Women’s World Championships begins on Friday

Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty ImagesAfter two years, two pandemic cancellations, and with a lot of effort and work on the part of the entire women’s hockey world, the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championships begins Friday in Calgary, Alberta.

I am not an expert on the women’s game, but I have watched world championships and Olympics dating back to 1998. This is our chance to learn together about the game, so we can enjoy watching a little more.

In 1998, in Nagano, Japan, one of the seeds of the modern women’s game was planted. The IOC had agreed to add women’s hockey to the Olympics after the games had already been awarded. Japan’s women’s team was not very good, so to get Japan to agree to make…