Britta Curl-Salemme spoke loudest on the ice - and remained silent off it

Article content

Wherever Britta Curl-Salemme has gone, the boos have followed.

What she never has had before is a platform of this scale to shove it right back.

After two games of relentless jeering from the crowd at TD Place, Curl-Salemme responded in the loudest way possible: Scoring both the tying goal in the dying seconds of regulation and the overtime winner, 16:24 into extra time, to even the PWHL final at one game apiece.

Curl-Salemme, the ninth-overall pick at the 2024 PWHL draft, has been a controversial player during her rookie season. Last summer, she came under fire for her activity on social media, where she liked and shared posts that many regarded as anti-transgender and politically polarizing.

After the firestorm of attention she received, Curl-Salemme posted an apology video, stating “I specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals. I just want to apologize and take ownership of that.”

The Frost released a broad statement about inclusivity on the same day, but did not directly reference her.

Her selection by the Minnesota Frost was greeted with boos at Saint Paul’s Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and that noise followed her around all season in some road cities, including Ottawa. The city’s PWHL franchise has proudly connected with the LGBTQ+ community, with fans finding refuge in the team’s brand of inclusivity. For many, Curl-Salemme threatened that space with her polarizing views.

On the ice, she faced the backlash head on. After depositing the game’s equalizer with just 16 seconds on the clock, the 25-year-old forward immediately turned to face the stunned crowd, throwing her arms up in defiance.

More boos rained down from the sellout crowd, but they were just a primer for the ridicule she faced during a TV interview in between two sections of fans before the overtime period.

With a smile on her face, Curl-Salemme spoke about her team’s resiliency over a chorus of impassioned Ottawa Charge fans, who could be heard clearly on the broadcast as they leaned over the railings to hurl insults her way.

As if that weren’t enough, Curl-Salemme delivered the overtime dagger soon after, earning first star honours and another round of emphatic boos.

While the Charge’s Brianne Jenner and Jocelyne Larocque said they didn’t pay much attention to the crowd’s reaction, Larocque conceded that it was impossible to miss.

“You hear it,” she said. “Our crowd is so loud, so we hear cheers and we hear boos, and it just is what it is.”

Coming into Game 2, Ottawa fans already were well-acquainted with Curl-Salemme’s aggressive playing style. After a knee-on-knee collision with the Charge’s Katerina Mrazova in Game 1, many believed Curl-Salemme was due for disciplinary action from the PWHL. She has already received three one-game suspensions this season, including one in Minnesota’s semifinal series against the Toronto Sceptres.

But no word came from the league and it was Curl-Salemme who almost single-handedly tied the series 1-1 heading back to Minnesota, while Mrazova sat out Game 2 with an undisclosed injury.

Even with many being confiscated by arena security, many Ottawa fans managed to sneak disapproving signs into TD Place, with one reading “Hey Britta nobody likes you!!!!!”

Given her impact on the ice, there was no shortage of anticipation for her post-game comments. League staff told reporters Curl-Salemme would be made available, alongside head coach Ken Klee and goaltender Maddie Rooney, in the post-game press conference.

Seconds later, the Frost’s team staff informed reporters defender Lee Stecklein would speak alongside Klee and Rooney and that Curl-Salemme was receiving treatment in the trainer’s room.

When asked about the availability of the game’s first star and Minnesota’s lone goal scorer, Klee said “she’s just taking care of herself.”

“She was outstanding,” he said. “No one’s happier for her than our entire team. She’s obviously had to deal with some adversity and stuff, and she rises above it, and she just goes out, competes hard, and she’s a great person, great player. We’re lucky to have her.”

Curl-Salemme’s teammates avoided commenting on how she handled the adversity of being relentlessly booed every time the puck touched her stick, or whether she gained any satisfaction from scoring two big goals to even the series. Stecklein said she wouldn’t “put words into her mouth.”

“We just focus on ourselves and bring our own energy,” she said. “She was obviously phenomenal tonight and, like coach said, we’re happy to have her in our locker room.”

While league staff indicated Curl-Salemme would be made available the next day in a virtual media press conference, the conflicting messages between the team and the league highlighted the murkiness of her media availability: According to the PWHL, Curl-Salemme was available. The Frost said she wasn’t.

Curl-Salemme rarely has been made available to the media this season. As per Article 20 of the PWHL’s collective bargaining agreement, “A Player shall be available for and participate in appearances and/or interviews … at the request of the PWHL and/or the Team.”

On the ice, Curl-Salemme is playing the part of the villain with remarkable poise and production. She became just the fourth player in PWHL history to score multiple goals in a single playoff game.

Off the ice, the story remains far less clear.