While there was no trade involved, Jenn Wakefield’s departure from the Cambridge Turbos to the Fraser Valley Avalanche – formerly the B. C. Reign – is the biggest news to hit the National Ringette League during its six seasons of operation.
It’s also a huge blow to the reigning Ontario, Canadian and world club champion Turbos, who watched 113 points and immeasurable leadership ability head to the west coast.
Following her husband Chris, who was transferred to Langley by his employer, Wakefield turned in her Turbos orange and white for Avalanche purple. Chris, who helped coach the minor ringette junior team, is the squad’s new head coach.
Having just arrived in British Columbia at the end of August – after running summer ringette camps – the 29-year-old still hasn’t gotten used to the idea that she is no longer a Turbo.
“I’ve played for Cambridge since I was eight,” Wakefield said on the phone from her new home.
“In my heart I’m always going to be a Turbo. I refer to that as my team.
“It’s hard to think I have to go buy new gloves because my gloves are Cambridge colours. I’m not playing for that team anymore. It’s gonna be hard, I think, for a while.”
Glen Gaudet, her father and former coach with the Turbos, said you never really replace that type of player on the ice.
“I don’t think anyone can replace her points, that would take more than one person, probably two or three,” he said.
“But someone will step to fill the hole. I think we have the horses to do it. We’ll miss her defensive play. But no doubt, we’ll miss her.”
Gaudet added that it is the nature of the sport where players will retire to start families or look after the ones they already have. It was a double blow for his team, as centre Nicki Madsen is also retiring this season. Losing two players at once hurts.
“Jenn is a real leader. Maybe her husband will get transferred back to Ontario before Jan. 31,” Gaudet said with a laugh.
Besides losing the team captain, Gaudet has had to say goodbye to his daughter.
“Her mother and I are going to miss her.”
And the sound of homesickness is in Wakefield’s voice too, as she not only has to adjust to a new life, but a new team. Though there is hesitation in her voice, she’s giving it the ol’ college try. She’s only had a couple on-ice sessions with her new teammates.
“It will be very different,” she said.
“I think it will be good for me. It will bring some new challenges. I loved playing for Cambridge and grew up playing with the core of those girls. But it’s time to move on and try to build the program here.
“A strong program that can compete with the top teams in Canada.”
Wakefield acknowledged that it will be different going from a perennial champion expected to win every year to a rebuilding squad. She noted that the addition of former Cambridge pickup goalie Shannon Anderson and Edmonton WAM!’s Jill Lange has helped.
“I think if you have strong goaltending, you can build out from there. We have some strong players…so I think there is talent on the team, it’s just a mix of new people that have come from different teams in B.C.“
Who knows where this team will go. Yeah, it’s new and I’ll be playing with different players, but I think there’s a lot of talent in B. C. and hopefully we can all come together and move forward.”
The goal this season is to get the former Reign to the nationals. Last year, the Reign was winless in 18 games. But a date at the nationals will no doubt mean at least a round robin game against the Turbos.
“I can’t imagine how it’s going to feel if I get to play against Cambridge in a big game. It’s going to be strange. I just hope we get there. If we do, we’ll see how it goes.”
If the Avalanche gets to this year’s nationals in 2010, it will be rough on Wakefield. Tougher still will be 2011, when Cambridge is the host.
“It’s hard because I also coach in Cambridge and I’ve coached the same group of girls for a couple years and we had big plans for these Cambridge nationals. I’m coaching here, so if we make it I would probably coach against the girls I coached.
“It’s going to be fun if we get there because it will be my hometown nationals even though I don’t live there, but it will also sad because I’m not on the hometown team or coaching the hometown team.”
But leaving the game entirely wasn’t an option for Wakefield. She enjoys it too much and she is still in the running for a spot on the Canadian team for the worlds in Finland in 2010.
“That’s really one of the big reasons why I decided to play here. I need to be on the ice every week, I need to be training and I need to have NRL competition because it is obviously a big goal for me to make the national team again. To do that I need to be in really good shape and keep my play at the level I can be at.”
The second Canada camp is in Ottawa in January and you can bet there will be a lot of hugs going around, considering Wakefield’s former teammates Vanessa Cowlen, Christina Mascherin, Meghan Pittaway and sister Jackie Gaudet will be attending.
“It’s interesting, because one of the hardest things was moving away from my sister. But she is still involved in the (Team Canada) program too, so playing with Team Canada is an awesome experience but it will also bring me closer to my family. I’m really looking forward to that.”
