Not many people know Blake Bolden as a household name but this Cleveland, Ohio born athlete has accomplished many historical firsts. As a youth Blake played for the Cleveland Barons and the Ohio Flames. She went on to play hockey in college to critical acclaim and became captain in her senior year at Boston College. She also has under her belt 2 gold metals playing for the US Team in the U18 World championship. Little did Blake know this was only the beginning of many awards, championships and firsts.
Only 32 years old Blake is a national Women Hockey Player who has played for the Canadian Women’s Hockey League the was the first black female ever drafted during the 1st round for the CWHL she then went on to play for the Boston Pride becoming the first black female player for the National Women’s Hockey League.
There were many obstacles as the first melanated female in the NWHL…but she over came every one with grace and style. Today she is only the second NHL female scout. She works for the Los Angeles Kings as their Pro Scout and Growth and Inclusion Specialist. Blake mentors young girls with her mentoring program EMBOLDEN (BE True, Be You , Be Bold) along with Play It Again Sports. Her goal is to guide them as they set goals to achieve greatness in sports as stated on the Play It Again Sports website. Not seeing anyone that looked like her as a youth playing hockey…she wants young up and coming players to know they are welcome. Blake is also working as a sports commentator and analyst in hockey and has a spot called “Breaking the ice with Blake Bolden.”
Blake was named #1 on the list of 40 under 40 most influential people in Hockey by The Athletic. She was also name on the list of 100 most influential women in Sports by Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx along with Serena Williams and Simone Biles. Blake was recently featured in the documentary Black Ice that was executive produced by Ohio Native and fellow Athlete LeBron James Maverick Carter, Drake and Adel “Future” Nur. The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival where it was the People’s Choice documentary winner, according to Variety. This documentary exposes a history of racism in hockey through the untold stories of Black hockey players, both past and present, in a predominantly white sport, according to the Movie insider. The documentary was released on July 14th 2023
AMPS Ohio Magazine can’t wait to see what’s next for this Cleveland native.
