STU Alumna Karissa Donkin Authors Book on Women’s Hockey

St. Thomas University alumna Karissa Donkin, BA ’12, has written the book on women’s hockey she always wanted to read.

 

A longtime hockey fan, Donkin loved reading hockey books—but noticed most were written by men and focused on men’s stories.

 

“I wanted to try to change that,” she said.

 

In Breakaway: The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game, Donkin tells the story of the players’ efforts to create the PWHL, long before the first full season.

 

“It was a lot of fun to chronicle the creation of the PWHL and follow along with the first season, through the eyes of the PWHL Montreal (now Montreal Victoire) team,” she said.

 

Donkin works with CBC Sports, where she covers the PWHL, women’s hockey, and other Olympic and Paralympic sports. She’s preparing to cover the upcoming PWHL season and the Winter Olympics for CBC’s digital team—her second Olympics with the network.

 

Donkin returned to campus for the launch of her debut book, hosted by CTV journalist and fellow STU grad Laura Brown.

 

“That brought back a lot of cool memories, standing with my friends in the courtyard,” she said.

 

“I had such a great experience at STU and met some of my best friends there.”

 

Building the Foundation at STU

 

As a STUdent, Donkin honed her skills as a writer and editor with The Aquinian.

 

“The best way to get better at journalism is by doing it,” she said.

 

“I was also lucky to have fantastic professors, many of whom I keep in touch with to this day. Mark Tunney gave me one-on-one feedback on my writing every week. Jan Wong was also a fantastic resource, including when I was thinking about pitching a book project.”

 

Donkin encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities at STU.

 

“Enjoy the journey! It goes by so fast,” she said.

 

“Try to soak up every bit of knowledge you can from your professors and get involved. The more time you spend writing, the better you’ll get.”