Britta Curl-Salemme's social media activity drew ire. PWHL fans won't let her forget it
As the Professional Women's Hockey League Finals unfold, Britta Curl-Salemme, a 25-year-old league newcomer from Bismarck, N.D., has emerged as one of the stars of the playoffs.
Through two games, the Minnesota Frost forward has two goals, the most of any player in the Finals. Her game-tying and then overtime-winning goals on Thursday against the Ottawa Charge helped tie the series 1-1 heading into Saturday's Game 3 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
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But Curl-Salemme has also been met with a chorus of boos every time she's touched the puck in the best-of-five series, which began in Ottawa on Tuesday.
It's fair to wonder: Is she the new league's first-ever 'villain'?
'I'm sure people think that. I try not to get too involved with the outside noise or perspectives. I don't think that's helpful to me,' Curl-Salemme said on Friday. 'If that's the way it shakes out and I'm doing my job and I'm doing what I'm proud of, and the things I'm supposed to be doing, then that may be it. But I'm not too worried about it.'
Why, exactly, has Curl-Salemme been so polarizing?
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After a successful college career, where she won three NCAA championships with the University of Wisconsin, Curl-Salemme was widely viewed as one of the top prospects in the PWHL's 2024 draft class. But her social media activity stirred controversy in the weeks leading up to the draft. Her 'likes' on X included posts that many viewed to be transphobic — including one post that called Target a 'perverted company' for selling LGBTQ+ merchandise — and politically polarizing.
Curl-Salemme was booed the night of the draft by Minnesota's home crowd at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Her selection drew criticism from fans across the PWHL, a league that has welcomed LGBTQ+ fans.
'I can't really speak to the reasons behind it,' Curl-Salemme said when asked about why she's been met with such animosity throughout her rookie campaign.
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Curl-Salemme wasn't made available to the media after Game 1 or 2 in Ottawa, despite multiple requests. Her comments on Friday in a Zoom media call were among Curl-Salemme's first on fans' reaction to her since posting her apology for the 'hurt' caused by her social media activity nearly a year ago.
'I specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and I just want to apologize and take ownership of that,' she said in her statement at the time. 'I do not and I've never held hate or judgment towards any groups or individuals.'
Despite the apology, the booing has continued in some road cities in the regular season and into the playoffs in Ottawa.
Curl-Salemme's mix of skill and physicality has made her an important part of Minnesota's top-six as it tries to win a second straight PWHL championship. But she's also been criticized throughout the season for crossing the line — something that hasn't earned her many new fans outside of the Twin Cities.
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She has also been suspended three times in her rookie season, including for an illegal hit to the head against Toronto defender Renata Fast in the semifinals. On Tuesday, in Game 1 of the Finals, she collided knee-on-knee with Ottawa forward Kateřina Mrázová, which Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod called a dangerous play. There was no penalty called, or any disciplinary action from the league. That only drew more ire from fans in Canada's capital.
'I'm sure it's annoying as hell being an opponent or being an opposing fan (with) the style that I play and, you know, I kind of try to embrace that obviously to a certain point,' Curl-Salemme said. 'I want to be a nuisance. I want to make it hard to play against me. So yeah, I'm sure that's part of it. But that's not why I do it either.'
She added that finding the line between physicality and a bad hit has been a work in progress.
'I think I was excited just to play in a league that allows more physicality because I think it suits me,' she said. '(But) you've got to be able to find that line of, how do I stay in control and do it in a way that's not going to hurt my team or an opponent.
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'I'm never going out on the ice trying to hurt somebody or do something stupid. That's obviously never the intention, but I think it's just going to take a little bit of maturity in my game and just figuring out how to play that way.'
Despite the criticism and the boos, Curl-Salemme's teammates have stood behind her and said they are 'lucky' to have her in the locker room. On Thursday night, she was given the team's player-of-the-game belt to a rousing cheer.
Frost coach Ken Klee credited Curl-Salemme for her ability to remain calm and deliver in 'hostile environments.' Curl-Salemme said the crowd reaction doesn't change the way she plays, nor does it give her any extra satisfaction when she comes through in a tough road environment like in Ottawa.
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'Personally, I'd rather play in front of a full crowd that's booing me than an empty one,' she said. 'That type of passion is really cool to see. I can't control how they may feel towards me.
'I think they enjoy that passion and putting it towards something. So it's fun to go there. It's fun to get a win too.'
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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