7-year-old hockey player checks NHL to make playing cards more inclusive
Morristown, New Jersey — At age 7, Sabrina Scali is already a slick skater. But it's the move she made off the ice that has scored big.
It all started when her dad, Mike Scali, gave her a deck of National Hockey League playing cards.
"A king and a jack have hockey sticks but queens are cheerleaders, which is not OK," Sabrina said.
It was a slight Sabrina decided to point out to the NHL, writing, "It is unfair none of the queens are hockey players."
"It wasn't like she was asking them. She thought it was obvious that these needed to be changed and wanted to point it out to them," Mike Scali said.
It was a body check the NHL could hardly ignore, replying, "As a young girl you represent everything we believe in, and the power that sports brings us together." The league also promised Sabrina she would receive the first deck of its new playing cards, with the queens now holding hockey sticks.
Sabrina said she was "excited" when she found out the NHL was changing their playing cards. Now, she's a big leaguer, especially when it comes to female empowerment.
