Angela James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids -- Angela James -- OC
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2010
James at Seneca College, c. 1983
Born	(1964-12-22) December 22, 1964 (age 60) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position	Centre / Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	Seneca College North York Aeros Toronto Red Wings Newtonbrook Panthers Beatrice Aeros
National team	Canada
Playing career	1980–2000

Angela James OC (born December 22, 1964) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. She played at the highest levels of senior hockey from 1980 to 2000. Angela was a key player in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (COWHL) and later in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). She was named her league's most valuable player six times.

Angela James also played for Team Canada. She played in the first official IIHF World Women's Championship in 1990. She set a scoring record with 11 goals and helped Canada win the gold medal. She won three more gold medals at world championships in 1992, 1994, and 1997.

Many consider Angela James the first superstar of modern women's ice hockey. She has been honored in many halls of fame. She was one of the first three women in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. She was also one of the first two women in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2009, she joined Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2021, she was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada.

As of 2022, Angela James is a co-owner and General Manager for the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation. She also works as the Senior Sports Coordinator at Seneca College in Toronto.

Early Life and Hockey Beginnings

Angela James was born in Toronto, Ontario, on December 22, 1964. Her mother, Donna Barrato, was Canadian. Her father, Leo James, was an American who came to Canada to avoid unfair rules in the US. Angela was raised by her mother, Donna, along with her two half-sisters. One of her half-siblings is National Hockey League (NHL) player Theo Peckham.

Angela loved sports from a young age. Her godfather gave her a baseball bat and glove when she was little. She was good at hockey, baseball, and synchronized swimming. Even though her mother wanted her to focus on swimming, Angela's true passion was hockey. She played ball hockey with boys in her neighborhood from kindergarten.

At age eight, Angela started playing organized hockey in a boys' league in Flemingdon Park. Her inclusion was only allowed after her mother insisted. Angela was so skilled that she quickly moved up to play with older kids. However, her time in the league ended because some parents of the boys were jealous. They changed the rules to stop girls from playing.

Angela then found a girls' league at Annunciation, a Catholic group. Her mother would take her to games by bus. The girls' hockey program was small, so teams had players of all ages. At 13, Angela started playing senior hockey with the Newtonbrook Saints. She was playing against women aged 16 and older.

College Hockey Career

Angela focused on hockey and almost left school. A vice-principal at Valley Park Middle School, Ross Dixon, helped her stay in school. She graduated from Overlea High School and went to Seneca College in Toronto. Angela found her first year at Seneca tough because she was playing two sports and working part-time. Seneca's hockey coach, Lee Trempe, helped her take her studies seriously.

Angela was a star in two sports for the Seneca Scouts. She joined the softball team in 1983. She was an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) All-Star and led her team to win the first OCAA women's softball championship. She was an OCAA All-Star again in 1984 and 1985, winning another championship.

Even though Angela usually played forward, Coach Trempe moved her to defence. This allowed her to set up plays for her teammates. Despite the change, she still led the league in scoring in 1982–83 with 15 goals and 10 assists in just eight games. She was named the OCAA's most valuable player.

In 1983–84, Angela led the OCAA with 30 points in 10 games. She helped Seneca College win its first championship. She was named an All-Star on defence and again voted the most valuable player. She won both awards again the next season. In 1984–85, Seneca won again, and Angela set school and association records with 50 goals and 73 points in only 14 games. A reporter called her "the Wayne Gretzky of women's hockey."

The OCAA named Angela its athlete of the year in both 1984 and 1985. She set OCAA career hockey records with 80 goals and 128 points. These records stood until 1989 when the OCAA stopped its women's hockey program. In 2001, Seneca College retired her jersey number 8. She was inducted into the Seneca Varsity Hall of Fame in 1985.

Senior Hockey Career

After one year of Senior C hockey, Angela joined the Toronto Islanders in 1980. This was a Senior AA team in the new Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (COWHL). Angela quickly became one of the league's top players. In 1982, she played in the first women's national championship. She scored the tying goal in the third period, helping her team win the McTeer Cup.

When the Islanders team closed in 1982, Angela moved to a team in Burlington for three seasons. In 1983, she led her new team to win the first Abby Hoffman Cup, a national title. Angela played in 12 national championship tournaments during her career.

Angela often changed teams to follow friends or if she disagreed with a coach. Sometimes, she had to move if a team stopped playing. She left Burlington in 1984–85 to join the Agincourt Canadians, then played for the Brampton Canadettes. In 1986–87, she joined the Mississauga Warriors and won her first of seven straight COWHL scoring titles. She then helped the Hamilton Golden Hawks win the 1987 Women's Nationals.

In 1989, Angela joined the Toronto Aeros. She led the Aeros to two national championships in 1991 and 1993. In 1991, she scored the only goal against future national teammate Manon Rhéaume for a 1–0 win. In the 1993–94 season, she scored 40 goals and 70 points in 28 games. She continued to switch teams, playing for the Toronto Red Wings/Newtonbrook Panthers before rejoining the Aeros in 1997.

She stayed with the team when it became the Beatrice Aeros in 1998 and joined the new National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Angela scored 38 goals and 55 points in the first NWHL season (1998–99) and was named the league's most valuable player. The next season, she was named the Western Division's best forward. The Aeros won their first NWHL title. After that season, Angela retired from competitive hockey in 2000.

International Play

The Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) held the first women's world championship in 1987. This event was not yet official by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Angela played for her club team, Mississauga, in this tournament. She led Team Ontario, and they played against Team Canada in the final. Team Canada won 4–0.

The IIHF approved the first official Women's World Championship in 1990 in Ottawa. Canada and the United States easily reached the gold medal final, which Canada won 5–2. Angela scored the first goal in the tournament's history and 11 goals overall. She tied the record for most goals by one player in a single tournament.

Angela played in three more Women's World Championships, all won by Canada over the United States. She was named an All-Star forward in the 1992 tournament in Tampere, Finland, where Canada won 8–0. The Americans gave a tougher challenge at the 1994 tournament in Lake Placid, New York. Angela scored two goals and was named the game's most valuable player in the 6–3 final. She won her fourth and final World Championship in 1997, a 4–3 overtime win.

The 1998 Nagano Games had the first women's Olympic hockey tournament. Angela was surprisingly left off Canada's first Olympic team. The coach said Angela was not strong enough defensively. Angela was very upset and felt she was treated unfairly. She had been the national team's top goal scorer in games leading up to the team selection.

Angela was also dealing with an undiagnosed thyroid condition called Graves' disease at the time. This caused her to lose weight and feel tired. After the Olympics, she was diagnosed and treated, regaining her strength. The national team, with a new coach, added Angela back to its roster for the 1999 3 Nations Cup. She decided this would be her last tournament. Her international career ended perfectly when she scored the winning goal in a shootout against the United States, leading Canada to a 3–2 victory. Angela played 50 games for Team Canada, scoring 33 goals and 21 assists.

Playing Style

Angela James was a very strong player. Hockey historian Elizabeth Etue said her success came from her powerful skating and "dynamic, bullet-like shot." She was a physical player, showing that women's hockey could be tough and gritty. Opponents said hitting Angela was like "hitting steel."

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation commentator Robin Brown, who played against Angela, said she could do everything. She had speed, great stick handling, and a powerful shot. Brown called her "the Wayne Gretzky of women's hockey." Angela could play any position, but she was mainly a centre. She even played goaltender in one game when her team needed one and recorded a shutout (meaning the other team scored no goals).

Coaching and Officiating

Angela has been involved in many parts of hockey. She became a certified referee in Canada in 1980 and has been an active official since then. She has reached a high level of certification through Hockey Canada and has served as the OWHA's Referee-in-Chief.

After graduating from Seneca College, Angela started coaching. She helped Seneca win the Ontario College Championship as an assistant coach. The school won again in 1987 with Angela as head coach. She has coached at all age levels, including national championships. She was an assistant coach for Team Ontario, which won a gold medal at the 1999 Canada Winter Games. She also led Ontario to a gold medal at the 2001 under-18 national championship. Angela believes she can help the most at the local level of the sport. She has run her own hockey school and directed one through Seneca College.

PHF Coaching

On June 24, 2021, the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) added Angela James to their coaching staff as an assistant coach for the 2021–22 season.

Sports Executive & Owner

On March 7, 2022, Angela James became a co-owner of the Toronto Six of the Premier Hockey Federation. She joined an ownership group that includes other Canadian hockey leaders.

On May 31, 2022, Angela was named General Manager of the Six. In this role, she manages player activities, team operations, and game day events.

Honours and Legacy

Angela James is known as "the first superstar of modern women's hockey." She is seen as a pioneer who helped bring women's hockey into the spotlight. Longtime women's hockey leader Fran Rider said Angela brought respect to the game, which helped it become an Olympic sport.

Angela was an eight-time scoring champion and six-time most valuable player in her senior career. She has received many awards. She was named Toronto's Youth of the Year in 1985. In 1992, she received the city's Women in Sport Enhancement Award. Hockey Canada gave her the 2005 Female Hockey Breakthrough Award. The Flemingdon Park arena was renamed the Angela James Arena in 2009. The Canadian Women's Hockey League gives the Angela James Bowl to its top scorer each season.

She has been inducted into several Halls of Fame. This includes the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

Angela was one of the first three women, along with Geraldine Heaney and Cammi Granato, inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2008. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame honored her as a role model when she was inducted in 2009. One year later, she and Cammi Granato became the first two women in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Angela said she never thought this day would come and was honored to represent female hockey players worldwide.

On February 26, 2021, Angela James was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada by Hockey Canada. This recognized her career and contributions to hockey in Canada. In 2022, she was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (OC).

Personal Life

After getting a diploma in Recreation Facilities Management from Seneca College, Angela was hired by the school in 1985. She still works for Seneca and is now a senior sports coordinator. Angela James has a family with three children.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Note: Complete statistics unavailable

International