on the shoulders, signifying the countries of origin for the NWHL’s players. (Nana Fujimoto’s Japanese flag was evident and awesome for New York.)

Then there were the nameplates on the jerseys, which weren’t found between the shoulders, but rather near the waist.

Why? So the long hair of the players flapping behind their helmets didn't cover their names.

“That’s what’s really fun about this league. We can be fun. We can be creative and different,” said Dani Rylan, the founder of the NWHL who doubles as the Riveters’ general manager.

“I just need the players to not tuck their jerseys in.”

Rylan dropped the ceremonial first puck for the game, and literally never stopped moving the rest of the day. She met with league officials, with fans. She studied the League’s live stream video to ensure the free service worked without a hitch. She did an NHL Network Radio interview in the middle of a staff meeting.

“I was thinking about Dani before the game,” said Whale GM Harry Rosenholtz. “It’s her brainchild. She put so much energy, so much effort into this. So I was really happy for her.”

For Rylan, the effort paid off on opening day.

“The product on the ice was exactly what we wanted. It was a professional hockey game. The home team won, so that made it even better,” she said.

“If this was someone’s first women’s hockey game, I guarantee you it’s not going to be their last.”

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