Blake Bolden
*Blake Bolden was born on this date in 1991. She is a (retired) Black women's professional ice hockey player and current National Hockey League scout.
Blake Alexis Bolden began following the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL) in Stow, Ohio. Her father worked for the team and helped her meet many players. She attended Northwood School, known for its top ice hockey programs, in Lake Placid, New York, where she captained the team during her senior year.
She attended Boston College and played for the Boston College Eagles women's ice hockey team from 2009 to 2013. The Boston Blades selected Bolden in the first round, fifth overall, of the 2013 CWHL Draft, making her the first Black player taken in the first round in the draft's history.
Bolden competed in the 1st Canadian Women's Hockey League All-Star Game, held on December 13, 2014, at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. In March 2015, Bolden helped the Boston Blades win the Clarkson Cup. The National Women's Hockey League, the first women's hockey league to pay a salary, announced its inaugural season for 2015–16. On October 11, 2015, Bolden joined the NWHL's Boston Pride, becoming the first Black player to compete in the NWHL.
During the 2017–18 season, Bolden competed in the Swiss Women's Hockey League for HC Lugano, where she competed in 20 games. She led all defenders on the team with 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists), pacing fourth overall in the team, scoring 27 points. Bolden participated in the #ForTheGame movement connected with the PWHPA, which began in May 2019. She played for Team Keller against Team Decker in PWHPA's Dream Gap Tour stop in Philadelphia, PA. In 2020, she became the Los Angeles Kings scout for the team.
