Emma Rutherford returns to Canada from the NCAA to become a TV producer
Photo: Rob Foreman
Producing on and off the ice
In Sports October 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
By Devin Jones
The dream of being a TV producer brought Emma Rutherford from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to the Ryerson women's hockey team.
"Throughout school, growing up, I would always put together and edit the end-of-year slideshows or videos, which is where the dream of becoming a producer started," the 21-year-old said.
Rutherford spent the last two years playing hockey for the Plattsburgh Cardinals, a Division III NCAA team at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh, N.Y.
After deciding to stay in the U.S. for school, the Kanata, Ont. native chose Plattsburgh after being impressed by a campus tour.
She had two successful seasons with the Cardinals, racking up 52 points in 60 games and winning two national bronze medals. It was only after being accepted to the media production program did the left-winger approach Ryerson head coach Lisa Haley with the hope of playing for the Rams.
"Once I got in, I talked to coach [Haley] and she said she'd love to have me."
Before Plattsburgh, Rutherford spent the last two years of high school at the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, Vermont, playing in the Junior Women's Hockey League, where she won the league championship twice.
Rutherford describes herself as having a huge personality that "likes to get everyone going." She also expects to bring some offensive skills to the ice. That scoring touch is what Haley is excited to see.
"After looking at what she's capable of, we expect she can bring some scoring ability to the team," Haley said. "We're also going to be relying on her experience."
Rutherford said that while the difference in hockey between the NCAA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport is minimal, she was surprised with all the services available to athletes at Ryerson.
"There was no help, it was just a study hall and that's it," she said of Plattsburgh. "Here they have organizational tips for you at every turn, I love it."
A huge sports fan growing up, Rutherford played both hockey and soccer competitively up until the middle of high school. She opted for the former because "the team aspect of hockey was a lot better than what I found in soccer. There were no dressing rooms in soccer, it was just show up and play."
You can see Rutherford and the Rams play their home opener Oct. 15 against the Brock Badgers at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.