Bonnie Shea

Bonnie Shea's hockey career — like a hockey game — can be summarized in three periods. Across all three, one thing never changed: her love of the game.

Period 1 — The Pioneer (1951–1958)

In 1951, seven-year-old Bonnie Shea watched the boys play hockey from her home across the street from Congdon Park in Duluth. She wanted to play. Her parents said no. So she got a paper route, bought her own gear, tucked her hair up in a stocking cap to disguise her gender, and became the first girl to play organized hockey in Duluth.

"I certainly got black and blue, but never lost any teeth."

She practiced on her own before the rink would open and quickly became one of the leading scorers on her team. When her name appeared in the Duluth newspaper, other teams realized she was a girl — and started targeting her. They tried to check her, called her names, and tried to board her. Her response was to skate harder and play smarter.

"I'd make a quick turn and they'd go crashing into the boards. It just made me skate harder and play smarter."

When Bonnie got to high school, the East High coach — who was also her teacher — invited her to try out for the team. She was thrilled. The next day he delivered the news: the principal had said absolutely no girls on the hockey team. At 15, her organized hockey career was over.

"Oh, I was so excited. But I went the next day, and he said our principal said absolutely no girls playing on our hockey team. So my career ended at 15."

Period 2 — Life Without Hockey (1958–1984)

Bonnie graduated from Duluth East High School in 1962 and attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, earning a degree in elementary education. She became a teacher at Piedmont Elementary, then an elementary counselor, building a 35-year career in Duluth public schools.

One of her students was Robb Stauber — the eventual Hobey Baker Award winner, NHL player, and 2018 Olympic Gold Medal coach — who would ask her to shoot on him during gym class floor hockey. Hockey was still in her blood, even without a team to play on.

Then one day she saw a TV announcement: UMD was forming a women's club hockey team called the Lady Bulldogs. She called. They said yes. She was 40 years old.

"Before I started again at 40, I thought I'd never get to play organized hockey again."

Period 3 — The Comeback (1984–Present)

Bonnie joined the Lady Bulldogs and for the first time played organized hockey with all women. The Lady Bulldogs eventually became part of the Women's Hockey Association of Minnesota (WHAM) — which Bonnie has been a member of for 41 years. She has never stopped.

In 2007 she was inducted into the Minnesota Women's Hockey Hall of Fame. In December 2023 Duluth honored her with "Bonnie's Night at the Rink" — a banner-raising ceremony at Essentia Duluth Heritage Center before a Duluth Northern Stars girls hockey game. Her granddaughters, unlike her, got to play high school hockey. She's proud — and a little wistful.

"You know, I'm happy for them. But on the other hand, I'm very sad that I didn't have that opportunity. What if? Maybe I would never have gone far, but I didn't have the opportunity."

Today Bonnie skates two to three times a week, playing as center in a co-ed league. She is three times the age of some of her teammates. Off the ice she curls, downhill skis, golfs, and tends to her lakeside property. She attributes her longevity to genetics — her parents lived to almost 97 — and to staying active.

"The game revitalizes you. After a game I feel so excited and full of energy. That's the best."

"Hockey is in my blood. I had the opportunity to play, they took it away from me once, and I'm not going to have that happen ever again. I just love it."

Watch: Bonnie's Story — UMD Feature

Produced by the University of Minnesota Duluth

Listen: NPR Weekend Edition — March 2026

Career Highlights

• First girl to play organized hockey in Duluth, Minnesota — 1951
• Got a paper route to buy her own hockey gear — determined from age 7
• Taught Robb Stauber (Hobey Baker winner, NHL player, 2018 Olympic Gold Medal coach)
• Returned to hockey at age 40 — joined UMD Lady Bulldogs
• Member of WHAM (Women's Hockey Association of Minnesota) — 41 years
• Inducted into the Minnesota Women's Hockey Hall of Fame — 2007
• Honored with "Bonnie's Night at the Rink" banner-raising — December 2023, Duluth
• Featured on NPR Weekend Edition, MPR News, USA Hockey, UMD News, and The Female Quotient
• 2026 USA 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee