The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) announced that Kelly Babstock has joined their class of 2023 inductees.
“Kelly Babstock fell in love with hockey at a very young age, her desire and want to play the sport grew naturally. Kelly always made it very clear to her parents how much she loved the sport before even knowing how to play it. It was when she asked her father to take her out skating, without ever skating before. She put on her first pair of skates and naturally glided on the ice and that was the night where Kelly Babstock took her first step in becoming the natural born athlete she is today.
Kelly is a native to Toronto, Ontario. Once she became of age she joined the Jr. league and she had started her career with the Toronto Jr. Aeros, and continued on to Quinnipiac University. In her four years with the team she would become the program’s all-time leader in goals (95), assists (108) and points (203). She helped lead the team to their first NCAA tournament berth in program history and was also the finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.
After her collegiate career, Kelly would move to the professional ranks and join the Connecticut Whale of the NWHL in 2015, and be named to the 2017 and 2018 NWHL All-Star games. She is currently playing in her seventh season in the league with the Metropolitan Riveters. Kelly was featured in Sports Illustrated following her outstanding college hockey career.
Kelly was inducted into the LNHL Hall of Fame. Kelly has always been an inspiration for the indigenous community by having hockey camps and creating awareness on her social media platforms. With Kelly’s continuous growth she strives to create a stronger Indigenous platform, influencing the youth to find their love for the sport and to flourish from it” ( naiahf.org ).
Congratulations Kelly! 👏 👏 👏
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About The North American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame
The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) honors and recognizes the indigenous sport cultures of 27 countries of North America by recognizing outstanding leadership and achievement in individual and team athletics. By honoring and celebrating the empowered journey of the annually inducted individuals and teams, the hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics and life. For more information visit naiahf.org
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Statement/quotes obtained from: naiahf.org
Photographer of featured image: Manny Fernandes (image obtained from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CjoEWs2OgA-/ ).
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