Its Your Arena...

The induction of Canadian Angela James and American Cammi Granato into the Hockey Hall of Fame sent a mixed message to young girls. For all of their extraordinary accomplishments, these two great players were selected only after the Hall of Fame opened up two extra spots for women.

Until then, women had been continually passed over. But for these special positions, it seems safe to say that still more male players would have been chosen over Granato, the all-time leader in goals and points for the U.S. in world championships, and James, Canada's dominant female player in the 1970s and 1980s.

Still, their induction Monday night served not only to celebrate their own triumphs, but also to highlight women's participation in elite-level sports. Such moments of recognition can't help but encourage female participation -at all levels.

Unfortunately, many girls still hang back from traditionally-male sports, feeling that they don't belong. If they could imagine themselves playing Canada's favourite game, they too could experience the speed, excitement, and joy of hockey -just as their brothers do.

Beyond recreational sports lies the even thornier issue of women's elite sports. This year in Vancouver, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge made threatening noises about the future of Olympic women's hockey, complaining that Canadian-U.S. domination drains the sport of any other competition. But the right response to lopsided competition is not to stop competing, but to figure out how to get more people involved.

Women's hockey is only four Olympic years old, as CBC commentator Cassie Campbell noted recently. She pointed out that the women's game has grown faster than the men's game did after it first became an Olympic sport. You want lopsided? In 1952, the Canadian men's ice hockey team won its seventh gold medal in eight Olympics. But today there's healthy and exciting competition in Olympic men's hockey.

Some steps are already being taken internationally to improve women's hockey. In Finland, registration has gone from 2,500 in 2006 to 5,000 this year. But more can be done: Canadian and U.S. players and teams should travel and proselytize for their sport, offering clinics and training and stirring up interest. Where there's a will, there's a way, and when it comes to women in sports, there should be a will.