BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Since Cammi Granato was a little girl, she always wanted to play hockey.
"I didn't identify myself as a woman trying to play a man's sport, I just identified myself as a hockey player," Granato said. "I was really fortunate my parents went against the grain and let me play."
Granato has been around hockey her entire life and got so much support from her family, including her brother Don who's proud of all she's done.
"She feels pretty lucky that she was able to do and accomplish what she did," Don said. "It was a dream that was a lot of times shot down and it worked out well for her."
A two-time Olympic medalist, a Hall of Fame inductee, a former NHL scout, and newly appointed Assistant General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. Granato is paving the way for other women and helping to grow the sport.
"I had a tournament this summer and the whole rink is inundated with women's teams and I'm like this is super cool," she recalled about this summer's camp in which she teamed up with Canlan Sports. "You just wouldn't see this in my era and it's really amazing."
Granato has had a lot of opportunities and that includes her latest off-ice achievement, accomplishing something she had an idea for many years ago.
"We read every night, my boys and I when they were little and they always gravitated to the sports books," she said. "One day I was thinking, there's not a lot of female representation in any of these. I'd love to write a children's book one day."
I wanted to take a moment today to reveal the cover for #ICanPlayToo! My nephew, Dom, illustrated this book and did such an incredible job. He captured Mimi & brought her to life.
— Cammi Granato (@CammiGranato) January 27, 2022
Here’s the cover! Thank you so much, Dom, for all your hard work! 💛 pic.twitter.com/be1sURAVAp
That idea became a reality in early February with her first published book, illustrated by her nephew Dom. It's called "I Can Play Too" and is based off Granato's personal journey to the sport of hockey. It's meant to inspire young kids to follow their dreams.
"That's the message that I always had for my family," Granato said. "I want people to understand that even if someone's teasing you, you just need to know that you belong and you just keep going."
This won't be the last book Granato plans to write as she hopes to turn "I Can Play Too" into a series. You can purchase her first book here.
