‘My goal is to get better and push myself’

CALGARY – Kati Tabin thought she was done with hockey.

Not once, but twice did the Winnipegger figure she was walking away from the game she loved.

The first time came after the pandemic robbed Tabin of the tail end of her senior season in the NCAA with Quinnipiac University in 2020.

Armed with two degrees and uncertain about what options might be available in the professional ranks of women’s hockey, Tabin opted for the security of a job as a marketing director at a resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

There was only one problem: her passion for hockey didn’t dwindle by being off the ice.

“I decided to step away from the game, which is crazy to think about now,” said Tabin, who is one of 30 Olympic hopefuls on the women’s national team roster taking part in the orientation camp this week in Calgary.

“I had two degrees and I was thinking that maybe I would try something in the business or marketing world, that’s what I wanted to do. I ended up working in Wisconsin, but I swear that every day, I missed hockey. Looking back, I needed that. I needed to step away to realize that I really want this badly, if that makes sense. At the time, I didn’t know that. There were not very many opportunities to play anywhere and I didn’t have much money leaving college.

“Do you go play in a league and make maybe $5,000 or do you get a real job? In my brain, it was get a real job and hockey is over. Looking back at that and thinking about quitting is insane, but it’s just part of my journey.”

“I needed to step away to realize that I really want this badly, if that makes sense.–Kati Tabin

The journey included a trip to visit some friends that morphed into a successful tryout with the Connecticut Whale in the fall of 2021, only to run into another setback.

After suiting up in six games in the Premier Hockey Federation with the Whale (who were coached by fellow Winnipegger and former NHLer Colton Orr), Tabin encountered some visa issues and essentially found herself back to square one.

Was it all worth it, and could she actually make a go of it as a professional hockey player?

After careful consideration, Tabin took a job as a coach at the RINK Hockey Academy — once again thinking it could be the end of the line for her playing days.

While Tabin enjoyed the work she was doing on the ice with the next generation, she realized that there was something left in her own tank.

“That’s when I really started to miss it and realized I was so young and had so much time (to play). You can quit when you’re 50 or way longer down the road,” said Tabin.

“Once I realized what I wanted, it was like, ‘screw it. Go for it. You have so much room for growth. Let’s see what happens.’ Definitely a tough time, but it was good in a way.”

“You can quit when you’re 50 or way longer down the road.”–Kati Tabin

Fast forward a few months and Tabin found herself suiting up for the Toronto Six squad of the PHF that captured the Isobel Cup.

When the Professional Women’s Hockey League launched, Tabin was drafted in the fifth round (30th overall) by the Montreal Victoire and she’s spent the past two seasons patrolling the blue line, often with frequent national team member Erin Ambrose.

“The first season (of the PWHL) was like, ‘holy crap, this is happening, this is here to stay,’ and then this year, it was kind of showing everyone that it’s only going to keep getting better,” said Tabin, who spent three seasons playing for Balmoral Hall when she was in high school.

“The product is getting better. More fans are coming, more merch is coming, more sponsors are coming. Overall, it’s just nice to be in an environment where you know there’s just so much room for growth.”

Speaking of growth, Tabin has gone from thinking she might not ever play competitive hockey again to becoming one of the top defenders in women’s hockey.

Still, there was an element of disbelief when national women’s team head coach Troy Ryan called to inform Tabin she was selected to be part of the orientation camp.

“I don’t know, it’s crazy,” said Tabin. “I think it’s taken me up until I hopped on the plane for it to really let it settle in. You are one of the best D in the world. You are in the mix with all of the best D in the world for Canada. Now you’ve just got to go out there and show it. It’s kind of been an oh-my-God pinch-me moment.

“I haven’t been a part of Hockey Canada since, I think, 2018 (for the national women’s development team), so to now be invited to this — in an Olympic year — is just unbelievable. I’m just trying to take it all in and enjoy it.”

Tabin is one of two Manitobans at the orientation camp on the women’s side, joining fellow blue-liner Jocelyne Larocque, a Ste. Anne product, who is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and longtime national team member.

“I’ve looked up to her for so long. Not only in this league, but past leagues, the Olympics, worlds, the rivalry series (between Canada and the U.S.). It’s crazy the amount of achievements that she has, so it’s really cool to have someone here like her to look up to but also compete against,” said Tabin.

“I’m excited to learn, honestly, from a lot of these girls. I know they have so much experience and I’m definitely new here. But I’m more than open to hear what they have to say and learn from them on the ice.”

Tabin, 28, is inexperienced when it comes to playing on the international stage, so it’s up to her to show over the next few months that she warrants an opportunity to represent her country in Italy in February.

“My goal is to get better and push myself,” said Tabin. “When I was younger, I was primarily just an offensive defencemen. Going into college, I balanced it out to focus on my D-zone. I’ve just gotten stronger to become more well-rounded.

“To be able to jump in the rush and create offensive chances, but also be a shutdown D. I feel like I’ve worked on my game overall. And my mental game as well, which is a huge thing that a lot of people don’t talk about much.”

Part of the strengthening of that mental game was having the game taken away from her, even if Tabin was the one who chose to step away at the time.

“I feel like if you take a step away from anything, you appreciate it more,” said Tabin, who recently signed a two-year extension with the Victoire. “Not that I ever took hockey for granted, but you even think of the moments with your teammates. Something as simple as that, I missed that.

“I missed skating, the practices, I missed it all. You just grow an appreciation for everything and that just helped me realize that after you take a step back, if you’re really committed to coming back, then you can really go far. That was my mindset. Stepping away helped me in a way that is backwards to think about. But that’s my story.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld