I used to play ice hockey in high school. A single girl played in our league… like. Our entire league. She was on one of our home teams that played out of our same rink. We got on well, and I honestly respected her for lacing up in a full contact league as a 5’5” 110 lbs soaking wet girl.

But during our game, we met along the boards. I can still remember the way it felt to absolutely obliterate this poor girl, sending her crashing into the boards and then down onto the ice. It was like she just bounced off me. In that split second before impact, I thought “this probably isn’t okay…” but by that point, we were both prisoners of physics.

I felt horrible, and spent the rest of the game trying to avoid her teammates’ efforts at revenge. She was okay, and even told me she appreciated not being treated like a delicate flower. But honestly, it was obvious to me that day that we don’t belong in the same league. We’re just too different, and women are at an absolute disadvantage.

To pretend that Nurse would be anything other than roadkill in essentially any male league, is delusional thinking. I’m happy for her that she’s a star in women’s hockey, but comparing her to an NHL player is laughable.