Pittsburgh Pennies reestablished to expand opportunities for girls' hockey

PITTSBURGH -- Jean Lombardi delivered a message from behind the Pittsburgh Penguins bench at PPG Paints Arena.

"We didn't have anyone to play but boys' teams," said Lombardi, a member of the original Pittsburgh Pennies women's hockey team. "We had to go to Canada for tournaments."

On the ice Monday were a group of 50 girls, ages 10-12, set for a skills clinic as part of the new Pittsburgh Pennies Girls Hockey Program focused on the development of girls' hockey in Western Pennsylvania. They were attentive, on one knee.

"Fifty years later, look at all of you," Lombardi said. "You represent us as the new Pittsburgh Pennies."

The Pennies were established in 1972, coinciding with the passing of Title IX, a civil rights law in the United States banning discrimination based on gender in education programs or activities that receive federal assistance.

Honoring that team, the NHL, NHL Players' Association and the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation announced the new initiative Sunday to promote accessibility, inclusivity and gender equality in hockey. It includes nearly a $300,000 investment across two seasons from the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund and the Penguins Foundation.

The clinic Monday was the first of a planned series of long-term programs aiming to increase hockey participation among local girls.

"The goal of this program is the growth of hockey, first of all," said Matt Herr, NHL senior director of community development and industry growth. "I think to highlight the Pennies and everything that went on here in Pittsburgh, and the history and the tradition. ... It really is special and heartfelt for me to see a launch of this program."

The girls asked a few questions, tapped their sticks for Lombardi and four of her Pennies teammates, Kathleen Berg, Patti Gaab, Stephanie St. Leger and Barbara DeShong Greil, as well as their former coach, Jim Hughes, then broke into drills.

"It's amazing to see this many girls out here on the ice doing something that has the support and just the help of the Penguins Foundation and everything. It's amazing to see this many girls," Gaab said. "They all seem like they're pretty decent skaters. Hockey sure has come a long way for girls, that's for sure."

Pittsburgh's first women's hockey team, the Pennies competed in the Mid-Atlantic Women's Hockey League in the northeastern United States and Canada. Players on the team ranged in age from 9-50.

"We were talking before, a lot of us showed up in figure skates because that's what we had. You know, 'Girls wear figure skates, boys wear hockey skates,' all that stuff," Berg said. "These girls are really good skaters. To be the ages that they are and to skate so well, that speaks volumes."

Girls' hockey participation has grown 80 percent in the region during the past 15 years, from 804 players in 2008-09 to 1,450 in 2023-24, according to USA Hockey.

"They have so many opportunities to play each other," St. Leger said. "We were lucky if we had 15 people at one time to play. The opportunity to play down at the arena, the recognition, it makes me feel so good that they have a chance and maybe we opened some doors for them."

Because of the increased interest, the NHL, NHLPA and Penguins Foundation recognized the need for the new program.

"I think it's special because the girls have a different need than the boys," Herr said. "Not necessarily in player development but as far as staying in the game. I think this program is going to recognize that need in bringing these girls together.

"I always say it's a carnival. How do we create that carnival atmosphere where it's not always about, 'Hey, you're not doing the right outside edge or the right inside edge,' but it's about having fun, being with your peers, getting on the ice and just making sure they come back to the rink."