After years of uncertainty for the future of professional women’s hockey, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was founded in August of 2023. This North American league is made up of six franchises, three in Canada and three in the United States. While there are some rule differences from other professional hockey leagues, the sport and skill required to play it remain the same.
The PWHL was founded after the collapse of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) in the spring of 2019. The CWHL collapsed due to financial unsustainability, leaving those within the league unable to play. Immediately after the CWHL collapse, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) was formed by hundreds of prominent women’s players, including Hilary Knight, Sarah Nurse, and Alyssa Gagliardi.
Members of the PWHPA opted to boycott all existing women’s leagues in favor of a unified and financially stable professional league. After generating support for the idea and gaining partnerships with the National Hockey League (NHL) and media organizations, the PWHPA partnered with the Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises in 2022. Most of 2023 was spent organizing and building the PWHL organization ahead of its first inaugural draft on Sept. 18, 2023, and the start of the season on Jan. 1, 2024.
The PWHL has brought together numerous players worldwide to play a 72-game season, starting in January and ending with playoffs in May. The franchises include teams from Boston, New York, Minnesota, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. Because it is the first-ever season, the teams do not have logos or names, so they simply wear jerseys displaying their cities’ names and team colors.
The PWHL teams play in the largest arenas their city offers, many of which are home to National Hockey League (NHL) teams like the Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs. These arenas have been packed with passionate fans, celebrities, and other athletes setting numerous world records for professional women’s hockey attendance. The most recent record broken by the league was on Feb. 16, 2024, when 19,285 fans attended the Battle on Bay Street. Montreal and Toronto played in the completely sold-out Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, surpassing the previous attendance record of 13,316 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The PWHL has created opportunities for existing women’s hockey players to play the sport they love on a professional level, but it has also created inspiration for young girls who play the sport. The Instagram account for the PWHL, @thepwhlofficial, has shared numerous photos and videos of young girls attending games with signs declaring their admiration for the league, their team, or specific players.
Along with the PWHL being a potential career path for girls hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) is also now creating opportunities. Morgan Stickney, a 15-year-old girl from California, became the first-ever American girl drafted by the WHL in May of 2023. This historic pick was made by the Portland Winterhawks, a junior ice hockey team that plays at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
In December of 2023, Stickney got the chance to skate and practice with the team, giving her an idea of what playing in the WHL would look like. In a Winterhawks press conference, Stickney stated: “I think I’m going to try and absorb the speed, if I can handle this speed then I can handle anything in girls hockey for the rest of the season.” Stickney has been a Winterhawks fan since she was a kid, so getting the chance to play for them is a dream come true. Stickney shared her hope of eventually representing the U.S. in the Winter Olympics, and since the creation of the PWHL, she now has multiple career opportunities.
Mia Fendick is a senior at Franklin High School and a member of the Alaska All Stars Girls U19 travel league, which is based out of Anchorage, Alaska. Since she is an out-of-state player, Fendick practices and works out on her own and meets up with the team to travel to games or competitions. “I’ve made a ton of lifelong friends from all over the world through playing hockey,” Fendick shared. She believes that the PWHL will inspire a whole new generation of young girl hockey players, saying: “Now [they] can actually dream of making the game their life.”
“I hope people know it’s a growing sport, this is the first season with this league,” said Fendick. “I want people to be patient and build it up instead of just constantly criticizing it and comparing it to the NHL.” Fendick also explained that if anyone is interested in getting involved in women’s hockey, there is a women’s only “beer league” located out of the Winterhawks skating center in Beaverton, Oregon.
Fendick’s teammate on the Alaska All Stars, Cat Spangler, has been playing hockey for seven years after starting in Colorado. Spangler believes that the PWHL is “overall just is a huge morale boost for the women’s hockey community.” She further explained that young girls now have the chance to work towards something “that’s bigger than just college or the Olympics.” Spangler also stated that she hopes the league will continue to grow and inspire a new generation of women’s hockey players.
The PWHL was created with the vision of uniting women’s hockey players, and they have done just that. Not only uniting existing women’s players but inspiring and creating opportunities for girls playing hockey everywhere. After the success of the first season, many do not doubt that the league will be expanded to more cities and adapted to fix errors. Anyone can watch PWHL games on YouTube or T.V. networks like Bally Sports North Extra, New England Sports Network, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Worldwide, hockey lovers are watching the PWHL in anticipation to see what they achieve next.
