Ice Hockey
Breaking women’s hockey barriers with Laila Edwards
The 2024 Bob Allen Award winner shares her fitness routine and how she wants to transform the sport of hockey.
Laila Edwards wants to leave a legacy in hockey.
The junior forward at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the first Black woman to play on the US Women’s National Team and aims to grow the sport of hockey, specifically by inspiring marginalized communities to participate in the sport and to help close the socio-economic gap that prevents many from ever reaching the ice.
While Edwards herself is a trailblazer, she may not have had the representation in the sport growing up that she’s become. But she did have her dad.
“My dad played hockey growing up, so he got me and my siblings into it when we were around three,” Edwards said. “I started pretty early with figure skating because they’re really good skaters, and that taught me how to skate. Then I switched over to hockey, which I loved.”
One of Edwards’ favorite elements of hockey is its competitiveness, and she found herself looking forward to the more interactive and physical elements of the sport—elements that for her, weren’t as present while figure skating one-on-one with an instructor.
More of Edwards’ friends were also playing hockey at a young age, which drove her to keep playing as well. Now at 20 years old, the sport is her life, and she adheres to a unique physical and nutritional regime to ensure she maximizes her potential on the ice.
“I’ve usually eaten what I’ve liked, but I’ve felt the benefits of making sure I’m getting the right amount of calories and being selective where my protein is coming from,” Edwards said. “I think that really helps with anaerobic and aerobic conditioning because I’ll have the energy to do it. It’s hard to do conditioning when you don’t have the energy.”
For physical exercise, Edwards said she’s pretty laid back until the actual game.
“For games, we typically won’t have class those days, but I’ll make sure I wake up and get on the ice for a little pre-game skate before 7:00 p.m.—our average game time,” Edwards said. “I’m not big on coffee, so I like to have a can of Red Bull. I’ll have one by 2:00 p.m. and will then have a nice pre-game meal of pasta or chicken and rice and will then get ready for the game.”
Then, to gear up for game time, she’ll crack open another Red Bull.
“I’ll sip on it on the way to the game and will finish it right before offensive warmups—so I’m firing on all cylinders come game time,” she said.
“Off-season prep is way harder than in-season prep because you’re trying to get ready for in-season and you’re giving it your all,” Edwards said. “In-season, you have to leave something in the tank for games and practices because you don’t want to overdo it and get burned out.”
In-season, Edwards said she only works out about three times per week, with conditioning once or twice per week, and practices four times per week. But in the offseason, she’s completing harder workouts daily and getting on the ice.
This off-season, Edwards created a specific workout plan to address what she wanted to improve upon during the upcoming season.
“I look at what I need to work on and what I can excel in,” Edwards said. “I know what I’m already good at, and I look at ways to better it. This past summer, I wanted to work more on my explosiveness, so I spent 70 percent of my focus off-ice completing exercises that would improve it. I still work at everything else—because you can never be ‘too good’ at anything—but there are just certain things I focus on more than others depending on the season.”
For the current season, Edwards has been taking care of her body, making sure she’s fueled, with her sights set on dominating the sport of hockey.
“I want to compete for my country and go to the pro league,” she said. “There are a lot of things I want to achieve personally but I also want to grow the game, especially for people of marginalized backgrounds—just being that face or being that someone who can motivate someone else to try hockey or stick with hockey and leave an impact.”
It’s a mission she hopes will help motivate kids of any color or gender to play hockey, especially because of the economic barrier to entry.
“I’m partnering with Wisconsin Youth Hockey and USA Hockey to put on skating sessions and introduce people of color to hockey,” Edwards said. “We’re giving them equipment for free and teaching them the basics. Hockey equipment is so expensive—one of the hardest parts about getting into it—so by offering free equipment, I’m hoping people try it out, like it, and will want to keep coming back. We’ll also have paid for the ice time, which is also very expensive, so helping people not have to worry about finances is a good start. I’d like to continue carving the path for others.”