If you Google 鈥渇amous sports agents鈥�, a list of 47 sports agents comes up, complete with their photos, as well as a long list of stories about most powerful or influential or highest-paid sports agents.

Something else you might notice 鈥� they鈥檙e all men.

Google 鈥渇amous female sports agents鈥� and there are no photos.

There鈥檚 a sprinkling of stories, and 鈥渁re there female sports agents?鈥� is the top query under the 鈥淥thers want to know鈥� field.

One young hockey player from South Surrey is determined to change that, by becoming a sports agent herself.

Madeline (Maddy) Rai, who started skating when she was only 18 months old, has been playing hockey in organized games since she was four.

The Semiahmoo student, who started Grade 12 this year, was scouted when she was only 14 years old, and has committed to Western University in Ontario after she graduates.

Having earned a scholarship to attend, the busy student must maintain a 90 per cent 鈥� or A 鈥� average in her studies, while she鈥檒l also play on the university鈥檚 female hockey team.

Rai, taking a break after volunteer coaching some U13 girls on the ice, also plans to share her time with Hockey for Youth, a similar program based out of Ontario and Quebec.

She remembers she didn鈥檛 really like skating when she first started, many years ago.

But, as she kept it up, she eventually grew to embrace and love it.

鈥淎s I stuck with it, I knew hockey was the sport for me,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t just brought me joy to be on the ice. I always looked forward to going to hockey, to being at the rink and all the experiences it brought me, with travel and friends.鈥�

She鈥檚 had the opportunity to play at many rinks and to travel to such places as Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., and enjoys making lifelong friends and connections with the other athletes she鈥檚 met along the way.

When Rai first started playing hockey, she played more as a forward, but these days she plays defence, with her own unique style.

鈥淚 call myself more of an offensive defencemen,鈥� she said, noting that she鈥檚 able to play both forward and D, if needed.

鈥淚 enjoy just getting on the ice and being able to focus on just hockey and not anything else that I have to worry about outside of the sport鈥� it鈥檚 a way to clear my mind, on the ice.鈥�

Although she spoke to American universities as well, the teen chose to stay in Canada to pursue both hockey and a career as a sports agent.

And if she wasn鈥檛 busy enough with her studies and hockey (she currently plays with the Pacific Steelers and practices five days a week), Rai also plays basketball with the senior Semiahmoo Thunderbirds squad, and volunteer coaches in that sport as well.

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At Western, she plans to study business and, after that, attend law school for her planned career as a sports agent.

She wants to focus on empowering females in that regard, as she plans to represent female hockey players, as well as helping females become more involved in sports.

鈥淎fter I finish my five years at Western, I want to stay in the sport and still be involved,鈥� she said.

鈥淓specially for female newcomers to Canada, and females new to hockey鈥� (I want) to set an example for them, to see that they can do the same things I did,鈥� Rai explained.

鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 easier if they have another female in the sport that they can look up to.鈥�

Rai鈥檚 father, Rob, noted he and Maddy looked up the statistics about girls involved in sports.

鈥淥ne in three girls quits sports by the time they鈥檙e 14 or 15, and over 60 per cent of females don鈥檛 play sports at all,鈥� he said.

鈥淎s a girl-dad, that鈥檚 sad. It鈥檚 (been) the best way for my daughter and I to bond and form a relationship鈥� it has been through sports 鈥� we spend so much time travelling to and from rinks, and to and from different cities.鈥�

It can be easy for youth to just be on their phones and online and socializing with only their friends, said Rob.

鈥淪ports is such a great bonding agent within families. As parents, it鈥檚 been so great for Maddy鈥檚 mom and I to always have something to do as a family.鈥�

It鈥檚 amazing to think that Maddy鈥檚 grandfather had never witnessed the game of hockey when he arrived in Canada in 1959, Rob noted, and now she will be playing at the university sport level, 65 years later.

鈥淢addy would like to see the female game grow for all Canadian girls, for all the positives sports can bring,鈥� he said.

Maddy herself plans to 鈥渉ave a good five years鈥� playing hockey at Western, starting next fall.

鈥淗opefully I can get Rookie of the Year my first year. That鈥檚 my next goal,鈥� she said.

Like many athletes who favour rituals or 鈥済ood luck鈥� pieces of uniform or equipment, Maddy has a favourite pair of hockey pants, the base-layer pants worn under the exterior hard-shell pants.

鈥淚鈥檝e been wearing the same hockey pants since I was about seven years old,鈥� she confessed.

鈥淚 feel like they just brought me good luck at every game鈥� they鈥檙e all ripped up and they鈥檙e pretty old. My parents have been trying to make me get some new ones, but I wouldn鈥檛 choose.鈥�

Rob noted he and her mother did make their objections, but have agreed to honour Maddy鈥檚 wishes.

鈥淪he says they bring her good luck, so we can鈥檛 argue with that.鈥�