When the ladies of the Harvard women’s hockey team took to the rink for their Feb. 8 game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), something was noticeably different. Instead of donning their usual uniforms of crimson and white, the 24-member team sported jerseys in crimson’s rosy cousin: pink. This unusual flourish was part of the “Pink at the Rink” program, a campaign to raise money for the fight against breast cancer. Twelve women’s hockey teams in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) wore customized pink jerseys as part of the joint effort between the conference and the American Cancer Society. The jerseys were auctioned online to raise money for the society, with prices beginning at $150.
But for the Harvard team, this effort has special significance, as it heralded the return of a former assistant coach and player for Harvard, Claudia Asano ’99, who now serves as the head coach of RPI. Asano has been involved in cancer advocacy since she lost her mother to breast cancer four years ago. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]
Even though she now enters the rink through the “visitors” gate, that made little difference to the team.
“Having Claudia there made it even more important to us,” said Brenna J. McLean ’08, one of the co-captains of the team. “You can tell that everyone felt a little stronger, because Claudia was part of the team for so long and because she was so involved in the effort.”
Laura E. Brady ’08, the other team co-captain, mused that there was very little animosity coming from the other side. “[Asano] really appreciated it,” Brady said. “Her dad was there as well and he was a bit teary-eyed in the stands.”
The bouquet of pink spread beyond the ice. Male coaches wore salmon-colored ties while female coaches wrapped themselves in scarves of rose. Even the audience resembled a sea of coral pink as attendees received pink bracelets and ribbon pins.
CORRECTION
The Feb. 27 Fifteen Minutes story, "Women's Hockey Team Pretty in Pink" misstated the college at which Claudia Asano coaches. She serves as head coach of Union College, not the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Harvard women's hockey team played both teams the same weekend.
