| Fourteen months after Canadian goaltender Manon Rheaume broke the gender barrier by appearing in a 1992 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL exhibition game, American Erin Whitten began playing with the Toledo Storm of the East Coast Hockey League. On October 30, 1993, Whitten became the first female goaltender to record a victory in a professional game.
A high school star on the boys team in her home town of Glen Falls, New York, Whitten developed into an elite goaltender during four seasons of women's university hockey at New Hampshire. She was the top goaltender on the United States National Women's Team, appearing at the Women's World Championships in 1992, 1994 and 1997 where the team finished second behind Canada every year. In 1994, Whitten was named the Best Goalie at the tournament. |
