Switzerland's Mirco Muller and Alina Muller illustrate how the World Juniors and top-level women's hockey are linked with family ties.
photo: Matt Zambonin, Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
Neither Jack Hughes nor Quinn Hughes would be set to shine at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship if it weren’t for a certain women’s hockey star.
Ellen Hughes, their mother, didn’t just play hockey, soccer, and lacrosse at the University of New Hampshire. The American defender also made the tournament all-star team at the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland.
“A lot of times my mom was there to drive me to the rink,” said Quinn, whose father Jack frequently travelled for work with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. “She’d watch my game and give her opinion. A lot of times, she’d be the one telling me, ‘Maybe this play, do that,’ or things like that. Obviously I respect her opinion. She knows the game.”
The Hughes clan is just one of many examples of how blood and marital ties link WJC participants and international women’s hockey.
Who else comes to mind from the United States? Many would quickly respond: “The Kessels!” After all, Phil Kessel of the Pittsburgh Penguins led the World Juniors in points (1-10-11) in 2006, the first time Vancouver co-hosted this tournament. And the two-time Stanley Cup champion’s sister Amanda Kessel won her first Olympic gold medal this year when the U.S. edged four-time defending champion Canada 3-2 in a shootout in PyeongChang.
Ellen Hughes, their mother, didn’t just play hockey, soccer, and lacrosse at the University of New Hampshire. The American defender also made the tournament all-star team at the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland.
“A lot of times my mom was there to drive me to the rink,” said Quinn, whose father Jack frequently travelled for work with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. “She’d watch my game and give her opinion. A lot of times, she’d be the one telling me, ‘Maybe this play, do that,’ or things like that. Obviously I respect her opinion. She knows the game.”
The Hughes clan is just one of many examples of how blood and marital ties link WJC participants and international women’s hockey.
Who else comes to mind from the United States? Many would quickly respond: “The Kessels!” After all, Phil Kessel of the Pittsburgh Penguins led the World Juniors in points (1-10-11) in 2006, the first time Vancouver co-hosted this tournament. And the two-time Stanley Cup champion’s sister Amanda Kessel won her first Olympic gold medal this year when the U.S. edged four-time defending champion Canada 3-2 in a shootout in PyeongChang.
But there’s more to “the Kessels” than that. Last year, defenceman Blake Kessel (Phil and Amanda’s brother), a 2009 World Junior participant in Ottawa, married Courtney Birchard (now Kessel). She played for the last Canadian team to win the Women’s Worlds in 2012. This season, Courtney, 29, became the head coach of the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL).
Looking further back, Tony Granato, a 773-game NHLer who played at the 1983 and 1984 World Juniors, is the brother of Cammi Granato, the U.S. women’s national team’s all-time leading scorer. Bobby Carpenter, who paced the U.S. with nine points at the 1981 World Juniors, is the father of Alex Carpenter, a four-time Women’s Worlds winner and 2014 Olympic silver medalist.
How about Canada, the host of the 2019 World Juniors in Vancouver and Victoria?
While your New Year’s Eve plans may involve watching the U20 Russia-Canada or U.S.-Finland showdowns, Jason Botterill and Jennifer Botterill will enjoy a special family summit in Buffalo, the site of last year’s World Juniors.
Jason made history as the only three-time World Junior gold medallist (1994-96). Jennifer – the only woman to win two Patty Kazmaier Memorial Awards as the top U.S. college player – captured three Olympic gold medals and five world titles between 1999 and 2010.
Jason was named the Sabres general manager in 2017, while Jennifer began providing colour commentary for New York Islanders broadcasts in November. And on December 31, they’ll be reunited when those NHL clubs battle at First Niagara Center.
Mike Johnston, the long-time GM and coach of the Portland Winterhawks, has an impressive IIHF resume in addition to his NHL years. That includes serving as an assistant coach with all three “Jason Botterill teams.” Johnston’s niece is two-time Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Johnston, currently vying for her second CWHL scoring crown with the Calgary Inferno.
For a 20th-century flashback, check out defenceman Gerald Diduck, who wore Canadian colours at the 1984 World Juniors. His sister Judy Diduck also played defence, winning four Women’s Worlds before earning silver at the inaugural 1998 Olympic women’s tournament in Nagano, Japan.
More recently, Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers captured gold at the 2015 World Juniors in Toronto, and his cousin Sarah Nurse walked away from PyeongChang with a silver medal.
European nations also boast intriguing connections between the World Juniors and the women’s game.
For Switzerland, let’s start with the Muller family. Defenceman Mirco Muller of the New Jersey Devils appeared at three straight World Juniors (2013-15) before winning a World Championship silver medal this year in Denmark. After his sister Alina Muller tied an Olympic record with four goals in an 8-0 romp over the host unified Korean team in February, Mirco amusingly tweeted: “That’s four more than I have all season.”
Alina was the youngest player ever (15) to win an Olympic hockey medal when Switzerland earned bronze in 2014. She led the 2018 Winter Games in scoring (7-3-10) en route to Best Forward honours. Now at Northeastern University, she’s the top first-year scorer among NCAA players.
Raphael Diaz’s long international resume – beyond his two Olympic participations and two World Championship silver medals – includes a pair of World Juniors. In fact, the ex-NHL defenceman captained Switzerland at his second WJC in 2006 in Vancouver. Now 32, Raphael is the younger brother of Daniela Diaz. She played forward at the 2006 Olympics and two Women’s Worlds before taking over as Switzerland’s head coach in 2015-16.
And one of Daniela Diaz’s 2018 Olympic players, defender Shannon Sigrist, is the twin of 19-year-old forward Justin Sigrist, who made his World Junior debut in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, Sweden offers an interesting – and very personal – example of how investing in the women’s game can pay off. Over the years, the Damkronorna have faced some difficult situations with their national Olympic committee. Prior to the 2002 Olympics, the committee considered not sending a team due to a lack of success, and in July this year, it cut the team’s funding.
However, Victor Rask, who won World Juniors gold in 2012 and Worlds gold in 2017, wanted to give his sister Fanny Rask the best shot at success. So the Carolina Hurricanes forward decided to provide Fanny, a two-time Olympian who plays for HV71, with enough financial support to help her focus on hockey full-time. Perhaps not coincidentally, she led Sweden with six points in PyeongChang.
“I think we need support from our clubs and from the federation so that we can focus on just playing hockey and not worry about our future,” said Fanny. “So we can just focus on getting better and have time to rest and not be stressing out about life itself.”
Another Swedish example is Toby Enstrom, a 2003 and 2004 World Juniors participant. Tina Enstrom, the sister of the long-time Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets defenceman, played centre with the Damkronorna’s last medal-winning World Women’s squad (bronze, 2007) and at the 2010 Olympics.
Neighbouring Finland’s record of such relationships is surprisingly sparse. Riikka Valila (nee Nieminen), the still-active 45-year-old IIHF Hall of Famer who led the 1998 Olympics in scoring, is married to Mika Valila. The centre played back-to-back World Juniors in 1989 and 1990, captaining the latter team, and would earn a Finnish championship with Jokerit in 1992.
At the 2018 Olympics, Finnish women’s captain Jenni Hiirikoski said of Riikka Valila: “She’s impressive. She’s a big idol for everyone here.”
Forward Sari Fisk, who played at three straight Olympics (1998, 2002, 2006) and got six Women’s Worlds bronze medals, is married to Lauri Marjamaki. He launched his World Junior coaching career as an assistant in 2010 before serving as head coach in 2011. Marjamaki, who led Finland at the 2018 Olympics, experienced his greatest senior success in 2014 as Erkka Westerlund’s assistant in Sochi (bronze) and the Worlds in Belarus (silver).
Denmark and Finland overlap interestingly when it comes to U20 IIHF play and women’s hockey. Longtime Finnish star Michelle Karvinen, who led the 2014 Olympics with five goals and seven points, was born in the Danish hockey hotbed of Rodovre. Her older brother Jannik represented this emerging hockey nation at three U20 World Championship Division I (2004-06).
“I started [playing hockey] because I wanted to be like my big brother,” said Michelle Karvinen. “He has always been a role model for me, not just as a hockey player, but also how he is as a person. He is my best friend and we still train together every summer.”
Meanwhile, top Danish goalie Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs backstopped his country in its 2008 top-division WJC debut. His sister Amalie, just 19, has already suited up for Denmark at four U18 World Championship Division I tournaments, plus the last Olympic qualifiers.
In 2015, Frederik tweeted: “Congrats to my sister on being selected to the Denmark women’s national team roster #proudbrother #hockeyfamily.”
Slovakia has only two WJC bronze medals (1999 and 2015) and currently sits 18th in the Women’s World Rankings. However, it boasts a cool brother-sister connection. Tomas Jurco, who cracked 200 career NHL games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, played two World Juniors (2011, 2012), and the highlight of his older sister Petra Jurcova’s long international career was the 2010 Olympics.
Looking further back, Tony Granato, a 773-game NHLer who played at the 1983 and 1984 World Juniors, is the brother of Cammi Granato, the U.S. women’s national team’s all-time leading scorer. Bobby Carpenter, who paced the U.S. with nine points at the 1981 World Juniors, is the father of Alex Carpenter, a four-time Women’s Worlds winner and 2014 Olympic silver medalist.
How about Canada, the host of the 2019 World Juniors in Vancouver and Victoria?
While your New Year’s Eve plans may involve watching the U20 Russia-Canada or U.S.-Finland showdowns, Jason Botterill and Jennifer Botterill will enjoy a special family summit in Buffalo, the site of last year’s World Juniors.
Jason made history as the only three-time World Junior gold medallist (1994-96). Jennifer – the only woman to win two Patty Kazmaier Memorial Awards as the top U.S. college player – captured three Olympic gold medals and five world titles between 1999 and 2010.
Jason was named the Sabres general manager in 2017, while Jennifer began providing colour commentary for New York Islanders broadcasts in November. And on December 31, they’ll be reunited when those NHL clubs battle at First Niagara Center.
Mike Johnston, the long-time GM and coach of the Portland Winterhawks, has an impressive IIHF resume in addition to his NHL years. That includes serving as an assistant coach with all three “Jason Botterill teams.” Johnston’s niece is two-time Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Johnston, currently vying for her second CWHL scoring crown with the Calgary Inferno.
For a 20th-century flashback, check out defenceman Gerald Diduck, who wore Canadian colours at the 1984 World Juniors. His sister Judy Diduck also played defence, winning four Women’s Worlds before earning silver at the inaugural 1998 Olympic women’s tournament in Nagano, Japan.
More recently, Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers captured gold at the 2015 World Juniors in Toronto, and his cousin Sarah Nurse walked away from PyeongChang with a silver medal.
European nations also boast intriguing connections between the World Juniors and the women’s game.
For Switzerland, let’s start with the Muller family. Defenceman Mirco Muller of the New Jersey Devils appeared at three straight World Juniors (2013-15) before winning a World Championship silver medal this year in Denmark. After his sister Alina Muller tied an Olympic record with four goals in an 8-0 romp over the host unified Korean team in February, Mirco amusingly tweeted: “That’s four more than I have all season.”
Alina was the youngest player ever (15) to win an Olympic hockey medal when Switzerland earned bronze in 2014. She led the 2018 Winter Games in scoring (7-3-10) en route to Best Forward honours. Now at Northeastern University, she’s the top first-year scorer among NCAA players.
Raphael Diaz’s long international resume – beyond his two Olympic participations and two World Championship silver medals – includes a pair of World Juniors. In fact, the ex-NHL defenceman captained Switzerland at his second WJC in 2006 in Vancouver. Now 32, Raphael is the younger brother of Daniela Diaz. She played forward at the 2006 Olympics and two Women’s Worlds before taking over as Switzerland’s head coach in 2015-16.
And one of Daniela Diaz’s 2018 Olympic players, defender Shannon Sigrist, is the twin of 19-year-old forward Justin Sigrist, who made his World Junior debut in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, Sweden offers an interesting – and very personal – example of how investing in the women’s game can pay off. Over the years, the Damkronorna have faced some difficult situations with their national Olympic committee. Prior to the 2002 Olympics, the committee considered not sending a team due to a lack of success, and in July this year, it cut the team’s funding.
However, Victor Rask, who won World Juniors gold in 2012 and Worlds gold in 2017, wanted to give his sister Fanny Rask the best shot at success. So the Carolina Hurricanes forward decided to provide Fanny, a two-time Olympian who plays for HV71, with enough financial support to help her focus on hockey full-time. Perhaps not coincidentally, she led Sweden with six points in PyeongChang.
“I think we need support from our clubs and from the federation so that we can focus on just playing hockey and not worry about our future,” said Fanny. “So we can just focus on getting better and have time to rest and not be stressing out about life itself.”
Another Swedish example is Toby Enstrom, a 2003 and 2004 World Juniors participant. Tina Enstrom, the sister of the long-time Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets defenceman, played centre with the Damkronorna’s last medal-winning World Women’s squad (bronze, 2007) and at the 2010 Olympics.
Neighbouring Finland’s record of such relationships is surprisingly sparse. Riikka Valila (nee Nieminen), the still-active 45-year-old IIHF Hall of Famer who led the 1998 Olympics in scoring, is married to Mika Valila. The centre played back-to-back World Juniors in 1989 and 1990, captaining the latter team, and would earn a Finnish championship with Jokerit in 1992.
At the 2018 Olympics, Finnish women’s captain Jenni Hiirikoski said of Riikka Valila: “She’s impressive. She’s a big idol for everyone here.”
Forward Sari Fisk, who played at three straight Olympics (1998, 2002, 2006) and got six Women’s Worlds bronze medals, is married to Lauri Marjamaki. He launched his World Junior coaching career as an assistant in 2010 before serving as head coach in 2011. Marjamaki, who led Finland at the 2018 Olympics, experienced his greatest senior success in 2014 as Erkka Westerlund’s assistant in Sochi (bronze) and the Worlds in Belarus (silver).
Denmark and Finland overlap interestingly when it comes to U20 IIHF play and women’s hockey. Longtime Finnish star Michelle Karvinen, who led the 2014 Olympics with five goals and seven points, was born in the Danish hockey hotbed of Rodovre. Her older brother Jannik represented this emerging hockey nation at three U20 World Championship Division I (2004-06).
“I started [playing hockey] because I wanted to be like my big brother,” said Michelle Karvinen. “He has always been a role model for me, not just as a hockey player, but also how he is as a person. He is my best friend and we still train together every summer.”
Meanwhile, top Danish goalie Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs backstopped his country in its 2008 top-division WJC debut. His sister Amalie, just 19, has already suited up for Denmark at four U18 World Championship Division I tournaments, plus the last Olympic qualifiers.
In 2015, Frederik tweeted: “Congrats to my sister on being selected to the Denmark women’s national team roster #proudbrother #hockeyfamily.”
Slovakia has only two WJC bronze medals (1999 and 2015) and currently sits 18th in the Women’s World Rankings. However, it boasts a cool brother-sister connection. Tomas Jurco, who cracked 200 career NHL games last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, played two World Juniors (2011, 2012), and the highlight of his older sister Petra Jurcova’s long international career was the 2010 Olympics.
Hockey sisters Tanja and Nicola Eisenschmid after winning Division I gold in 2016.
photo: Jan Korsgaard
Also, Germany’s Markus Eisenschmid, a 2018 IIHF World Championship debutant, knows the meaning of “double trouble.” The Adler Mannheim forward played two World Juniors in 2014 and 2015, wearing the “C” the second time. And his two sisters, Tanja and Nicola Eisenschmid, have both worn German uniforms at the top level. Tanja cracked the 2014 Olympic team, and Nicola joined Tanja for the latter’s fourth Women’s Worlds in 2017.
The German World Junior team has just earned promotion to the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. The German women’s national team, which achieved a surprising fourth-place finish at the 2017 Women’s Worlds, will aim to stay hot at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland in April.
Naturally, both the World Junior players and women’s hockey players are defined primarily by their own achievements, not by their relationships to one another. Still, as we thrill to the 2019 World Juniors and gear up for the 2019 Women’s Worlds, it’s a great reminder that we’re all in this together as a global hockey family.
The German World Junior team has just earned promotion to the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. The German women’s national team, which achieved a surprising fourth-place finish at the 2017 Women’s Worlds, will aim to stay hot at the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland in April.
Naturally, both the World Junior players and women’s hockey players are defined primarily by their own achievements, not by their relationships to one another. Still, as we thrill to the 2019 World Juniors and gear up for the 2019 Women’s Worlds, it’s a great reminder that we’re all in this together as a global hockey family.