b y J E S S I P I E R C E
RISING
THE WHITECAPS
ARE SURGING
INTO A NEW
ERA OF PRO
WOMEN'S
HOCKEY
ATALIE SNODGRASS, like so many girls' hockey
players, grew up idolizing Winny Brodt-Brown. The
first-ever Minnesota Ms. Hockey Award winner in
1996, Brodt-Brown was an icon thanks to her distin-
guished playing career at Roseville, the University of
Minnesota, and Team USA.
Brodt-Brown continued her transcendence, play-
ing for 12 seasons with the Minnesota Whitecaps, in
the Western Women's Hockey League (2004-11), as
an independent squad, and in the National Women's
Hockey League (2018-21), which is now the Premier
Hockey Federation (2021-22). After closing the big
book on her playing career last year, there is no ques-
tion Brodt-Brown is a gigantic figure in the growth of
girls' and women's hockey throughout the U.S.
"She's the holy grail," said Snodgrass, one of the newest members of
the team. "I always said that we would be teammates one day, which
would be so silly. Unfortunately, she retired just a year too early.
"But I think it's incredible to be able to play professional hockey in
Minnesota and come back to my roots, and the legacy that Winny and
her family created. Her time and efforts have been so noticeable and
I'm sure proud to be a part of it."
J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M
19
Photo / Sam Silver
