Gracious Granato

Coaches and athletic directors from the Bay State Conference and Tri-Valley League were treated to a rare opportunity last month. Called away from school on a dreary November day, they enjoyed lunch in a private suite at Gillette Stadium. But the highlight was clearly meeting two-time hockey Olympian Cammi Granato.

It was all part of a kickoff for a non-profit program called the “Young Women Leaders of Tomorrow." Its mission: To recognize female high school athletes in 22 Massachusetts communities who exhibit exemplary leadership, sportsmanship, athleticism and academic excellence. Athletes will be chosen from four sports: field hockey, ice hockey, basketball, and softball.

The reward is 66 $1,000 college scholarships –- one athlete per athletic season at each of the 22 schools that compete in the Bay State Conference and Tri-Valley League.

In addition to Granato, the program has an impressive advisory board. Rebecca Lobo, who led UConn to its first national title in 1995 and went onto play in the WNBA, is on the board, as well as field hockey stars Megan Donnelly and Dina Rizzo. Mary Pratt, a former baseball and softball player, also sits on the board.

Donnelly and Pratt attended last month’s kickoff luncheon in Foxborough, but it was Granato who was the keynote speaker. You would be hard-pressed to find a more impressive sports figure than Granato, who captained the US women’s ice hockey team to a gold medal in 1998 and a silver in 2002.

Those in attendance were treated to a short video presentation on Granato’s accomplishments. Even though most at the luncheon were already familiar with her story, it was compelling viewing, opening up with Granato carrying the US flag at the closing ceremonies of the ‘98 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

It detailed her childhood in a suburb just outside Chicago, where she learned to play hockey with her older brothers, and chronicled her path to becoming an Olympian. It started out as a bonding experience for the Granatos.

“Hockey for our family was everything. I played with the boys growing up,” said Granato, who started playing at the age of 5. “My brothers didn’t treat me any different. They’d beat up on me. The only rule was ‘Don’t tell mom.’”

Her mother would take her to the local rink for skating lessons, but Granato would stray away to watch the hockey practices. Like her brothers, she was a huge Chicago Blackhawks fan. Then, at the age of 8, she was captivated, along with the rest of the country, by the “Miracle on Ice” US men’s hockey team.

“That 1980 team had such a huge impact on me,” said Granato.

Women’s hockey was barely on the radar then. Most colleges did not offer it, and only on a club level if they did, not a varsity sport. Granato’s brothers would go on to play at Wisconsin. Her brother, Tony, had a long career in the NHL with the LA Kings, San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers.

Yet as Granato moved along in hockey, there were difficult times.

“I think I started facing obstacles around 11 or 12, but they were more off the ice,” said Granato. “I remember heading to games, and heading to the girls' bathroom to get ready by myself, while all my teammates got ready together.”

When Granato turned 13 and played on travel teams, she faced even greater challenges.

“There were times when I wasn’t so fortunate,” she said. “Other teams would take a run at me because they didn’t think a girl should be on the ice. Coaches would tell their team to hit the girl on the first shift, so my cousin would switch shirts with me. My cousin would have my number on his jersey. He looked like a scruffy-faced girl.

“One game, a boy came from the blind side and hit me,” added Granato. “I had a concussion. He later came and apologized. It turned out his dad told him to take a run at me. I couldn’t figure out why adults wouldn’t want me to play.”

Granato started to become disenchanted with having to play against the boys all the time. While her brothers would go on to play at Wisconsin, there were no women’s varsity programs at Big Ten schools in the late 1980s.

“It was just so unfortunate,” she said. “Here’s a sport that I absolutely love, and there doesn’t seem to be any opportunities for me.”

But back east, schools like Harvard, Providence, New Hampshire and Northeastern were ahead of the curve for women’s hockey. Granato’s parents left out a brochure from Providence College, and she knew it was what she wanted as soon as she saw it.”

“I knew I wanted to go to Providence and get a scholarship, which I did,” said Granato. “My parents didn’t have the heart to tell me it was a partial scholarship. They paid the rest and just let me believe that I had a full scholarship.”

While in Providence, she was a three-time ECAC Player of the Year, but the experience was much more than that.

“In college, I met other girls who had the same experience I had. That support is so crucial,” said Granato, who graduated in 1993. “My senior year, it was announced that hockey would be an Olympic sport.”

But 1998 was still five years away. Once again Granato’s parents stepped up, supporting their daughter as she trained for the Olympics. The team struggled to raise money and find sponsors the first time around.

In the end it was all worth it, though. Granato would go on to score the first US goal in Olympic history en route to leading the team to the gold. A mere eight years later, Granato now sees a different landscape. In addition to all of the teams in the northeast, schools like Wisconsin and Minnesota now have women’s varsity programs, with some schools building new facilities for the women’s team.

“I never thought that would happen this soon,” said Granato. “They have their own facilities, their own lockers to put their equipment. I remember when we were playing, we didn’t have lockers. We just had the hook on the wall to hang our bag.”

Granato is retired from the sport at the young age of 35. She has been doing commentary for NBC, including last winter’s Olympic coverage. She is also embarking on family life, having married former NHL All-Star Ray Ferraro.

She has managed to stay busy in retirement though, and was more than happy to lend her support to the Young Women Leaders of Tomorrow. The program was founded by Direct Federal Credit Union, located in Needham.

“We want to help young women develop leadership skills,” said Jean Geiwitz, Direct Federal’s senior vice president of marketing and operations. “We’re helping women become leaders, and giving them opportunities they wouldn’t have.

While assembling the advisory board for the Young Women Leaders of Tomorrow, Direct Federal Credit Union wanted to find local stars from basketball, field hockey, ice hockey, and softball. Lobo (Southwick), Rizzo (Walpole), Donnelly (Wilmington) and Pratt (Quincy) were all Massachusetts natives. It was Granato’s time at Providence, in addition to her years training in Walpole with her teammates for the Olympics, that made her an easy choice. Granato has been thankful for the opportunity.

“I think it’s important to recognize the qualities of teamwork,” said Granato. “This program deals with sports that really need the support. The scholarships go to the best leaders, it’s not necessarily about the best athletes.”

When Granato was done speaking, she took time to answer questions from the assembled coaches and athletics directors. She pondered each question carefully and gave heartfelt answers. She even posed for pictures when the event was over. She did all this despite being eight-months pregnant, although most in the crowd were unaware that she was that far along.

“I just wish there were programs like this when I was growing up,” said Granato. “It is so important for girls to see that they are appreciated.”