Less than a year after its launch, the Women's Professional Hockey League is in its first season, with 72 games being televised or streamed across North America, and attendance records being broken multiple times, the sport's most unprecedented. It's attracting a lot of attention.
It couldn't come at a better time.
With the launch of the PWHL, the world's best players will finally be brought together on a regular basis, beyond the annual World Championships and the quadrennial Olympic Games. And the game comes at a time of growing interest in women's sports, a quarter-century after Brandi Chastain and the U.S. soccer team rose to international prominence, led by the Caitlin Clark effect in basketball. firmly placed on the map.
It will still take some time to catch up to the crowded conditions, but the PWHL will take the opportunity to capitalize on the increased appetite and put it all together on the ice, ending irregular starts and stops after decades of setbacks. It is off to a glorious start, characterized by For elite women's sports.
“We all wanted things to happen sooner, but it's been really difficult and challenging,” Hall of Famer and PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford told The Associated Press. There were times when I felt that way,” he said. “But looking back now, I can't help but wonder if everything happened the way it was supposed to and at the right time to have the success we've seen.”
That success is still in its infancy, but in just over the first four months of the PWHL, teams in Boston, New York, Minnesota, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. During the regular season, a total of 392,259 fans attended games at venues including various NHL rinks, and last month's showdown between Montreal and Toronto drew a record 21,105 to the Canadiens Bell Center, the most in women's hockey history. The gathering attracted attention.
Nationally televised in Canada and regionally in the United States, it follows the same path of progress that the WNBA and various women's professional soccer leagues once enjoyed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and many more. of viewers to women's hockey.
“We've been working on this for quite some time,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL's senior vice president of business operations, who has also worked in the WNBA, NBA and NFL. “This didn't happen overnight, it's a movement and we need to continue to be a movement. There's never a time when you can take your foot off the pedal and feel satisfied or comfortable. This is a daily struggle. It’s a great job.”
The puck dropped in the playoffs this week, with an innovative format allowing league-leading Toronto to choose its first-round opponent, but there's still a lot of work to do.
Internally, advisory board member Stan Kasten acknowledges that “we still have a long way to go before we can be financially successful,” and women's sports experts believe that hockey has fallen behind soccer and other sports in the United States. The company is skeptical about the long-term outlook, given its inferiority compared to the previous year. Until there are more teams and big stars getting mainstream attention.
“There's a kind of barrier to overcome, a kind of marginalization of hockey in American culture, and then there's an added layer on top of that of the marginalization of women's sports in American culture,” said Cheryl Cookie, professor of women's science. . She studied gender and sexuality at Purdue University. “When you put those things together, it creates this kind of double jeopardy for women’s hockey.”
Cookie pointed to the likes of Chastain and Clark as what women's hockey needs by becoming the face of her sport to people beyond the fan base. American Hilary Knight and Canadian Marie-Philippe Poulain are the biggest stars at the moment, with Knight appearing on “Saturday Night Live” in 2018. But there are also unique challenges of playing with a caged helmet that basketball or soccer don't have. must be overcome in building pop culture on the ice, on the court, or off the field.
But the process is ongoing, with the next generation led by Sarah Nurse, Caroline Harvey and Lyla Edwards focused on building a loyal following across the continent.
“I can't think of a better role model of this kind to show that women can be fierce, serious athletes,” said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the United States. “The strength of the fan support speaks to the fact that something was missing and something was needed.”
Separately from Hillman at a PWHL viewing party at the Canadian Embassy in Washington last month, Mary Kay Messier, Bauer's vice president of marketing, spoke about the growth opportunity to attract more female players. , said the first season was a “watershed moment” for hockey in general. The women involved.
“This is a reflection of the passion of the people, people are eager to see the games, they're coming in droves, and breaking records is no longer a milestone, it's an achievement,” Messier said. “For brands looking to stay relevant and develop new audiences, they need to be involved in girls and women’s sports because that’s what makes the difference.”
PWHL has contracts with companies from all sectors, from equipment manufacturers like Bauer and CCM to Canadian Tire, Molson, Tim Hortons and Barbie. Further agreements are expected to be made soon, as is the eventual expansion, but as with increases in player salaries and other changes, that will have to wait.
“We tried to be cautious and conservative, so when we finally got going,” Kasten, who is one of the people running the PWHL show for Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark, said. We had a chance to be successful and that's where we are now.” Walter and women's tennis icon Billie Jean King.
Kasten said the league's “manifest destiny” is to compete in Europe and that the influx of talent from outside the U.S. and Canada is why, like Scheer, he believes there are “no limits” to what the PWHL can do. Said to be one.
“It's great that there are different paths,” said Swiss national team captain Lara Stalder, who credited fellow countrywoman Alina Muller with paving the way for European players in the PWHL. She added, “Ultimately, we need more depth, good avenues and good structure so more girls can play hockey.”
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AP Women's Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
