Never in her wildest dreams could Shirley Cameron have imagined she would be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.
What started as a love for the sport has grown to a lifelong career that has led the Bonnyville-native to join the likes of Theoren Fleury and Kevin Lowe on the walls of the province's Hockey Hall of Fame.
Growing up in Bonnyville playing hockey with her cousins and brothers on a small pond, watching Saturday night games with her father, and cheering on the Bonnyville Sr. Pontiacs were just the start of Cameron's love for the sport.
Shirley Cameron, Bonnyville-native, has been inducted in the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.
“I never really played any organized hockey growing up on the farm because there were no girls playing, so all I did was play on the pond with my brothers and cousins,” she described. “I never really thought I would get to play because being from rural Alberta in the 1950s, there was no such thing as girls playing."
Now, with decades of experience under her belt, Cameron is being inducted into the hall of fame.
“I couldn’t have even dreamt. I think most people grow up thinking they would like to play on a certain team. I didn’t have heroes like Hayley Wickenheiser that young girls have now, so I didn’t ever have any idea that something like this would even be attainable,” she expressed.
“Hockey was always a big part of our life when we were kids. We never played it organized, we just played it with our family,” said Bonnyville resident Raymond Cameron, Shirley's younger brother. “Because we had an abundance of cousins who were the same age, it was a regular occurrence to clean the pond off and go play shinny on the weekends."
Cameron left her hometown at 17-years-old and moved to Edmonton.
Little did she know, packing her bags and moving to the city would be a decision that would change her life forever.
“When I moved to Edmonton there was a radio ad one day that said any girls or women who wanted to play hockey to come to this arena, so that’s what I did," reflected Cameron. “From there, I started playing hockey."
Raymond recalls his sister struggling to get ice time.
"They were playing way out of the city at 11 p.m. through the week to practice."
Cameron was one of the first to join the Edmonton Chimos, and wore the jersey with pride until 1992.
In 2001 she took her role to a whole new level, managing and coaching the team until 2006.
“I also played on the very first Women’s World Championship Team Canada in 1990,” she added.
Cameron never thought she would have the chance to play on an organized team, let alone in the World Championships.
“Playing on Team Canada… It was near the end of my career that first World Championship in 1990. At that time, I was 37-years-old. I never thought I was going to get that opportunity, but to get that one chance, that was a highlight."
Another memory that stood out for Cameron was the Chimos winning their first national championship in 1984.
Because of their win, the team was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“That was a huge highlight, because my family was there and they hadn’t seen me play hockey very much,” stated Cameron.
Throughout her hockey career, the Chimos travelled through rural Alberta, promoting the sport and spreading the word that girls can play hockey too.
Cameron said, "We wanted for girls, like myself, who grew up where there weren’t opportunities, to showcase that there is... That was a big part of what we did with that team that was important to us, to show young girls there was something for them."
Aside from her two-time induction into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, Shirley has also been recognized through the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association Meritorious Award, Hockey Alberta Coach Recognition Award, the YWCA of Edmonton Women of Distinction Award, Hockey Canada's Female Hockey Breakthrough Award, Hockey Alberta Centennial Award, and the Canadian Ball Hockey Hall of Fame.
She even coached the Edmonton Blazers midget girls' team from 1991 to 1993, and was an instructor and assistant coach in Hockey Alberta's high-performance female program.
“I’m very proud (of her),” exclaimed Raymond. “She had the passion for (hockey) and pursued it."
Cameron encourages girls everywhere to give hockey a shot.
“It’s one of the greatest sports to play. Most of my lifelong friends are from that sport. You get so much from it. It has so many opportunities right now. If you’re a young girl you can get an education, play in the Alberta Winter Games, Canada Winter Games, you could go to college or university, there are so many opportunities in the sport. It’s just amazing how it’s grown."
