“Wherever you go, go with all your heart" The Journey of Janine Weber
Janine Weber (#12) against the Boston Pride (Luis Sanchez/MyWSports)
Janine Weber grew up in Innsbruck, Austria and fell in love with the game of hockey as a six year old. Her journey to professional hockey is unlike any other player in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL). Earlier this summer, Weber inked a free agent contract to stick with the New York Riveters for a second straight season. Last year, Weber made headlines after being the first player to sign a contract in NWHL history. Janine was coming off an impressive rookie campaign with the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). In fact, Weber scored the game winning goal in overtime to lift the Blades to victory in the 2015 Clarkson Cup championship.
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart" ~Confucius
Since coming over from Austria to pursue graduate studies in Education at Providence College, Janine’s hockey career has taken off. From playing for the Friars with one year of eligibility, to getting drafted in the CWHL, to signing the first-ever contract in the NWHL, it all started with a dream that she never gave up on. It's no surprise the quote above is one of her favorites of all time.
Growing up in Austria
Weber with EWHL, Vienna Sabres (Photo: Patrick Juricek)
Growing up in a nation where women’s hockey didn’t exist, aspirations of playing professionally were farfetched. When Janine started playing there weren’t programs for girls, undeterred she decided to play on a boys' team in her hometown. “When I first started, there was one other girl in the organization, but for a while I felt like I was the only one…When I got older some teams would have one girl on their team every once in awhile, but not [often]” That trend continued until more girls programs were formed, due to the growth of hockey in Austria.
“I knew I couldn’t play with the boys any longer and I wanted to keep playing, so I started playing for a team two hours away and I trained there every Friday and came back on Sunday to go to school again, so I really just loved playing a lot and I wasn’t ready to give up playing”
Janine not only loved to play, but excelled at the sport as well. As she grew older, her skills developed, her skating improved, and most importantly, she increased her knowledge of the game. Weber quickly became one of the best players in her country, so when Austria fielded its first under-18 national team, Weber was a standout.
In 2008, Janine played in her first World Championships, and continued to play on the National Team until 2013. As a member of the Austrian National program, Janine accumulated 90 points on 61 goals and 29 assists. After graduation from Reithmann Gymnasium in 2009, Weber competed with the Vienna Sabres of the Elite Women’s Hockey League (EWHL), while also pursuing undergraduate studies in Education. During her tenure with the Sabres, Weber led the team to two championships and one bronze finish. In 83 games, she would notch 182 points, on 111 goals and 71 assists before coming to the U.S to attend Providence College.
“Now in Austria, it’s different--we have more girls teams, we have a national team now, players playing in the U.S, Finland and Sweden. I am glad that changes the goals of girls playing now”
A Trip Across the Pond to Providence
Janine played for Providence College for one season (Photo: Janine Weber)
In 2013, Janine was accepted into Providence College to pursue her masters in Education. While at Providence, Weber was able to suit up for the hockey program for one full season of collegiate hockey. After traveling from Austria to Providence, Janine had realized the opportunity she worked so hard for was a “dream come true!”
For the 2013-14 season, Weber finished seventh in points and fifth in goals scored for the Friars. She also notched the game-winning overtime goal in the 19th annual Mayor’s Cup against Brown University, a rivalry game for the two Providence-based programs. That season, Providence finished seventh in the Hockey East and qualified for the conference tournament. Although they would fall, 3-2, to eventual tournament champions Boston University, the experience was everlasting for Weber. Janine graduated in 2014 and found herself looking to continue playing hockey after college.
The Boston Blades Select…
Weber played one season with the CWHL Boston Blades after being drafted in 2014
In 2014, Weber applied to be apart of the CWHL draft. In August, the Boston Blades ,with the 41st overall pick, drafted Janine in the ninth round. On November 15, 2014, Weber made her CWHL debut for the Blades and notched her first career goal in a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Furies. Over the course of the season, she played in 20 games and finished the season with 11 points. Playing with her college roommate and fellow rookie, Corinne Buie, on the third line for the Blades, Janine experienced the biggest moment in her career in the 2015 Clarkson Cup Championship.
Tied at the end of regulation between the Montreal Stars and the Blades, the game moved into overtime. About three minutes in, the third line delivered, forcing a turnover at center ice. Buie would find Weber, as they often did in college, and Janine converted on the biggest stage.
“I felt like in the moment, I didn’t realize what happened… It felt like I scored a goal but I didn’t realize it was overtime of the Clarkson Cup. So it took a while to realize what happened.”
Growing up, Weber wanted to play hockey, and in doing so knew the journey would not be an easy one. This moment proved that the sacrifices and hard work was all worth it. Following the Clarkson Cup finals, Weber was told the Hockey Hall of Fame had requested to put her stick on display. Although thrilled about the opportunity, if Weber gave up her stick, it would have left her with only one, and that one was broken. So the team took to social media behind another college and Blades teammate, Laura Veharanta, for support. The plan worked and the sports company STX sent Weber some gear, including some gloves and a few new sticks, for the Clarkson Cup hero.
Hockey was more than just a sport for Janine, she also built some unbreakable bonds with players all over the world. “I really learned a lot of hockey that year, playing with some really amazing players.” Janine would play one year in the CWHL before moving to the newly formed National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL).
NWHL Inaugural season
Janine Weber became the first player ever to sign an NWHL contract (Luis Sanchez/MyWSports)
The summer of 2015 was an exciting one for Weber. Following her performance in the CWHL Clarkson Cup, Janine had offers to play overseas in Sweden and was also offered a contract to play for the New York Riveters in the inaugural NWHL season. Already use to making history, Weber became the first player to sign a contract in NWHL history, thus placing her in the record books. “It was exciting and cool to know I would be part of history with this first season. At that point I was the only player to sign, so I was hoping a lot of others players would join [laughs]… I think everyone that played in that first season is a huge part of the history that was made.” Janine became the first of 72 players to sign a contract for the season.
The Austrian forward played in 18 games for the Riveters, earning nine points on three goals and six assists. Janine also played in both playoff games, which the team lost against the eventual Isobel Cup champion, Boston Pride in a best of three series. “We had some really good players and never gave up. After the semifinal loss to Boston we knew that we had given what we could, we had given our best. Sometimes it makes it a little bit easier to know that you really tried.” Following the loss the Riveters began planning for the following season.
Re-signing with New York Riveters
Weber is looking forward to another season with New York (Luis Sanchez/MyWSports)
On May 18, 2016, Janine signed a contract to return to the New York Riveters for a second season. Although she would take a pay cut to remain with the team, Weber understood the significance of what the franchise was trying to accomplish. “I was definitely excited, players like Amanda Kessell and we got some other players from the [Connecticut] Whale like Kaleigh Fratkin, who I played with on the [Boston] Blades. I’m excited for the season.” New York went out during free agency and made their team better, and returning players like Weber have taken notice. “We want to make it to the Isobel Cup finals this year!”
Looking Forward
Weber continues to play for Team Austria (Photo: IIHF)
Weber, like most players, enjoyed the experience that year one had to offer for players and fans alike. “I think one of the biggest parts about re-signing was seeing how people responded to the league. How many people we would meet after the games in our autograph lines… we had people coming from Australia, England and all over the U.S. just to see our games.” Weber knew her role was more than just playing hockey. As she continued to perform on the highest level, she was also representing her country as the first professional women’s player.
“Something I really like seeing is boys walking around in our jerseys and t-shirts and last year when I went to the rink to work out on off days, I would see little boys going to their hockey practice wearing Riveters hats… I think that was really cool to see, that we are not only role models for girls, but [also] for boys who come to our games.”
Weber’s performance speaks for itself, and her awareness of her role in growing of the game is inspirational. She takes an enormous amount of pride in playing the game, and is a huge proponent of making sure hockey reaches anyone and everyone. As the second season approaches, follow Weber and the Riveters in their quest for a franchise-first Isobel Cup.
Weber began playing hockey at the age of six, in her hometown of Innsbruck, Austria. Her passion and drive continue to allow her to achieve these amazing accomplishments, but it all started with a dream to play hockey. When asked, “what she would say to someone who calls her a women’s hockey player” Weber responded, “I wouldn’t call myself a women’s hockey player. I’m a hockey player!”
