USA Hockey Adult Hockey

The Women’s Hockey Association of Minnesota (WHAM) is the largest recreational league of its kind in the country. In the State of Hockey, girls grow up on the rink or pond right alongside the boys. So it should come as no surprise that a women’s recreational team from Minnesota, the McGoverns, claimed the 2015 Toyota-USA Hockey National Championship for the women’s senior A division.

USA Hockey caught up with Winny Brown – a former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, two-time IIHF women’s worlds medalist and current McGoverns skater – to chat about her team’s success and the state of women’s recreational hockey in Minnesota and across the U.S.

USA Hockey: Congratulations on your national championship. Tell us a little bit about the Minnesota McGoverns and WHAM?

Winny (Brodt) Brown: What’s nice about the WHAM and the USA Hockey Women’s Senior League is it gives an opportunity for the young girls coming out of college to continue playing. I think our whole team was pretty much all Division I kids. I think we had a couple that had just won a college national championship a couple years ago, Bethany Brausen (’14) and Becky Kortum (’13). It’s just nice that those young girls get to play with players like myself, who I’m a mom of two kids now. It fills the gap for both types of players.

During the year we just play on Sundays. That way it doesn’t interfere with people’s work and their full-time jobs, which is also nice.

USA Hockey: It must be nice seeing everyone come together and still enjoy the sport on a competitive level.

Winny (Brodt) Brown: Yeah, especially being competitive. Growing up your whole life and playing through college, you’re pretty competitive. There’s not very many outlets to be able to play in competitions like that. It makes it fun for all ages.

USA Hockey: How would you describe the women’s league culture in Minnesota?

Winny (Brodt) Brown: I’d describe it as a competitive culture but also fun. It’s where a bunch of people have been playing with each other over the years and against each other. It’s kind of fun to be on the other side where you might have played against these people your whole life and now you’re teammates. That’s probably the neatest thing.

USA Hockey: Now your team, the McGoverns, is that mostly local Twin Cities players?

Winny (Brodt) Brown: Yeah, we’ve been around for 20 years or so. It started with my mom – right now she’s 68. She’s been playing in the WHAM league since probably her 20s when she just started playing hockey. Now she’s still currently playing.

USA Hockey: That’s incredible.

Winny (Brodt) Brown: Yeah, we used to have a state tournament, but I think with how busy people are, it’s just kind of too hard. It’s also about trying to find people that are able to travel for three or four days and get off work. That’s the hardest thing about it trying to be recreational yet competitive at the same time.

USA Hockey: Having a league like WHAM and other women’s rec hockey in Minnesota is a nod to the state’s passion.

Winny (Brodt) Brown: Oh absolutely and I think there’s a need for it. I hope that it will grow and that girls know that it’s an opportunity that they can play after they’re done playing college or high school. I know that when I was done playing at the University of Minnesota, 15 years ago or so, people were like, “Where are you going to play now?” And I said, “I’m going to play in the WHAM league,” just because my mom and older sister played in it. There are a lot of girls out there that didn’t know it was an opportunity. Hopefully more girls and women know about it because of us.

USA Hockey: What’s your impression of the adult women’s hockey culture overall in the U.S.?

Winny (Brodt) Brown: I think it’s still growing. Especially in the women’s division, in my age group – I’m 37 now – a lot of those girls weren’t playing back then. Slowly it’s been growing at the lower levels, but I’d like to see it growing at the higher levels. I want the girls to stay in the game. I’ve seen the number of girls and women just starting hockey grow, which is awesome, but it’s also about getting the girls that have played their whole lives to continue to do so. On a national level, I think that we can still grow even more.