This Virginian Holds the Record as the World’s Oldest Woman to Play Ice Hockey
Linda Sinrod, who holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest female hockey player in the world, shakes hands with Alex Ovechkin, during the Washington Capitals Women in Hockey Night on March 9, 2024. Photo by Jess Rapfogel and the Washington Capitals. Nearly 50 years ago, at the age of 35, Linda Sinrod laced up […]
Linda Sinrod, who holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest female hockey player in the world, shakes hands with Alex Ovechkin, during the Washington Capitals Women in Hockey Night on March 9, 2024. Photo by Jess Rapfogel and the Washington Capitals.
Nearly 50 years ago, at the age of 35, Linda Sinrod laced up her ice skates for the first time since graduating college. She had just been laid off from her job and decided to rekindle her passion for figure skating on an icy pond in Annandale. On the ice, she met the founder of a Northern Virginia women’s hockey team, the Washington Redcoats, who urged Sinrod to join. With zero ice hockey background but a love for competition, Sinrod thought why not?
Last month, Sinrod hung up her skates for the last time, at age 84. She holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest woman to play ice hockey.
Now, if you’re anything like us, you probably have lots of questions. How does an 84-year-old stay in shape to play competitive ice hockey? Did she ever get hurt? We sat down with Sinrod (who also happens to be the mother of New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker) to hear her story—from her first day on that Annandale pond to her last day at the MedStar Iceplex.
Linda Sinrod of the Prince William Wildcats takes on an opponent during the league playoffs in 2013. Photo Courtesy of Linda Sinrod.
The following has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How and when did you originally start playing ice hockey?
Back in 1960, when I was a sophomore in college, my roommate was a figure skater and she got me into figure skating. That was the last that I skated until 1975, when one day I just decided to go out to the pond near the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. I started trying to do one of the jumps that I had done. That’s when Marylin Schnibbe came up to me and asked if I would play ice hockey. I was a member of one of the first and in fact the only [women’s] ice hockey team in the Washington area for our first year.
Tell me more about when you started playing for the Redcoats. And how did you come to love it?
As soon as I started playing I loved it. I borrowed some equipment, including a hockey stick, which I had never used before. I had trouble learning how to stop. But, I just loved everything about it.
I was ten years older than the next oldest person playing. Some of them had even played ice hockey in college. After 10 years, I decided I was too old to play, so I quit.
It wasn’t until I was 67 that I was retired [from her job] and decided to try to come back. I was looking up my old teammates and I found one who was coaching a team in Woodbridge, the Prince William Wildcats. So I contacted her.
Why did you decide to get back on the ice at age 67?
Frankly, I was bored. When I looked up some of my old teammates, some of them were still playing. In fact, three of them still are. I said to myself, why not try again and see what happens?
What positions did you play?
I was always a left wing. When I was with the Washington Redcoats, which was the first team, we played all up and down the East Coast. With the Prince William Wildcats, we played teams up in Pennsylvania and down in North Carolina; we played all over the place.
In 2016, I was 17 years older than the next oldest player and they decided I wasn’t competitive enough—which I wasn’t. So, basically, they kicked me off the team.
How did that moment feel and how did you continue playing?
Well, obviously I was disappointed and a little hurt, because I had been with them for so long. But, I was already playing at the MedStar ice rink in an in-house league and we don’t play teams outside the ice rink. Originally, they divided us up into four teams. And each season they would re-pick the teams based on how well they skated. Now, they have eight teams out there. Anybody can play if they’re 18 or older and no skill level is required.
Did you ever get injured?
Well, three times, only one of which was serious. The first time, I had gone to a Can/Am Hockey training camp in 1977. One of the things they had us do—we were all women—we would hip-check each other, even though we don’t do that in a game. The winner was the person who lasted the longest. Well, at that time, my ice hockey pants were not as well cushioned as they should have been. I ended up with a broken tailbone.
The second time was the more serious one, and that was in February of 2009. I was practicing with the Wildcats and another girl and I backed into each other. I twisted my leg as I went down and hit the ice. I had a medial and a lateral meniscus tear of my left knee, and that required surgery. It was about five or six months before I could come back and play.
The last one was funny, actually. That November, of 2009, I was playing with a couple teams at the Prince William ice rink and suddenly I found myself flat on my back on the ice. My helmet had flown off. The next thing I knew, I was in the locker room with everyone else, changing my clothes, and I had no idea how I had gotten there. I had a concussion. Which resolved fairly quickly. Those are my only injuries.
How have you stayed fit?
Once I started playing ice hockey, I biked three times a week and I lifted weights twice a week. I’ve continued to do that all through the years and I still do it today. I have an indoor bike, and in the wintertime that’s what I use. But I also bike outdoors.
I have a strict schedule. I bike Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and lift weights on Tuesdays and Saturday nights while my husband and I watch TV. I spend about an hour lifting weights. We like watching Shark Tank, we like The Conners, we’ll watch Love is Blind once it’s on again, and we like Undercover Boss.
So after 50 years, what have been some of the most memorable moments of your hockey career?
The year 2012 was one of my most memorable, because out of all the 60 players at MedStar, I had the most assists, which was very unusual. I had 11 compared to the next highest, which was seven. Believe me when I say that other people were a lot better than I was. I was never a goal scorer; I was somebody who did assists. I would pass and let somebody else score the goal.
When we were the Redcoats, since we were the only team in the southern division, we won the southern division, which meant we could go to the Nationals. The year I remember most is when we went to Lake Placid the year after the US team had won the “Miracle on Ice.” Skating on that rink after that was one of my most memorable moments.
Also, one of my most memorable moments would have been when I was invited to participate in the ceremonial puck drop at the March 9, 2024, Capitals Hockey game and shake [Alex] Ovechkin’s hand. I went along with four other women—one was six, one was 12, and one was 27—who were in the learn-to-play program at MedStar.
Did anyone else in your family play ice hockey? Did your kids or your husband ever play?
Nope, I was the only one.
When you broke the Guinness World Record, did you know about it prior? Did you continue to play in order to beat the record? Or was it happenstance?
Well, the rink had of course closed during Covid. In about 2021, they opened for a short session. I played about seven times and, at that point, the Delta variant was getting worse. My husband told me I needed to quit, so I quit and I hadn’t thought anything about the Guinness World Record at that point. The following year, after not playing and being bored, I looked it up to see who was the oldest women’s ice hockey player. That’s when I discovered that my time of playing the previous year would beat it. So that’s when I applied for the Guinness World Record.
In October of 2023, I had felt a pain at the top of my left leg. It was not a hockey injury, although it did happen when I was going into the rink. It was a partial tear of my glute medius and my glute minimus tendon. I saw a doctor and had a cortisone shot and two PRP injections and physical therapy. Even when the doctor told me it was only 50 to 60 percent healed and he said I risked tearing it if I played again, I said I wanted to play again to break my record. So I went out and played five times in the fall of 2024, quit on November 4, and applied for [another] Guinness World Record.
I was assigned somebody there who would answer my questions and I asked her if all the things I had submitted the previous time would work. She told me no, that I needed a video. I couldn’t produce a video of November 4. So that is why I went out one more time on April 7 to shoot the video. I have submitted everything and she’s assured me there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be accepted. So I will have established a new record that would be at 84 years and 198 days.
Have you heard from anyone about how your story has inspired them?
The three women and girls at the ceremonial puck drop all said that they were inspired. In fact, one of them said she was inspired to break my record.
Why did you finally decide to hang up your skates and retire?
As I mentioned, the doctor said that I really should not be playing and that I risk tearing those tendons again. But truthfully, it’s not as fun as it used to be when you’re this old. You can’t keep up with everybody else and therefore they’re not going to pass to you because they know somebody’s going to be on top of you instantly. I don’t get the puck as quickly because I’m not as fast, so I don’t even get to touch the puck too often.
I’m thankful I was able to play as long as I have. It certainly has produced many memorable moments.
Linda Sinrod on the ice for the Prince William Wildcats in 2010. Photo Courtesy of Linda Sinrod.
Knox-Jones and Guerrero Alvarez Garner ITA Regional Awards
By: Dan Richeal
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TEMPE, Ariz.—The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its men’s regional awards. Dartmouth’s Alex Knox-Jones and Carlos Guerrero Alvarez earned regional awards. Knox-Jones was named ITA New England Region Most Improved Player. In his senior season he had a 9-7 record in dual single matches while being […]
TEMPE, Ariz.—The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced its men’s regional awards. Dartmouth’s Alex Knox-Jones and Carlos Guerrero Alvarez earned regional awards.
Knox-Jones was named ITA New England Region Most Improved Player. In his senior season he had a 9-7 record in dual single matches while being 14-6 in doubles play. Knox-Jones played in multiple positions this season for the Big Green as he won matches in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth singles while also winning doubles matches in first, second, and third doubles. He finished his career with 116 career wins.
Guerrero Alvarez was named the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Leader & Sportsmanship award. Guerrero Alvarez was the first singles player for the Big Green this season and won seven matches in dual matches. Throughout the season he had a 20-15 record in both tournament play and dual match format. Following the season, he was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, he closed his career with 106 wins at Dartmouth.
Connor Hellebuyck’s journey to NHL stardom was formed at UMass Lowell
He was about 90 minutes from playing in the biggest game of his life. But if Connor Hellebuyck was nervous, he was doing a fantastic job of hiding it. It was March 29, 2012 and UMass Lowell was set to face perennial national power Wisconsin in an NCAA Tournament hockey game at the Verizon Wireless […]
He was about 90 minutes from playing in the biggest game of his life.
But if Connor Hellebuyck was nervous, he was doing a fantastic job of hiding it.
It was March 29, 2012 and UMass Lowell was set to face perennial national power Wisconsin in an NCAA Tournament hockey game at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.
The sun was shining and the 4:30 p.m. puck drop was approaching. Some 50 feet outside the arena, a group of River Hawk players, 8-10 or so, enjoyed a beautiful late afternoon day.
Positioned in a circle, the players took turns heading a soccer ball and trying to keep the ball from hitting the ground. They were laughing and right in the middle of the action was a smiling Hellebuyck.
When the game started, the unheralded freshman goaltender stymied the Badgers before a crowd of 8,049. By game’s end, the scoreboard read UMass Lowell 6, Wisconsin 1, and Hellebuyck had calmly turned aside 31 shots. The only shot that sailed past him came on a Wisconsin power play.
The next night, a larger crowd turned out. The majority of fans were supporting the University of New Hampshire. The Wildcat fans made plenty of noise, but Hellebuyck was unbeatable, turning aside 28 shots to pace UML to a 2-0 win and leading the River Hawks to their lone Frozen Four appearance in Pittsburgh.
UMass Lowell’s Connor Hellebuyck, left, celebrates with teammates Jake Suter, Doug Carr (31) and Michael Kapla (3) after the team defeated New Hampshire 4-0 in the Hockey East championship game in Boston on Saturday, March 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
On Thursday, now a seasoned professional, Hellebuyck learned he had been named the winner of the Hart Trophy as the MVP of the National Hockey League. Everyone who follows hockey knew he was a lock to win his third Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender.
But MVP? The best player in hockey? Wow, that’s heady stuff and quite the journey for Hellebuyck, who wasn’t a blue chip recruit when he committed to Norm Bazin and UMass Lowell.
Just a few seasons earlier, Bazin had inherited a program on thin ice. The River Hawks were coming off a nightmarish five-win season.
Hellebuyck produced two fantastic seasons at UML before turning pro and joining the Winnipeg Jets, the team that had drafted him.
As a UML freshman, Hellebuyck played in 24 games. He compiled a 20-3-0 record and posted eye-popping numbers of 1.37 (goals against average) and .952 (save percentage) and came within a bounce of the puck of leading UML to the national championship game.
In Pittsburgh, playing in the national semifinal, UML was outshot 47-18 by Yale, but Hellebuyck gave his team a chance, allowing the River Hawks to overcome a 2-0 deficit and force overtime. In OT, Yale pocketed the winner.
As a sophomore, Hellebuyck was again otherworldly, leading the River Hawks to the regional final and recording a 1.78 goals against average and .941 save percentage. He became the first recipient of the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top goaltender. Somehow, however, he wasn’t even a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
UMass Lowell goalie Connor Hellebuyck blocks a shot during the third period of an NCAA Final Four college hockey game against Yale in Pittsburgh on Thursday, April 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar)
Hellebuyck opted to turn after his sophomore season. He continued his strong play in the American Hockey League and his success continued when he was called up the NHL by Winnipeg.
Winnipeg isn’t a destination for NHL stars. In fact, free agents rarely even contemplate playing there. But Hellebuyck is the major reason the Jets have been a more than respectable franchise and this season Hellebuyck guided the team to the most points in the league during the regular season.
In being named the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner, Hellebuyck became a rare double winner. Goaltender is often described as the most important position in hockey, but rarely is a netminder a Hart finalist, never mind a winner.
To win the Hart Trophy this season, Hellebuyck beat out high-scoring forwards Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), the other finalists. Offense sells and people love to see the likes of Draisaitl fill up nets with pucks.
Draisaitl and Kucherov will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame when their careers are over. They’re likely to be joined by a 6-foot-4 goaltender from Commerce, Mich., who accepted a scholarship offer from UMass Lowell when few schools were knocking down his door.
Draisaitl was drafted third overall. Kucherov was selected in the second round. They were supposed to be stars.
Hellebuyck? He was taken in the sixth round (130th overall) by Winnipeg in 2012. Hellebuyck had to grind away in the minors and prove himself before he was given a chance to play in the world’s best league.
The most valuable player in the planet’s best hockey league for the 2024-25 season was developed at UMass Lowell.
Think about the NHL’s top stars. Connor McDavid. Draisaitl. Kucherov. Nathan MacKinnon. Cale Makar. Sidney Crosby. Just to name a few. That’s a staggering amount of talent. And they were beaten out for the NHL’s top individual award by a guy who wasn’t guaranteed to play in college at the Division 1 level.
Broad College adopts new curriculum, students to earn Bachelor of Science
The Broad College of Business announced a series of curriculum updates last week, including a transition from a Bachelor of Arts in Business to a Bachelor of Science in Business starting fall 2025. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Richard Spreng said that, after some analysis, administrators found that most business colleges across the country either […]
The Broad College of Business announced a series of curriculum updates last week, including a transition from a Bachelor of Arts in Business to a Bachelor of Science in Business starting fall 2025.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Richard Spreng said that, after some analysis, administrators found that most business colleges across the country either grant a B.S. or a Bachelor of Business Administration, so they decided to make the change.
He said he’s not sure of the history of why MSU has been granting a B.A., but it never should have been the case.
B.S. degrees are generally granted for degrees that require more quantitative analysis, and the new change “better reflects what the curriculum has always been,” he said.
Course updates
Spreng said the degree name is just a change in nomenclature. But in terms of curriculum, the college announced the introduction of four courses to the list of requirements: ITM 208, ITM 210, BUS 200 and BUS 400.
The ITM courses, Information Systems and Algorithmic Thinking for Business and Business Analytics respectively, are replacing CSE 102 and ITM 209, two technical courses previously required for the degree. The changes were made in favor of courses designed more for business students, Spreng said.
The new requirements are the same amount of credits, only it now integrates the Python and Excel skills taught in the CSE class with a business-oriented curriculum as opposed to a computer science course.
CSE 102 was also previously a requirement to be accepted into the College of Business, so the change in curriculum brings it in-house, Spreng said.
Teagan Dixon, the instructor for the ITM courses, is enthusiastic about the courses.
She said that, through talking with students over the years, she’s found that they often have a disconnect in their understanding about why they’re taking a Python course as a business student, namely in how that is going to be applicable in their jobs.
By teaching the content in an ITM course, she said she’s able to more clearly relate the subject to other business topics.
She also hopes to help students use generative AI to assist them with tasks.
“I think that students need to learn to use it, not as a crutch, but as a tool that’s going to empower them to do more,” she said. “And I think if we can get them to learn how to do that, it’ll be extraordinarily powerful in the marketplace for our students when they’re competing against other business schools to get jobs.”
More broadly, Spreng said Broad is looking to integrate AI into various courses as opposed to having one standalone course on the subject.
Another course, BUS 200: Foundations of Business: Cross-Functional Perspectives and Practices, is a new three-credit introductory course designed to help students get a baseline understanding of various fields in business.
Spreng said that, while graduating students tend to be very knowledgeable about subjects in their major, they tend not to fully understand how various fields work in tandem with each other.
He also said the course is designed to provide information to students on careers in their chosen fields.
BUS 400: Preparing for Professional Success: Transitioning from University to Career, is a new one-credit course being introduced that is designed to help graduates transition from student life to professional life.
Spreng said the course follows feedback from alumni and employers who have said that students need more socialization in the professional world.
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Outside requirements
In addition to their course requirements, the new curriculum updates have both added and taken away additional requirements for the College of Business.
Students are no longer required to take nine credits of courses outside the business college, of which Spreng said that the university-required general education courses students take already provide the holistic education the nine credits were meant to provide.
He said this gives students more flexibility when choosing business courses to take.
Additionally, the business college is also revising the integrative, non-curricular requirement for students. Over the course of their undergraduate years, students now have to accrue points in one of six pillars: global mindset, entrepreneurial mindset, philanthropic mindset, strategic leadership, culture and community and ethical mindset.
Spreng said Points are earned by attending certain lectures or doing certain asynchronous tasks, all of which are tracked through an app.
“These are mostly things that we’re already doing. It’s just encouraging students to take advantage of some of those [opportunities],” he said.
Discussion
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Where Lightning’s Victor Hedman Finished In Norris Trophy VotingThe final voting results for the Norris Trophy were released on June 11, and without much surprise, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar won the award. The 26-year-old had an incredible season with the Avs, scoring a career-high 30 goals and recording 90 points in 80 games. Now […]
Where Lightning’s Victor Hedman Finished In Norris Trophy VotingThe final voting results for the Norris Trophy were released on June 11, and without much surprise, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar won the award. The 26-year-old had an incredible season with the Avs, scoring a career-high 30 goals and recording 90 points in 80 games.
Jack Nicklaus slams NCAA as he fears for future of golf – ‘They can’t control it’
Jack Nicklaus is one of the most famous golf stars in history thanks to his record 18 major titles wins, but he is worried about the future thanks to the rise of NIL Andrew Gamble Sports Trends Writer 12:31 ET, 14 Jun 2025Updated 12:31 ET, 14 Jun 2025 Jack Nicklaus enjoyed an illustrious collegiate career […]
Jack Nicklaus is one of the most famous golf stars in history thanks to his record 18 major titles wins, but he is worried about the future thanks to the rise of NIL
Andrew Gamble Sports Trends Writer
12:31 ET, 14 Jun 2025Updated 12:31 ET, 14 Jun 2025
Jack Nicklaus enjoyed an illustrious collegiate career before winning a record 18 majors as a pro(Image: Getty Images)
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus criticized the NCAA for failing to “control” NIL which threatens to engulf college sports.
In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled to allow non-scholarship earned income for athletes across every division of college sports based on their name, image, and likeness, opening the door for student-athletes to make millions. However, it has proved to be divisive; major programs can essentially just pay for the best high school talent, while there’s also the transfer portal.
Nicklaus – who offered advice to Tiger Woods’ son Charlie recently – enjoyed a storied collegiate career. Playing for Ohio State, he clinched two U.S. Amateur victories in 1959 and 1961, as well as the NCAA Championship in 1961.
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Given Nicklaus’ status as a champion and legend in both college and the pros, he is uniquely positioned to dissect the impact of NIL and how players might be impacted going forward. The 18-time major champion is not a fan of NIL and is concerned money may dilute true passion for the game.
“Do I like [NIL]? No,” Nicklaus told reporters at Oakmont. “I do not like what’s going on in college athletics today.
“I don’t think a lot of people like what’s going on particularly. I think the athletes like it.
“Most of your scholarship athletes are athletes who could not take a job. They’re sponsored by the school paying for their education, which I think is great, but athletes have never been able to receive any money where they can go home for a weekend or take a girl out on a date or they couldn’t have a job while they were working. That’s part of their deal.
Jack Nicklaus is firmly opposed to NIL in its current form(Image: Getty Images)
“I don’t like that part of it. I think athletes should get a stipend of some kind. I don’t know how much. I think that probably depends on what the situation is.
“But I don’t like the idea that you’ve got the best team money can buy. I don’t like that. I don’t like that part of it.”
The 18-time major champion added: “We’re all caught up into it. All the colleges are caught up into it. I don’t think they can figure out a way to get out of it. I hope they do.
“NCAA evidently has not been able to control it. I think it’s a shame. You see guys today that could go play a fifth year of college football and make more money than if they decide to go into the draft. I don’t think that’s really the right way to see things happen.
5 Talking Points From Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller’s US Open Press Conference
For both Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller, US Open venue Oakmont will always be a huge part of their legacies. Nicklaus was just 22 years old when he beat Arnold Palmer in a playoff at the 1962 tournament to claim the first of his record 18 Major titles. As for Miller, it was at the […]
