New Brunswick·New
Beth Leroux and Louise Wilkins were on the ice in 1975 when the first ringette league began in Fredericton. Now, 50 years later, generations of their families have coached and played the game they love.
This week’s early bird tournament celebrates 50 years since ringette began in Fredericton
Oliver Pearson · CBC News
· Posted: Nov 18, 2025 2:40 PM EST | Last Updated: 43 minutes ago
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The Fredericton Stars faced off against the Codiac Cyclones in the Under-14 tier one division during last year’s Ed Benoit early bird tournament. (Submitted by Fredericton Youth Ringette Association)
Beth Leroux can remember when ringette first came to town.
It was 1975, and the City of Fredericton had started a women’s league largely made up of softball players trying something new and women who liked to skate but weren’t allowed to play hockey.
“We were kind of a ragamuffin group in that we were all involved in sports and excited to play, but we didn’t have equipment,” said Leroux, who was 32 when she started playing. “So the first sticks we got, hockey sticks, were broken. [We] cut off the blades.”
The sport has come a long way since then,
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