September 30, 2008
By Mike Scandura
Special to USAHockey.com 

In one sense, the numbers are mind-boggling.

When the Connecticut Polar Bears host their 24th annual Holiday Tournament in late December, approximately 250 teams encompassing 3,700 girls plus coaches and college scouts are expected to descend on the Nutmeg State. 

The tournament crowns champions in 14 divisions involving five age groups and is sanctioned by USA Hockey. 

And according to figures provided last year by the Greater Hartford Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, 10,000 room-nights were booked at 54 hotels - which provided a significant economic boost to the area. 

The number of teams and participants is a far cry from the initial tournament, which attracted four teams and involved a mere 60 players. But the significance of the organization transcends its holiday tournament, which is one of the largest in the country.

Not only have they won 10 national championships (plus a host of silver and bronze medals), but they’ve also produced seven U.S. Olympians: Kim Insalaco (Rochester, N.Y.), Angela Ruggiero (Harper Woods, Mich.), Julie Chu (Fairfield, Conn.), Jaime Hagerman (North Andover, Mass.), Sue Merz (Greenwich, Conn.), A.J. Mlezko (New Canaan, Conn.) and Gretchen Ulion (Marlborough, Conn.).

The organization’s genesis can be traced to a man who has been with the Polar Bears from its inception, Maurice FitzMaurice.

FitzMaurice was born in Waterbury, Conn., and played basketball and baseball - but not hockey - at the Waterbury branch of the University of Connecticut. He lived in Weathersfield when his daughter, Marnie (who later played college hockey at Yale) only had one recourse in 1985: play hockey on a boys’ team because there weren’t any girls-only teams or organizations in the state.

FitzMaurice then formed a girls’ Peewee team, which proved to be the foundation for the Polar Bears.

“Girls were hidden on boys’ teams,” said FitzMaurice, who still coaches and serves as the tournament director. “Now, if they do well in school, they have an opportunity to play a sport like hockey in college. They didn’t have the opportunities before that they have now.”

Polar Bears alumni have gone on to play hockey at colleges such as Harvard, Brown, Vermont, Connecticut, Boston College, Middlebury, Colby, Amherst, New Hampshire, Cornell and Northeastern. And a few even have been accepted at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where they don’t play hockey but are subjected to a rigorous academic curriculum.

In fact, of the 16 girls who were on the initial team formed by FitzMaurice, seven attended Ivy League schools.

That number alone stresses the importance FitzMaurice and the organization places on academics.

“Sometimes our younger players think college is unattainable,” FitzMaurice said. “But we try to get them to maximize their educational opportunities. Our coaches keep telling them that what they do in [high school or prep school] will play a key role when they apply for admission.

“Granted, college coaches obviously are interested in their hockey skills. But they’re very concerned if they’ll qualify for admission and if they’re capable of handling the workload while playing a sport.

“The point is,” continued FitzMaurice, “we’ve opened doors and over the years we’ve tried to make sure they’ve remained open.”

For the 2008-09 season, the Polar Bears are expecting to field 10 Tier I teams (with an approximate total of 160 girls).

This includes three 12-Under teams, three 14-Under teams, two 16-Under teams and two 19-Under teams.

And during the summer, the Polar Bears run a skating program for girls ages 6-16.

“I think as a result of what we’ve done over the years, our girls gain confidence in their leadership abilities, learn the importance of teamwork and learn to compete,” FitzMaurice said. “But regardless of what we’ve accomplished [on the ice], it wouldn’t mean that much unless we’ve been able to provide them with opportunities to extend and improve their education.

“Over the years, many of our girls have displayed tremendous accomplishments in the classroom.” 

Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.