The PWHL began its season at the start of 2024 as a North American women’s hockey league that hopes to be a lasting force in the sports industry. The league has seen great commercial success already, averaging over 5,000 fans at each game while also breaking previous attendance records for women’s hockey.
The league is chock-full of star players, including Olympic gold medalists Kali Flanagan (defender) and Ann-Renée Desbiens (goaltender); MVP of the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championship, Taylor Heise (forward), also joins the star-studded cast of PWHL skaters.
The league only has six teams as of now: Montreal, Minnesota, Boston, Toronto, New York and Ottawa. Minnesota is currently on top, kicking off the season with four straight wins and no losses. However, there is still plenty of hockey to be played as playoffs don’t begin until early May.
One major selling point of the league for many people is that all games are streamed live for free on the league’s YouTube channel – so, even if you can’t attend a game in person, you can keep up with this accessible way of broadcasting the sport.
When watching the PWHL YouTube live streams, the camera will often pan to shots of girls in hockey jerseys excitedly watching the action on the ice. The PWHL truly inspires many young girls and shows them that they can also be successful in their favorite sport.
Not only does the PWHL mark a substantial step for women in sports, the league is also monumental for the LGBTQ+ community; four out of six team captains are gay, along with many other players in the league, and the PWHL’s debut game in Toronto was filled with positive community representation. Two players on the Montreal team, Laura Stacey and Marie-Philip Poulin, are engaged to each other and often hug after one of them makes a good play (how cute!).
Overall, the PWHL is making great strides for women, the LGBTQ+ community, and the sports industry as a whole. Right now is a perfect time to follow the PWHL – with its high level play, recency of creation, low quantity of teams, and the accessibility of watching the games on YouTube.
