Hilda Ranscombe

Hilda Doris Ranscombe (September 3, 1913 – August 25, 1998) was a Canadian ice hockey player. She served for ten seasons as the Preston Rivulettes captain, and led the team to ten consecutive Ladies Ontario Hockey Association championships, five Eastern Canadian titles, and four national championships. She was considered one of the best female hockey players of her time, possessing natural speed and talent, that compared to players in the National Hockey League. Ranscombe was twice a finalist for the Lou Marsh Trophy, and twice inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame–as an individual athlete in 2015, and as a member of the Rivulettes in 2022.

Early life Hilda Doris Ranscombe was born on September 3, 1913, in Doon, Ontario, according to her birth certificate; however, the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame lists September 11, 1913, as her birth date. Both of her parents were born in England. Her father George was born in Berkshire, and her mother Ada Amato was born in Oxfordshire. She was the youngest of nine children, and had six sisters and two brothers. She began a hockey career when her summer softball team became an ice hockey team for the winter. She served as the Rivulettes team's captain for all ten seasons, and was credited as being the "heart and soul of the team". Teammate Ruth Dagel said that "Hilda took me under her wing, showing me some of the finer skills and how to be a professional both on and off the ice. She was our captain, and patiently and enthusiastically shared her knowledge and love of the sport".

Ranscombe was a high-scoring player, but no official statistics were kept. In 1938, Bobbie Rosenfeld nominated Ranscombe for the Norman Craig Memorial trophy awarded to the most outstanding female athlete in Ontario, and described Ranscombe as a "natural and gifted player", who "looks invincible with puck and stick". In May 1998, she was inducted into the same hall as an individual athlete, and the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame posthumously named Ranscombe its female athlete of the 20th century, in 1999. Ranscombe was also inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame as both an individual athlete, and as a member of the Rivulettes.

Personal life

Ranscombe enjoyed playing other sports including softball, golf, tennis and bowling. She followed hockey on television, and specifically the Canada women's national ice hockey team. Pieces of Ranscombe's uniform and equipment are also in a display at the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and Parks Canada unveiled a commemorative plaque in 2017, at the Preston Auditorium to honour the Rivulettes. Ranscombe and her team were featured in the book Queens of the Ice by Carly Adams,