Samantha Holmes (born June 23, 1977) played for the Canadian national women's ice hockey team from 2000 to 2005. She is also the founder of the
Strathmore Rockies
The Strathmore Rockies were a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL). The team played its home games in Strathmore Family Center Arena, in Strathmore, Alberta, Canada.
History
Their first season in the WWH ...
ice hockey team.
Early life
As a child, Samantha Holmes-Domagala attended the
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, MohkÃnsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts†...
in
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
. Upon her arrival, she was disappointed to learn that there would not be a women’s hockey tournament. After the games, she became involved in activism, beginning a letter writing campaign to get women involved in ice hockey. She wrote to her local newspaper,
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
mayor
Hazel McCallion
Hazel McCallion, (; born February 14, 1921) is a Canadian businesswoman and retired politician who served as the fifth mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, from 1978 until 2014. She is the first and current chancellor of Sheridan College.
McCallion ...
, Canadian Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...
, and IOC President
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch (Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh Pre ...
.
Playing career
As a member of the Team Ontario contingent for the
1995 Canada Winter Games, her teammates included
Jayna Hefford
Jayna Hefford (born May 14, 1977) is a Canadian retired ice hockey player and current chairperson of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.
During her career, she won multiple medals at the Winter Olympics and IIHF World Women's C ...
and
Sommer West
Sommer West (born April 24, 1978 in Houston, Texas and raised in Bowmanville, Ontario) was a Canadian Olympic softball player at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In addition, she was a former member of the Canadian national women's hockey team. She was ...
. Holmes played NCAA hockey for the University of
New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey
The New Hampshire Wildcats represent the University of New Hampshire. They have won five ECAC championships between 1986 and 1996. When the Wildcats joined Hockey East, they won four Hockey East titles from 2006 to 2009. The Wildcats have more win ...
program. On January 19, 2000, the Wildcats played an exhibition game against the United States national women's team. Although the Wildcats lost 8–2, Holmes scored both goals for the Wildcats. During the
2000-01 NWHL season, she competed for the
Brampton Thunder
The Markham Thunder was a professional women's ice hockey team in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). From 1998 through 2017, the franchise was known as the Brampton Thunder and Brampton Canadettes-Thunder before relocating from Brampton, O ...
.
She moved to Calgary in June 2002 and played hockey for the
Calgary Oval X-Treme
The Calgary Oval X-Treme were a professional women's ice hockey team in the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL). The team played its home games at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Oval X-Treme were a member of the National Wome ...
. She competed in two international tournaments for her country, but never participated in the Olympics. Holmes played for the X-Treme when they competed in the 2003 Esso Women's National Hockey Championship (held on March 16, 2003). Holmes scored two goals to secure a 6–3 win for the X-Treme and the
Abby Hoffman Cup
The first instances of organized women's ice hockey in Canada date back to the 1890s when it was played at the university level. The Women's Hockey Association claims that the city of Ottawa, Ontario hosted the first game in 1891. In 1920, Lad ...
.
After she left the Oval X-Treme, she formed her own team. Her team was the Strathmore Rockies and they joined the Western Women's Hockey League. The idea stemmed from the fact that there were many elite hockey players in Calgary, but not all of them had the opportunity to play for the Oval X-Treme. Holmes also handled the day-to-day tasks of running the Strathmore team. Part of her accomplishments included player scouting, sponsorship and marketing campaigns to operate the team. She is also captain of the Rockies and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire.
Retirement
Holmes runs local skills clinics in Calgary for young women's players. In April 2011, Holmes joined the sponsorship division of the CWHL and manage the Alberta expansion team for the
2011-12 CWHL season. In July 2012, she gave birth to a daughter.
Career stats
Hockey Canada
CWHL
Awards and honours
*1999-2000 New England Hockey Writers Association Women's Division I All-Star Team selection
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes-Domagala, Samantha
1977 births
Brampton Thunder players
Calgary Oval X-Treme players
Canadian women's ice hockey forwards
Ice hockey people from Alberta
Living people
New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey players
Sportspeople from Mississauga
Strathmore Rockies players