Kings Hockey Ops Advisor Manon Rheaume talks upcoming Rivalry Series in LA

Two days without game is a rare break in the LA Kings schedule this season, but that’s exactly what we’ll have on coming up early next week. Despite the gap in the NHL schedule, there will be no shortage of hockey at Crypto.com Arena, with the top international woman’s players in the world set to converge on Los Angeles as the Rivalry Series heads West for the first time since 2020.

On Monday, December 19, the United States and Canada will square off in what soccer would deem a “friendly”, though the on-ice game is typically anything but when these two teams meet.

“A lot of the players are friends off the ice, but when you get on the ice, you’d think it’s full-on bodychecking because of how the rivalry is,” Manon Rheaume, LA Kings Hockey Operations/Prospect Advisor, and former Canadian National Team player, said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch.”

When the teams met in Anaheim two years prior, it was a huge moment to bring this level of hockey to the West Coast. The current professional league, the PHF, is typically based in markets on the East Coast, meaning that the elite, women’s players rarely play here in California. That changed in February 2020, as a large crowd watched the United States defeat Canada by a 4-3 final in overtime, with a great atmosphere at Honda Center for the game.

For a sport that is growing and growing quickly, having the opportunity to see these athletes in person is something that Rheaume feels is an important part of the process.

“It’s important for growing the game,” she said. “Girls hockey has been one of the fastest growing segments of USA Hockey and part of growing the game with younger girls is to have access to those players, when you see it you believe it. Having that game here I think is going to be important for those girls and not just for the girls. Every time my son watches the Canada – USA women’s game, he’s interested in watching because it’s such a great rivalry. The last Olympics, they had a record number of viewers in the US, people are interested in women’s hockey.”

The USA / Canada rivalry in women’s hockey has given younger players, such as those with the LA Lions, who practice out of Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, idols to grow up looking at. Having an Olympic medalist like Megan Bozak run a camp here over the summer reaffirmed that.

In many ways seeing is believing. When Rheaume was growing up in Quebec, she was playing youth hockey with boys, instead of in a fully-fledged girls’ program. Her idol was Dan Bouchard, who was the goaltender for the Quebec Nordiques, because there was no woman’s national team and no female idol to look up to.

Rheaume was part of the crop of players who changed that, as a part of the second-ever IIHF World Championships in 1992. For those up and coming players, having a game like this would have been something special to take in and she’s hopeful that it can be exactly that for those here in California.

“That would have been amazing, to have had the chance to do this when I was younger,” she said. “Having the chance for those young girls to have a female to look up to, feel like they’re not alone and hear their story, it’s great. They all have different stories and I think a lot of girls can relate to them, it’s inspiring. That’s why it’s important to have that access.”

Among those in action in the red, white and blue will be Team USA captain Kendall Coyne-Schofield, along with forward Hilary Knight, who set the all-time scoring record at the Women’s World Championships back in September. Joining the team for this game will be defenseman Cayla Barnes, a two-time Olympic medalist who was born in Eastvale, California and grew up playing youth hockey in the Los Angeles area at the 12U and 14U levels.

Rheaume had the opportunity to coach Coyne-Schofield as a youth player and recalled her tremendous work ethic, even at a young age, as something that would take her far not only in hockey but in life.

“I got the chance to coach her when she was 12 years old and I remember her walking into the rink and she was tiny, but I was so impressed by her and I knew even at that age that she would go far, not just in hockey but in life because she was so driven,” Rheaume said. “She was the best player on my team, but she was the hardest worker too.”

With Team Canada, naturally the story always centers around Marie-Philip Poulin, who was recently the first female hockey player to win Canada’s Athlete of the Year Award. Poulin has scored three golden goals at international tournaments throughout her career and is a focal point whenever she’s on the ice. Along with Canada’s number-one netminder, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Rheaume highlighted the pair as standouts for Team Canada.

“Marie-Filip Poulin always finds a way to score the key goals,” Rheaume said. “Every Olympics, World Championships, if she doesn’t score, she’s got an assist, because she’s just that kind of player, she’s the best Canadian player right now. Ann-Renée Desbiens in net gave nightmares to the US players in the last game at the World Championships, she’s a very solid goaltender especially when it comes to a big game.”

Expect to see all of the above when the teams take the ice on Monday.

A game that will hopefully go a long way when it comes to growing the game here in Southern California.

“It’s really important and it’s really cool for those young girls to see the best women’s hockey players,” Rheaume added.” Just for hockey fans in general, the Canada/USA women’s game is one of the best rivalries in sports. It’s always a close game, it’s always been those two teams, you never know who is going to win no matter who has the best record going in, it can change and you’re never disappointed. Every time those teams play each other, they go at each other.”

For tickets to the Rivalry Series, visit lakings.com/rivalryseries.

The Captain Kendall Coyne Schofield talks with Fausty about the rivalry series 👀#GoKingsGo | @LAKings | @alex_faust pic.twitter.com/cTwOdHtkt2

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) November 20, 2022

Kings are on the ice right now in Boston, with practice beginning at 12:30 Eastern. Full coverge from today’s practice to follow from TD Garden. The NHL-leading Bruins are on the schedule tomorrow, a massive test to conclude the roadtrip.