Hello Everyone,

My experience in Sweden this season has been so far very good. I have been very fortunate to be with a club that has been very good to myself and my family.
We arrived here in August and everything was in place for the season to begin.
My son Noah,8, attends full swedish school everyday and has become quite accustomed to understanding and speaking the language. He certainly knows more than my husband Tomas and I and doesn't hesitate to correct me or help me any chance he gets!!
My Swedish on the other hand, after 5 months is still quite terrible, but unlike Finland, where i previously played, it is easier to learn. Living here is very nice and easy because the culture is very much like Canada.

Linden Hockey has been a very professional club to play for. It has not been the easiest season for me, as I missed about 15 games with an injury while playing for the Canadian National Women's Team early in the season.
I wasn't sure if the team would want me back, but both the coach and management has allowed me to work my way back and finish the season here, which is all I can ask for. I also really enjoy my teammates.
We have a mix of young and older veteran players and I am sure at times it is very strange to have a woman playing on the team, but they have really been great at welcoming me and treating me like any other player. 
As far as playing in Div. 1, it has been a good experience for me. I think I will leave Sweden a better player than when I arrived and it will help with Olympic preparations when our National Team gets together full time this May to train for Vancouver 2010.

It is an exciting time to compete in an Olympics in Canada, my home country. This will be my 5th Olympic Games and I am certainly looking forward to the moment and defending the gold medal.
Certainly, it is an adjustment coming from the women's game to the men's game. The men are simply bigger, faster stronger, so I must be at my best every practise and every game to have success.
The differences between the style of play generally speaking between Sweden and Canada are quite big. Here the rinks are bigger and the style is a more defensive, trap style game that is based on passing and speed.
On the smaller North American rinks, the style is more up and down, drive to the net and perhaps a bit more physical. I think that Canadians also certainly display their passion for the game more openly than Europeans in general. Swedish hockey overall has alot of skill and you see that in the players.
For example, our practises always have skating and skill work built in and we often play 5 on 5 every practise. In Canada, we would do more competitive battle and game like drills, but we also play more games, so less 5 on 5 in training.

I would also say that in general, Canadian hockey players will shoot the puck more and take it to the net, whereas in Sweden the play tends to favor the pass and the extra move or the cycle out of the corner. For me, it's a great experience to learn this style of Swedish Hockey. It certainly took a number of games to get used to, but there are many things that I can take back to my game in Canada.
The other thing I have noticed in general is that Swedes seem to be more patient in development of players, whereas in Canada if a player is not ready to turn pro after Junior, we tend to write them off because there are so many players. For the amount of players Sweden has, it certainly produces many top athletes not only in hockey but many other sports. This, I have alot of respect for.
So overall, I would say that my experience here in Sweden and Div 1 has been a very good one.
Right now, we are leading this round of playoffs and I hope we can win the series to advance further in the playoffs.
Our team is well coached and has a good mix of speed and skill and practises everyday are high tempo and competitive.

I am not sure what my career holds after the 2010 Olympic Games, but I am grateful to Linden hockey and my teammates for giving me the opportunity to compete day in and day out and develop as a player.
It is certainly an experience of a lifetime and has had its up and downs but it something I will never forget.
Thanks to everyone for your support and interest and see you at the rink!

Hayley Wickenheiser