Everywhere from here to Vancouver, hockey fans are jumping up and down and screaming over the Caps’ new Spirit Squad. The Caps posted a want ad on Saturday and by Sunday team owner Ted Leonsis had publicly responded to fan outcry.

Leonsis reassured fans that the Spirit Squad will be tastefully clad and perform in a manner that won’t offend anyone. Meanwhile, in addition to this public assurance, A View From The Cheap Seats documents some behind the scenes changes the popular owner made to ensure family-friendliness. Almost all mention of gender was removed from the ad, presumably due to fan pressure.

While we’re delighted that the cheer leading squad will be co-ed, we’re wondering when the hockey team will catch up. It’s great that the stereotypically female roles of choreography, high pitched screaming and support from the sidelines will be enacted by both men and women cheerleaders, like they are in Pittsburgh and Carolina. Now we’d like to see more of the stereotypically male roles of competitiveness, strength, toughness and senseless violence enacted by ice hockey players of both genders.

Women have higher tolerances for pain, tend to have more muscular lower bodies and are statistically more likely to know how to ice skate, yet only one woman has ever tried out for the NHL. Why is it that only men are expected to inject massive amounts of testosterone into their muscles and beat each other bloody for our entertainment?