The Austrian national ice hockey player Anna Meixner got to know the harsh reality of North American professional sports in mid-January. The 31-year-old Zeller was traded from Ottawa to Vancouver in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) without notice.
Meixner, who is currently in her second PWHL season, was visibly taken aback by the surprising exchange of players to the “Kronen Zeitung”: “I didn’t know anything before, it really surprised me. I was sitting on the couch like every evening when the general manager called me and explained in a 35-second phone call that I had been traded.”
The last-minute move to the West Coast also meant a hectic move. Just one day after the call, Meixner took a plane to Vancouver. “It was important to me that I could say goodbye to my teammates.”
There hasn’t been much time to get to know their new home. Training, games, away trips and playing for the national team determined the calendar: “When I arrived, I went straight to the apartment, the next day training and the day after that the first game. Then followed an away trip and now I’m with the national team. But I’m looking forward to exploring the city.”
In terms of sport, Meixner is still optimistic about the new chapter. She was well received by the Vancouver Goldeneyes and sees great potential: “On paper, Vancouver is certainly one of the best teams.” There, for example, the Salzburg native runs alongside Sarah Nurse, one of the Canadian superstars.
She has already played her first three games for the Goldeneyes: they celebrated victories against Toronto and Seattle, and most recently they had to admit defeat in Minnesota. In her first appearance, a 5-0 win against the Sceptres from Toronto, Meixner recorded her only point for Vancouver so far. The PWHL is now taking a break and play will start again at the end of February. Vancouver plays its next game of the season on March 1st against Toronto.
Image: facebook.com/PWHLVancouver
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