The Florida Panthers website has at last been updated with individual profiles, photos and lots of game day shots of the dance team. Click here to learn all about the dancers - and check out their new 2009-10 uniforms.

Profiles and uniform shots are now online for the Nashville Predators’ two ice crews: the Liquid Ice Girls (click here) and the Equipling Dancers (click here). Go read all about them!

NBC Sports has photos of Ice Girls from across the National Hockey League. Click here to go to the gallery. (The first 40 or so are from this season. The rest of the photos are older.)

The Islanders Ice Girls Dressed up like pumpkins on Halloween

On The Flipside rtravels to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida for a sexy Sideline Distraction segment as the Bova Florida Panthers Ice Dancers hit the runway with a swimsuit fashion show to reveal their new calendar!

[On The Flipside]

[Aubrey Aquino]

[Florida Panthers Ice Dancers]

INdividual photos of the 2009-10 Dallas Stars Ice Girls are now online. Click here to go there now.

Individual profiles for the Bruins ice Girls have been posted on the Bruins website. Click here to learn about the ladies on the team.

Flames not yet sold on concept
By Vicki Hall
Calgary Herald
November 12, 2009

CALGARY - Cheerleaders in hockey are considered an American phenomenon, like tailgating in football or the singing of Take Me Out to the Ball Game in baseball.

Looking for ways to enhance the experience for the ticket-buying public, the Calgary Flames investigated the idea of a cheer team this fall, even holding an audition for young women with dancing experience.

The NHL franchise retained the services of Dana Murphy, the longtime choreographer for the Calgary Roughnecks Drill Crew, of the National Lacrosse League.

“They just want to take baby steps,” Murphy said Wednesday. “I think it’s more like in-stands, sideline stuff with the goal of getting on the ice eventually.”

A tentative game plan called for the dance team to debut later this month at games for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. Murphy said it would be a trial run, of sorts, to see how the crowd took to the idea.

But Ken King, president of both the Flames and Hitmen, is not sold on the idea.

“In my view, cheerleaders are not the kind of thing that goes with Canadian hockey,” King said Wednesday. “I think we have a very serious team and a great fan base.”

King said he has not received a proposal from his staff suggesting the creation of a cheer team. His entertainment department is simply exploring all options.

The president would have to sign off for the cheerleaders to perform at Hitmen or Flames games.

“I’ve always said this is a pure hockey market,” King said.

“A pure hockey market by my definition — and I think I coined the phrase, pure hockey market–is respect for the game, understanding of the game and appreciation. It’s about the hockey.

“What I care about is making sure we have the best hockey product on the ice.”

The Flames raised some eyebrows back in 2003 by unveiling the Fire and Ice Girls, who sweep snow with shovels during stoppages in play. The girls–all of them fit and extremely attractive–wear skimpy outfits that display bare midriffs.

The Fire and Ice Girls also help with in-house promotions and contests at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

But the idea of a dance team takes the concept to a new level.

About 25 young women between the ages of 18 and 26 attended the September audition, with the vast majority of them having formal dance training.

Murphy has studied dance–including ballet, jazz and hip-hop– since she was a little girl. Upon graduation from high school, she joined the Calgary Stampeders Outriders cheerleading team.

From there, she helped found the Drill Crew more than eight years ago.

“They’re as important to us as the team itself,” said general manager Brad Banister. “They’re just so involved with charity and the entire Calgary community.”

The Drill Crew professional dance team is comprised of 16 to 18 female dancers that perform at all Roughnecks home games.

“We have our own fan base,” Murphy said. “We’re part of the entertainment.”

Murphy is extremely dedicated to her craft, and she sincerely hopes old-school hockey fans can keep an open mind about what may seem a novel concept.

“Obviously it’s a new thing,” she said, “but promoting healthy, talented girls is not going to be the end of the world.”

[LA Kings Ice Crew]

By Kate Rourke
Milford Daily News

A local college student has integrated her love of service with her home-team spirit in becoming one of the Boston Bruins’ newest Ice Girls.

Jessica Thompson of Hopedale made the Bruins Ice Girls team and can be seen on the ice during Bruins games at the TD Garden this winter.

“I had applied on a whim,” Thompson laughed. “I didn’t think much of it. I never thought I would get the job.”

After mailing in the application to join the squad, she was called to try out. Four girls were chosen out of the 15 who were called back for auditions. The selections were made at the discretion of Beth Anthony, the Bruins Promotion Coordinator.

“I went to the final auditions expecting there would be a lot of girls there, and a lot of competition, and there wasn’t, which made it even more nerve racking,” Thompson explained.

Mary Angilly of West Brookfield was also chosen to join the team with Thompson this season. Angilly said the team is misunderstood by many fans looking in from the outside.

“We aren’t cheerleaders, we are team ambassadors,” Angilly said. “We don’t dance on the ice. We stay really, really classy that way.”

The group serves a whole other purpose in the greater Boston area.

“We do a lot behind the scenes that people don’t realize,” Angilly explained. “It’s about public service and charity work. We just want to help the community.”

This year, the Ice Girls are planning to step their game up even more when it comes to helping their fans.

“We are planning on doing a lot of community service this year. I do a lot community service on my own so I think it is wonderful,” Thompson said.

Thompson, a criminal justice and fire science major at the University of New Haven, wants to use her time in Boston to be a good example to her fans. Leading comes naturally to Thompson, who held a prominent position in the Greek system at New Haven and gained experience from participating in the school’s ROTC program.

“I just do my best to carry myself as a good role model for young girls. They need to see us as approachable,” Thompson said. “It has benefited me to see how much the fans appreciate us. Everyone wins.”

Helping the public is one thing that Angilly, a psychology and biology dual major at Northeastern, is very familiar with. Last summer, during a non-profit charity dialogue in South Africa, Angilly realized her true passion for helping those in need.

“I am really interested in charity work and I have done a lot of public service,” Angilly said. “I want to help while I am in Boston.”

[Boston Bruins Ice Girls]

The Blue Crew, the ice crew for the NHL Atlanta Thrashers recently completed their team photo shoot. There were lots of costume changes involved. The team was photographed in their game day uniforms, of course, but they also wore hockey pads, swimsuits, holiday dresses, and snow bunny outfits. (Not all at the same time, of course. Although that would’ve been interesting, and maybe they should consider it next year.)

These videos take you behind the scenes. Day 1 and Day 2