'I want to be a nuisance': Britta Curl-Salemme puts words to her villain status

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On Thursday night, two goals and an arena full of boos said enough for Britta Curl-Salemme in Game 2 of the PWHL Finals.

After taking Curl-Salemme’s spot in the Minnesota Frost’s post-game press conference, defender Lee Stecklein said she wouldn’t put words into her teammate’s mouth about her reception in Ottawa.

So the next day, in a Friday afternoon virtual media availability, Curl-Salemme had the opportunity to put words to the massive impression she made in the first two games of the series.

Between the relentless jeering, her knee-on-knee collision with Ottawa’s Katerina Mrazova and her pair of goals in Game 2 to even the series, the 25-year-old forward has only cemented her status as public enemy No. 1 amongst Charge fans.

The fact that she’s managed to heighten the already deafening noise around her name is a testament to her physical, hard-nosed game, not simply the controversy swirling around her. She gave the sense that the recent attention to her play has only motivated her more.

“I’d rather play in front of a full crowd that’s booing me than an empty one,” she said. “That type of passion, it’s really cool to see. I can’t control how they may feel towards me. It’s all in good fun I think. I think they enjoy that passion and putting it towards something.”

While Curl-Salemme may not have admitted it to the media, a Frost social media post from inside the team’s locker room after Game 2 indicated the adversity is being used as ammunition for their championship repeat bid.

“I just have one message,” Curl-Salemme said with a grin on her face, while receiving the team’s player of the game belt. “It’s Minnesota Frost versus the world.” The short speech was met with a roar of cheers from her teammates, who swung towels and clapped thunderously.

By all accounts, the Wisconsin graduate became the PWHL’s very first villain the moment she was selected ninth overall by the Frost in the 2024 PWHL Draft. That was the reality with Curl-Salemme being involved in a controversy in which many fans labelled her social media activity as anti-transgender and politically polarizing.

“I’m sure some people think that (I’m a villain),” she said. “I try not to get too involved with outside noise or perspectives. I just don’t think that’s helpful for me, for our team, or what I’m trying to do on the ice.”

While the off-ice controversy may not help the team, Curl-Salemme’s physical presence on the ice certainly has. Ironically, the main source of the backlash she now faces arguably stems not from her actions off the ice, but from her assertive play on it. And that’s exactly how she wants it.

“I’m sure it’s annoying as hell being an opponent, or being an opposing fan, (with) the style that I play, and I kind of try to embrace that, obviously to a certain point,” she said.

“I want to be a nuisance. I want to make it hard to play against me.”

With two older brothers and a younger sister, Curl-Salemme grew up with a competitive streak. It’s a trait that is often used as a double standard against women, even as it results in athletic success.

“I never really liked to lose or to get pushed around … It’s just kind of a part of who I am.”

While she admitted she’s still feeling out where the disciplinary line is — she was served three one-game suspensions this season — it was her resiliency and poise that defined Game 2.

“It’s a huge kudos to her that she can focus,” Minnesota coach Ken Klee said. “It’s not easy to do, especially in hostile environments that we play in, but it’s just a huge credit to her and how focused she can remain and stay calm in that moment to be able to finish.”

No matter how you dice it, there’s no ignoring Curl-Salemme, who’s turned boos into fuel — and the PWHL Finals into her stage.