A Conversation with NWHL All-Star Game MVP, Kelley Steadman.

A Conversation with NWHL All-Star MVP (Kelley Steadman/Twitter)

“Over the years I’ve sacrificed a lot, along with my family … when I’m on the ice that’s where I have the most fun”

Kelley Steadman of the Buffalo Beauts is one of the players chosen to represent the National Women's Hockey League. So, what does she think about it?

“We all dreamed of the day that maybe we could play in the NHL, that’s what we were striving for, it was never really a possibility, or something we thought about, to have a women’s professional league to pay us to play the game that we love. I’m just very fortunate, very grateful everyday that we can have the opportunity to do this.”

Professional Experience

Although the NWHL is new, Steadman has played professional hockey in two other leagues, winning the Clarkson Cup with the Boston Blades and the European Women’s Champions Cup with HC Tornado Moscow. Steadman discussed the difference between the leagues, stating the style in play in Europe and North America as the biggest difference, second only to the fact that she was a paid professional in Europe.

“Over there, we were very well taken care of … we were pro athletes. We got paid like pro athletes and they treated us like pro athletes, which was cool.” Steadman conceded that the European style of play was more relaxed, and less intense than the North American style. As far as comparisons between the CWHL and the NWHL, Steadman focused on the fan support.

“The biggest difference that I have seen is in the fan backing. I know that for their All-Star game, they obviously had a lot more fans than we did, but I think day-to-day, regular season games, there’s just so much more buzz … more people are talking about it because I think people are excited in general that women are getting paid to play hockey. I think that’s such a new concept that it’s created a lot of buzz … obviously being paid to play is a big difference between the two.” With the league’s sharing a talent pool, it is understandable to wonder what will happen after the 2015-2016 season.

The Tale of Two Leagues

As Steadman mentioned, more fans were in attendance for the CWHL All-Star Game, that was played the day before Steadman and the NWHL All-Stars took the ice at the HarborCenter in Buffalo. The CWHL reported that 5,400 tickets were sold for event held at the Air Canada Center, home of the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs team. In comparison, the HarborCenter, the Buffalo Sabres practice facility welcomed a crowd of roughly 1,000, as reported by espnW.

On the future of the two leagues, Steadman felt that the best thing for women’s hockey is to have the best players playing against each other, “Until you combine the two leagues, you’re not going to have the absolute best players in the world playing against each other in regular season competition … down the line, at some point, that’s going to have to happen to have a league that’s comparable to the NHL.”

However, for now, Steadman is enjoying the opportunity to play, “You know, last year when I was released from the National Team, I thought that my career was kinda over and, it took me a couple of months to really be okay with that. Obviously, this opportunity came and I jumped right on it. I just think that the love of playing the game and wanting to grow the game kinda keeps it worth it for me to keep up the travel and all the other stuff.”

Multiple Commitments

The travel and other stuff Steadman is referring is her position as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Robert Morris University women’s program. The Beauts forward travels from Pittsburgh to Buffalo for practices and games. However, playing hockey while working with collegiate athletics gives her an additional opportunity to be an ambassador to the game.

“I’ve had a number of girls come up to me one-on-one and ask me for more details about [the NWHL]; how it works, how the process of getting signed to a team works, what our schedules are like as far as practice and that sort of thing … that’s another one of my favorite parts, is being able to share what I do, and what Bri our goalie does.” Brianne McLaughlin is Steadman’s teammate on the Beauts and a Robert Morris alumna.

Steadman continues, “it’s really cool to come back from a weekend and all the girls know if we won or if we lost … their support is amazing and it’s really cool to see them excited about not only our careers and what we’re doing, but to think that that’s something they can do in the future.”

Growing The Game

“I think that’s why we’re so committed to continuing to grow the game and get our games out there for people to see, because, you know, we want this to last for many, many, many, many years … we all wanna make sure that we continue to grow and get the things that we think we deserve.”

For her part, Steadman took over the Buffalo Beauts Twitter account en route to last week’s NWHL All-Star Game. Additionally, players in the league regularly participate in social media marketing for games and other community events. Fan interactions and accessibility of players is something the league is built on, and social media is a huge part of that strategy. Players sign autographs after every home game, participate in volunteer coaching, community service projects and other public appearances.

At an Thursday event, Commissioner Dani Rylan echoed, “It’s always been a huge part of our business plan to integrate the team into the community, because at the end of the day, the community is going to help us thrive as well.”

Leaving a Legacy

When asked what she hopes professional athletes who admired her growing up would say about her, Steadman remarked, “ … aside from the points and that stuff, if I’m fortunate enough to keep scoring and that sort of thing, I just think I would want them to think that I worked hard all of the time, and I was the hardest working player on the ice.”

Steadman will be back to work today as the Buffalo Beauts take on the New York Riveters at 3:30 p.m at the HarborCenter. The teams are currently tied at eight points. “We always have really good games against New York. They’re always hard fought and physical … it will be a good game and I think we’re all looking forward to it.”

Follow Erica Ayala on Twitter @ELindsay08