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2012 WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Digital Edition Bonus A 1990-91 30 1991-92 CHARTINGTHE of the As legendary coach Herb Brooks liked to say, "The wider the base, the higher the pyramid." Over the years, the U.S. Women's National and Olympic Teams have enjoyed tremendous success on the international stage due in large part to USA Hockey's commitment to providing young girls with an oppor- tunity to play hockey and have fun. From initiation programs to house leagues and select teams, there are more opportunities for girls to follow in the skate tracks of early stars such as Cindy Curley, Karyn Bye, Cammi Granato, Katie King and Krissy Wendell. As is often the case, great accomplish- ments come from great leadership at the top of the organization. The growth of the women's game, both at home and abroad, is due in large part to the persistence of Walter Bush, Jr., the long-time president of USA Hockey and an IIHF board member. Bush was a key figure in making women's hockey a World Championship and Olympic sport in the 1990s. "Women's hockey was his call. He brought women's hockey into the Olympics in 1998 in Nagano," IIHF President Rene Fasel once said of his long-time friend and mentor. "I doubt women's hockey would be an Olympic sport today had Walter not pushed so hard for it in the mid '90s." 6,336 1990-91 JUNE/JULY.2012 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM Digital Edition Bonus WOMEN'S GAME GROWTH When the United States captured the first gold medal in women's ice hockey at the Olympics, it served as a springboard that has been credited with the meteoric rise in the number of young female play- ers who have since taken to the ice. Since the 1992-93 season, when just over 10,000 girls or women were regis- tered with USA Hockey, the sport has enjoyed great growth spurts. In 2011-12, the number of registered female players crossed the 68,000 mark. Thanks to outstanding leadership at the top and a total team effort throughout the hockey world, there are expanding opportunities for young women to pursue their dreams on the ice. The strength of these programs and the commitment of everyone involved in the growth of the women's game means the base of the pyramid will continue to grow, which means that there's no end in sight for how high it will climb. N the game in nontraditional markets like Nashville, Tampa and Phoenix. Working with NHL teams and local grass-roots associations, USA Hockey's membership development program continues to open doors with programs designed to provide girls with a league of their own. Not only are more girls playing the game, they are being coached by a growing legion of qualified female coaches who are great role models for future athletes. But it takes more than gold medals to spur growth at a local and national level. USA Hockey takes great pride in the new programs created to attract more girls to 68,043* USA HOCKEY ICE 2011-12 REGISTRATION (FEMALE PLAYERS) 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 2011-12 0