[taco.vidal]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...ticle20802654/

Having grown up in Nigeria, Shalewa Iaboni can’t exactly say an interest in ice hockey came naturally to her. But after taking a crash course this week on hockey appreciation, Ms. Iaboni is hoping she’ll soon be able to participate in the office chatter the morning after the game – and reap the benefits of better business relationships.

“I know nothing about hockey and I didn’t grow up around hockey,” said Ms. Iaboni, an audit partner at Toronto-based accounting firm Crowe Soberman LLP, who moved to Canada in her late teens.

Ms. Iaboni and nearly 50 other female professionals gathered Wednesday to watch the Maple Leafs morning practice and listen to hockey stories from retired Leafs captain Wendel Clark as part of a networking event organized by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) and the Gal’s Got Game, a Toronto-based company that helps women, particularly those in business, learn about sports.

Participants were also given access to an online crash course in the rules of hockey and later watched the Leafs battle the Ottawa Senators, losing 4-3 in a shootout at a preseason game at the Air Canada Centre.

“I think knowing about sports is important,” Ms. Iaboni said. “Every time you walk into a [business] setting … it’s an icebreaker. People talk about last night’s game or some sports person doing whatever it is, and you bond that way before you get into a business meeting.”