Granato's Influence Goes Beyond Rink

When Cammi Granato became the first woman selected for the US Hockey Hall of Fame this week, it was a testament to her undisputed skills on the ice. But the honor also is about her larger role in women's sports, writes ESPN's Terry Frei. "As you look around the US and note the increased competition opportunities for girls and women on every level—including in scholarship NCAA programs that help meet the Title IX obligations and, in some cases, are very popular—Granato has a hand in that."

And it didn't come easy for the two-time Olympian. "I remember her changing her name to Carl to play in a tournament because girls weren't allowed to play," recalls her brother Tony, a former NHL player and now a coach. "I saw her putting her ponytail under her helmet so nobody would know she was a girl. I saw all that." (More NHL stories.)