Hailing from the French Alps, Clara Rozier, 25, started playing hockey at an early age. Hockey was not, however, her first sport.
– It was a long time ago. I started when I was seven years old. I come from a small town in France. There was only skiing or hockey. I was already skiing as both of my parents are skiing instructors.
Everyone played hockey, which is also how Rozier ended playing it. Like in many other countries, there were no separate girls' teams.
– All of my friends were playing hockey, including my best friend. So, I was like okay, maybe I should try. I tried it and I never stopped.
– I used to play with boys, because we don't have enough girls playing hockey to have U18 girls' teams in France.
Rozier played her first games in the French women's league in 2012–13. Too good for the women's league already at age 15, she continued playing against boys, but in a girls' team.
– I moved to the national center when I was in high school. I played some five years there.
– It was really the only option in France. We were a girls' team, playing against boys' teams. A perfect combo.
Initially Rozier split the time playing against boys and women. The French Ice Hockey Federation mandated that the national center players also had to play in the women's league.
– There were some women's teams, but the level wasn't good enough for our development. I played two seasons with Neuilly-sur-Marne, because we had to also play in the women's league to get more games and also develop the women's league.
– Back then there were two divisions in the women's league and the top division had only four teams. The players of the national center were assigned to three of those teams. We won the championship in both seasons.
A rule change then permitted her and her teammates to play only against boys' teams.
– The federation changed the rules and then there was only one division. We no longer had to play in the women's league.
Playing in the women's league would have stunted Rozier's development. According to her, the situation has remained the same to this day.
– The women's league in France is kind of just for fun. The level is not that good. There aren't that many players and a team can have players that are 15 years old and 45 years old. Some may have started playing hockey just recently.
"She is famous in Finland as she has played on the national team. It was easy to trust her."
Things changed for Rozier when the national development team, the Pôle France Féminin, was relocated from the French Alpine region to the outskirts of Paris. Instead of packing her bags and following the team from Chambéry to Cergy, she decided that it was best for her to stay home.
– The national center was close to my hometown. It was in the mountain region, so it was easy for me to get there.
– They chose to move the team to Paris, but I'm not really a city girl. So, I didn't want to go there. Instead, I played one more year with a boys' U17/U20 team close to my hometown. But then COVID happened.
With everything shut down, she had time to think what she wanted.
– At first, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to leave France. I had a job and I thought that if I leave, I don't know where I'm going, whether I'll be also working while playing hockey, and how my life will be. It was a bit scary to leave.
– I had to choose if I still wanted to play with boys or if I wanted to play in a women's league that is more professional than the one we have in France.
Moving abroad
After weighing her options, Rozier was in contact with teams in Finland and Sweden. While the level of play would have been better in Sweden, other factors played a bigger role in choosing where to play.
– I was also talking with a club in Sweden, but it was easy to choose Helsinki, because Emmanuelle [Passard] and Athéna [Locatelli] were already playing here.
– It was easier for me to move here and not go somewhere where I'd be alone. With Helsinki, I already knew what the level is and in what role I'd be playing. With Sweden, I didn't know anything.
Her team, HIFK, made the choice easy for her. A familiar face in the coaching staff was able to convince her that moving to Finland was in her best interest.
– There also was the coach, Saara Niemi, who had been working with the French national team before I joined HIFK. She is famous in Finland as she has played on the national team. It was easy to trust her.
– That's also how Emmanuelle and Athéna ended up in Helsinki. All that gave me confidence to move here.
Rozier credits the French duo for helping her to get acquainted to her life abroad. It's unlikely that she'd be where she is now without them.
– It was good that Athéna and Emmanuelle were already here, because we could spend time together in Helsinki.
– It also helped with getting to know the other players. It's a lot easier when you can get to know people through someone else.
"The conditions are really good. We practice a lot, and we have a lot of people working with us."
Playing her third season in Finland, Rozier is happy with how things turned out, despite having vacillated on whether to move abroad or not.
– It's been really good. I'm actually a bit surprised how good things have been.
– The culture is completely different: how people are and how people live. It was nice to get to discover a new country, a new culture.
The tight schedule has been particularly to her liking. There is no shortage of hockey for her.
– There are a lot of games compared to what we had in France. That was a really good thing for me, to play as much as possible.
– The conditions are really good. We practice a lot, and we have a lot of people working with us. It's kind of like what we have with the [French] national team, but now I get to enjoy those conditions the whole season. That's perfect!
Despite her stellar first season in Finland, Rozier downplays her role in the team and gives credit to the whole team. While she enjoyed plenty of ice time, time on ice had to be earned.
– I think I improved a lot during the first season. When you play, it's easy to improve.
– I got to play a lot, also on powerplay. Of course, I had to show that I was ready for it.
The ecstasy of gold
HIFK has steadily improved during her time with the team. In her first season the team grabbed the bronze. In her second season, her team earned the silver.
– We won bronze in the first season. We didn't have the best players, but we had very good team spirit. That's how we were able to get the bronze.
– Last season we improved. We had better players, but we also had a very good team spirit. It helped a lot to win the silver.
For this season, there is only one goal for Rozier and her teammates. There's no doubt about it. Nothing else matters.
"It is, of course, easy to say that now. It's just the beginning of the season."
– Well, gold is the goal.
HIFK has a reputation for being bold and brave and Rozier isn't shy about her team's chances this season.
– A lot of teams, especially Kiekko-Espoo, have lost some of their players, while we have a better team than last season. We have good chances to win the gold.
While there were some initial trials and tribulations at the start of the season, the team started out strong. HIFK has lost only one game this season.
– It was a really good start. We didn't have the whole team, as some players were missing. I think it's going to get even better once we get everyone back in the lineup.
– Plus, we haven't had a lot of time to practice together. Some players were still with their national teams. For example, I arrived quite late because I attended a national team camp.
At the same time, as proud as she might be of her team and its success so far, Rozier acknowledges that there's plenty of hockey to play before any medals will be handed out. Handling the pressure of being the favorite to win the championship will likely be the biggest hurdle for the team.
– It is, of course, easy to say that now. It's just the beginning of the season. We have to play and prove that we can do it.
– Sometimes it is hard to be the title contender. I think it's easier to be the underdog.
Here to play
The playing format changed for this season in the Finnish women's league. Instead of being split into two stages, there is now a clear-cut regular season, followed by playoffs for the top eight teams or, alternatively, by relegation series for the bottom two teams.
Rozier states that she did not mind the previous system.
– When I arrived here and they explained it to me, I was like I don't really care. I just want to play. I'm here to just play hockey.
But simplicity has its charms. The new system is easier to comprehend for everyone involved.
– In the past, I had never seen anything like it. This is more normal. It's easier. You just play. No need to think if you'll be in the top six or not.
– I think it's better this way and then just continue with the playoffs.
Smells like team spirit
Speaking of success, Rozier kept emphasizing team spirit during the interview. For her, a team is nothing without team spirit. Without that solidarity your team is unlikely to succeed. It is only apt that the French have a term for that, esprit de corps, which is a mixture of pride about one's place in a group and a sense of loyalty to other members of the group.
– You really need to have a good team spirit if you want to achieve.
Incidentally, if there's something that the French player would like to change about Finnish women's hockey, it's the team spirit.
– There are many really good Finnish players in the league, and abroad, but sometimes it feels like there isn't that much team spirit.
– In France it is completely different. We have some players with a lot of talent, but, overall, we simply don't have enough players. It's uncommon for us to have a team where everyone's at the same level, so we need to have good team spirit. If we don't have that, we have nothing.
For Rozier, it's not about the name on the back, but about who's got your back. It's as simple as that.
– There are players who are playing just for themselves and not for the team. I think it's sad because hockey is a team sport.
– I think that's what's missing in Finland. People are playing more for themselves, for their name on the back of their jersey, and not for their team, not for what's on the front of the jersey.
"if you have a really good team spirit, you can achieve a lot more than you would otherwise."
Rozier chuckled during the interview when taking holiday during a major tournament was mentioned in the same context. For her, it's a good example of a lack of team spirit.
– Good players are good players, but if you have a really good team spirit, you can achieve a lot more than you would otherwise.
The problem for her is, however, that the lack of team spirit is actually common in Finland. It's not only the women's national team that suffers from this.
– At times it's hard to miss. You can feel that there's no team spirit. It's often just about who will score most goals. That's pretty sad.
– Obviously you can't be friends with all your teammates, but when you are at the rink, on the ice, wearing the same jersey, you have to trust everyone. It has to work for everyone.
Rozier's gripe has to do with how some players come to think that it's all about them, as if hockey was not a team sport. She takes pride in having helped to instill team spirit into her own team.
– I'm playing hockey because I want to be in a team. I want to be with people. I don't want to play just for myself. If that became the case, I'd choose another sport.
She emphasizes how playing with players from different countries can be an eye-opener.
– I think we have seen the difference in HIFK ever since there have been foreign players on the team. We've helped a lot with the team spirit, especially outside the ice.
Half-hearted hockey bosses
The lack of team spirit is not the only thing Rozier is critical of. While she is content about how things are run in Helsinki, she does not have a lot of good to say about the conditions in the league. For her, the situation is both sad and frustrating.
– The women's league in Finland is good, but I feel like they are not trying to step up. Not much of anything is done to make the women's league more interesting, to make people to come to our games, for example.
– In Finland you have really good national teams, a lot of players, men and women, so the level of play is much better here than in France, but the conditions for the female players are almost the same as they are in France.
It is also worth noting that Rozier is not asking for handouts. Instead, she'd like to see some actual effort by the ice hockey associations, locally, nationally, and internationally.
– Even though there's been a lot of improvement, they should put more effort into women's hockey.
– I think that in Finland it's kind of a waste. There are a lot of good players who want to play hockey, but they lack the necessary top conditions for it.
She stresses that the league is good in terms of the level of play, but it's run poorly. The good thing for her is that she is playing in team that has plenty of support from the club organization, at least when compared to other teams.
– Naisten Liiga is maybe the second or third best league in Europe, so it's really sad how things are.
– Players have to pay to play and it's not cheap at all to play hockey. Each club manages things differently. The budged depends on whether the men's team is helping the women's team.
Nowhere to be seen
Rozier's experience is, of course, limited to playing in only one team in Finland and therefore she is unwilling to comment on how things are handled elsewhere in Finland. But if there's one thing that particularly bothers her at the moment, it is the streaming platform run by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association (FIHA).
– In the first season we were on Ruutu and I think that was really good, because people could watch our games, as well as some other sports and everything else they had.
– I think we've lost people who used to watch our games.
It's very likely to be the case and, to add insult to the injury, ringette, women's hockey's main competitor for future players, as well as for the spectators, currently has a better streaming service deal than women's hockey in Finland.
You can stream ringette for free, at the same as women's hockey is being streamed behind a paywall. Rozier acknowledges that this is a problem for the league and its teams.
– Ringette has better chances to attract more viewers. That's sad.
In her opinion, favoring quantity over quality was a poor choice and not only for women's hockey, but also for the other leagues that are part of the streaming deal. The service chosen by FIHA simply isn't worth the money.
– It's all somewhere, far away, and you can't even really see the puck.
– Now it's just leijonat.tv. For me, it's pretty expensive for what it has to offer. It's just hockey and that's it.
"I think we've lost people who used to watch our games."
Competing against streaming giants with much bigger media libraries and live sports coverage is difficult, if not foolhardy. As the service focuses solely on hockey, it is unlikely that it will result in broader coverage and attract new viewers.
– Sometimes you don't even know that's there's a game on and you end up watching it while browsing a service, but no one will do that on leijonat.tv.
– Things have been done to help women's hockey, to improve it, to make more people watch it, but I think we are going backwards with this.
In addition, technical difficulties are not a thing of the past for the service. While there have been some improvements, Rozier thinks that it's unlikely that people will want to subscribe to a live service that has problems working when it is supposed to.
– Plus, it doesn't always work. If it did and the quality was good, then why not.
– Just last weekend I wanted to watch a game and I couldn't even find it.
To be fair, she acknowledges that the underlying idea is not bad. There is, in a sense, quality to quantity.
– The idea itself is good and it's particularly good for the [players'] families, but for the best league, the best women's league, it's not so good.
Currently, only HIFK is putting in the extra effort to make their games look good.
– I really like to watch our own games, because there are multiple cameras, replays and stuff like this, but I think it's just our club.
– At least it shows that IFK is trying to do their best.
That said, Rozier realizes that there isn't much incentive for the women's teams and the clubs to do what HIFK is doing, to invest in a better streaming product. The club ends up paying for all the equipment and the staff, while getting barely any return for their investment.
Locker room madness
Rozier is a core player in the French national team. She played in the 2019 Women's World Championship in Espoo, Finland. Mentioning the tournament evokes many good memories.
– It was all new for all of us to be at the top. It was amazing. Everyone was super excited about it.
France ended up being relegated back to the first division, but the team did not do poorly in the tournament.
"When we arrived there, it was all completely different from what we thought it would be like."
– We have a lot of good memories of that tournament. We won one game, against Germany, and it was a close game against Sweden. The hardest game was against Czechia. All of the games were low in scoring, so I think we did good.
– A lot of people though that we'd be awful. We showed them that no, we're not Canada, nor Finland, we don't have a lot of good players like they do, but we are still able to play at this level.
The team did surprisingly good, but Rozier acknowledges that they could have done even better.
– I don't think we were ready for it at the time. Had the tournament been last season, I think it would have been much better for us.
It wasn't all good though. French players quickly realized that things were far from glamorous at the top.
– I think we all had great expectations. When we arrived there, it was all completely different from what we thought it would be like.
Rozier has a lot of good to say about the tournament, but the conditions at the venues could and, perhaps, should have been better.
– The old players were like: "I'll be the first one to choose my spot in the locker room."
"We didn't have a locker room. We didn't even have a ceiling.
– We were expecting to have a big locker room. When they showed us the locker room, if you could call it that, it was a shock. Like what is happening? Is this for real? Okay? That's it?
Each team had been reserved a locker room, but the teams were not treated equally.
– We didn't have a locker room. We didn't even have a ceiling. We were in the area between two rinks, where the Zamboni is kept.
– We were supposed to have a locker room, but Sweden chose to have two locker rooms. So, we didn't get one.
For some reason the newcomers were treated worse than the teams that had previously played at the top level.
– I think [the officials] thought it was fine to put us there because it was our first time at the top.
The situation was tragicomic for Rozier.
– It wasn't funny, but, then again, it kind of was, at least in retrospect.
Time to rebuild
France recently made its way back to the top for the 2023 tournament, which will be played in Canada. Rozier is excited to be back at the top and the goal is to remain there.
– It's going to be important for us to stay at the top, especially for the next Olympic qualification. That would help us to get to an "easier" qualification group.
France will face tough opposition in Canada. It will be difficult to avoid relegation as several experienced players retired from the national team following the promotion back to topflight.
– It's going to be hard for us. We've lost a lot of good players. We basically have to build everything again.
At the same time, Rozier is happy for the players who have recently retired from the national team.
– The players who retired from playing in the national team got to retire with a gold medal in division one. It was a really good way to finish their careers in front of a full home audience of 3500 people.
The location is still unknown for the upcoming tournament, as are the venues, but Rozier remains hopeful, of at least one thing:
– We're going to Canada next year. I hope there are more locker rooms there.