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Women’s hockey ref Mélanie Bordeleau heads to Sochi

Stephanie Myles

Mélanie Bordeleau wanted to make it to the Winter Olympics as a hockey player.

That wasn't in the cards, so the 32-year-old Quebecer (originally from Hull, now a Montrealer) is headed to Sochi as a referee.

“All roads lead to Rome – or to Sochi," Bordeleau said on l'Anti-Chambre, the hockey post-game show on French-language RDS last week. "I think my legs will be shaking on the ice."

As an aside, she more than held her own with the RDS boys, who treated her with the respect she fully deserves.

Bordeleau, a registered nurse by day, comes with reffing cred. In 2012, she was the first Canadian woman to be referee a Women's World Championship gold medal game. That was a huge credit to her ability, because the general policy is not to have the ref be a citizen of one of the two participating nations (it was Canada vs. U.S.). Which is probably one reason why it hadn't happened before, since those two countries usually the final.

Bordeleau has three IIHF World championships on her resumé.

She's been at it since she was 17; Bordeleau also referees in Midget AAA, 15-to-17-year-old boys, during the season and also works Junior AA and CWHL games.

Bordeleau told La Presse that the players, in general, weren't a problem in midget. Nor were the coaches. But the fans in the stands are another matter - and surprisingly, it's not just the more evolved of the male species telling her to "go back to the kitchen where she belongs."

"It's surprising, but I often hear negative comments from women in the stands. Most of the time, I just block it out and it goes 10 feet over my head," she said. "But I kind of find it odd to hear such sexist comments, especially when they come from other women. I guess there's no solidarity there."

Bordeleau told RDS that she considers Midget AAA at about the same level as

international women's hockey. "Take the best two teams in midget AAA and make it non-contact, it would be about equivalent to Canada vs. USA," she said.

Bordeleau played CEGEP hockey in Quebec, but an injury prevented her from accepting a hockey scholarship to a U.S. university. That's when she began as an official, to make extra money to make ends meet while in school.

There are six referees and nine lineswomen in all for the women's event; among the lineswomen are Denise Caughey (Quebec City) and Stéphanie Gagnon (Eastern Townships), also québécoises.

Bordeleau Tweeted a quick selfie of the three Olympians as they began their journey to Russia.