VANCOUVER - Sydney Bard couldn't help but be a little bit star-struck as she looked around the Boston Fleet's locker room last season.

Sitting just stalls away from the rookie defender were some of the biggest names in women's hockey — Hilary Knight. Jamie Lee Rattray. Aerin Frankel.

What impressed Bard wasn't their stickhandling, scoring prowess or ten-bell saves. It was how the veteran stars connected with their teammates.

“You're in the same locker room as your idols, and seeing how they just want to be a human first, and they put the person before the player, that was really, really special," she said.

It's a lesson the 24-year-old Bard is looking to take with her as she heads into her second season in the Professional Women's Hockey League.

This time around, she won't be in Bosto

See Full Page