Angela James was a player before her time.
James was a dominant player at every level of hockey she played, from street hockey with boys in her Toronto neighborhood to youth hockey leagues, college and the IIHF World Championship, which she helped Canada win in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997. She wasn't included on Canada's roster for the 1998 Nagano Olympics, where women's hockey was played for the first time, and former teammates contended that she would have made a difference against the United States, which won the tournament, had she been included.
James became known as the Wayne Gretzky of women's hockey, though her physical style of play (before body checking was eliminated) was more similar to that of Gordie Howe. She was the top scorer for eight seasons and MVP for six in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, as well as MVP at eight Canadian championships.
Her honors go well beyond gold medals. James is still the only black player to be captain of a Canadian team at the senior international level. In 2008, she became the first black woman to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame included her in 2009, and one year later she became the second black player (after Grant Fuhr in 2003) and one of the first two women (with Cammi Granato) to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"This is a day I never really thought would ever happen," James said after being told she'd been selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The trophy for the Canadian Women's Hockey League's top scorer is named the Angela James Bowl, and the arena in Flemingdon Park, where she grew up, was renamed Angela James Arena in 2009.
