The Professional Women’s Hockey League, also known as the PWHL, is a newly created league for professional women’s ice hockey. The PWHL has 6 teams. They come from Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto. The highest standing team is currently Toronto with 13 wins and 7 losses.
Origin of the league
The league has been trying to come to fruition for a few decades. Like basketball and soccer, the PWHL had to go through several versions including the CWHL and the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly the National Women’s Hockey League), which PWHL owners acquired in early 2023. Since the CWHL collapsed in 2019, many Olympians have asked for a women’s professional league that meets the highest standard possible. The PWHL’s direct origin comes from the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). This group of players opted not to play in the PHF (Premier Hockey Federation), instead waiting for a more professional league. The PHF operated seven teams throughout North America with a $1.5 million salary cap each. There were numerous Olympians and hockey Hall of Famers involved with the PHL. However, even a rebranding and various leadership changes could not get rid of the reputation of the NWHL era. Drastic salary cuts in Season 2 caused a lot of people to leave. Ultimately, PHF owners decided to sell select assets to the Mark Walter Group, the ownership group funding the PWHL. One hundred thirty-eight roster spots were available in the PWHL, one hundred fifteen fewer spots than the PHF and PWHPA combined in the 2023-24 hockey season. (CBS Sports).
Morgan’s opinions
History teacher Christopher Zawadski teaches Sports and American Culture at Morgan. He said. “I think hockey as a sport has grown a lot in the last couple of years. The TV viewing is up and the excitement around hockey is up. Women’s ice hockey
typically has done well viewership-wise for the Olympics, so it seems like this is the natural next step.” When asked if he would include the league in his curriculum, he said“ I think if it warrants it, I will. Obviously, I try to incorporate current events as much as I can into the course and as this grows there will be more time spent on it.” He is excited about what is in store for the PWHL in the future and anticipates it becoming even more popular than it already is.
Sophomore Anthony Watrous is an ice hockey fan and is very impressed with the women’s league “I think it’s a very good league. The game is pretty competitive, and they have a few rising players who can bring a lot of attention to the game. Streaming all the games on YouTube brings a lot of viewership to it since it’s free to view. Financially, they are doing pretty well. They’re selling out merchandise, NHL-sized arenas, and it’s all being run with the fans in mind.” He says that he’s happy with the fact that they are making the league financially accessible for everyone
, and he hopes that they continue to do so.
Bright future for the PWHL
Overall, the total attendance for the PWHL during the 72-game regular season was 392,259. Since its launch in January, the league has broken six attendance records, reaching a pinnacle on April 20 when a record-setting 21,105 fans came to watch Montréal host Toronto at the Bell Center, setting the global attendance record for a women’s hockey game. Additionally, the PWHL saw extremely strong fan engagement and attendance in non-team markets, including significant attendance at neutral-site games in Pittsburgh (8,850) and Detroit (13,736). (The PWHL). Since the PWHL has been increasing in popularity, they have had a rise in sources of money. As they gain an excess in fans, it is exciting to see where the PWHL will go.
Theresa M Harris • May 17, 2024 at 1:39 pm
Excellent article! We follow the PWHL. Our daughter who lives in Boston has attended Boston’s games. Can’t wait to see Boston play Toronto for the Walter Cup. Thanks for bring attention to PWHL.