Announced in June 2023, the establishment of the first-ever, full time, Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) marked a significant milestone for women’s sports. The league’s inaugural game, on January 1, 2024, featured PWHL New York against PWHL Toronto, kicking off the first-ever PWHL.
The game contained a sold-out crowd and had nearly three million Canadian television viewers. Game after game, viewership records are only rising, breaking records in both women’s hockey and in women’s sports. The new league already consists of a strong fanbase.
The league was developed in under a year, thanks to billionaire Mark Walter’s financial backing. Walter provided a robust source of funding from the outset, enabling it to implement a long-term strategy for swift growth in popularity. The financial support bought time for the PWHL to solidify a fanbase, gain viewers and have a stronger chance to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
Composed of 6 teams, PWHL Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Boston, New York, and Minnesota, the league bears resemblance to the origins of the National Hockey League (NHL), which began in 1917 with 6 teams from Toronto, Montréal, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Detroit.
Currently, the teams are simply named “PWHL” followed by the cities they represent, like PWHL Boston or PWHL Montréal. Moreover, the teams don’t have their own logos or mascots, just the city names displayed on the front of their jerseys. This is a change that will likely be made before next season, when teams will have a better understanding of what fans want.
Prior to the PWHL, there were two professional women’s leagues, the CWHL, and the NWHL. Players in these leagues made between 3,000 to 10,000 dollars a season. Due to a lack of funding, players had to work other jobs to make a living.
These changes to the PWHL has made massive improvements for the players’ daily lives. In prior leagues, players had to work day jobs to make money, and practiced their hockey career at night. Now, the league is able to pay them much more, depending on their contract, it could range from $30,000 to $80,000 per year, plus bonuses, health benefits, relocation expenses, training facilities, and hotel accommodations. This has allowed players to devote their time to hockey, which results in more skilled, competitive games.
The league is readily available to watch on YouTube, where they post all of their games, highlights, and news.
“The PWHL has truly been a game-changer for women’s hockey. Previously, there was no clear path toward a sustainable career in hockey after college, which was disheartening for many players,” said senior and women’s hockey player, Susan Rotherham.
“Seeing the crowds and support towards the women’s PWHL league has been great and influential on all of women’s sports. I am hoping the league will continue to gather traction and expand its reach, not only to provide more opportunities for female athletes but also to inspire the next generation of female hockey players.”
