Haley Box and the Moment That Changed Everything
The Etobicoke Dolphins forward and incoming Wisconsin Badger on growing up in Wyoming, finding her path through a Nashville hockey camp, and what the rise of women's hockey means for players like her.
Haley Box grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a place she describes as having one rink, no summer ice, and no girls’ teams when she was coming up. But none of that slowed her down, largely because of the family she had around her.
Her parents drove her to every practice and every game, and her brothers spent hours outside with her working on new skills, competing against her and never holding back. “They know that’s what I need,” she said. That support system, built in a backyard in Wyoming, is something she credits as the foundation for everything that followed.
Check out the full conversation with Haley Box on YouTube.
A hockey camp in Nashville turned out to be a turning point. It was the first time Haley had been in an all-girls environment, with female coaches and players who had gone further in the game than she had ever seen up close. She came home from that camp with a much clearer sense of what was possible, and she started setting goals.
Those goals took her to the Etobicoke Dolphins, and she admits she was nervous walking in. “They’ve got so many Team Canada kids. I didn’t know what they were gonna think of me, I didn’t know how I was gonna fit in,” she said. But it turned out to be exactly what she needed. Her coach, Joe, pushed her to limits she did not know she could reach; the competition at every practice raised her game, and she came away with friendships she will carry for a long time. “It’s been the best decision for me and as a family,” she said.
From there, the goals kept coming, and eventually, they took her to the Team USA jersey. Competing against Canada, she says, is unlike anything else in the sport. “You want to leave everything out there because it’s so important,” she said. Her brother has been a constant throughout it, helping her stay even at every major tournament. Not too high, not too low.
Now, as she gets ready to head to Wisconsin, Haley is watching the women’s game grow and feeling genuinely excited about what that means for the players coming up behind her. The rise of the PWHL, the increasing visibility of the sport, and the sense that the opportunities available today look different from what existed even a few years ago.
It started in a backyard in Cheyenne. And now here she is.
Check out the full conversation with Haley Box on Episode 114 of Rinkside Rundown, available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.