It was the third period of the Winter Olympics gold medal women’s hockey match. Canada was up 1-0. After a long and hard fight through the 2026 Women’s Olympic Hockey Tournament, things were looking grim for Team USA when captain Hilary Knight deflected a shot from Laila Edwards with just two minutes left on the clock, scoring the goal that tied the game. From then on, Team USA’s goalie Aerin Frankel worked overtime, playing a strong defense for four minutes until Megan Keller finally scored, winning the gold for Team USA.
This isn’t the first time the USA Women’s Hockey team has won gold at the Olympics, far from it. The women’s team has won gold three times and medaled at every Olympics since the introduction of women’s hockey in Nagano, Japan for the 1998 Games. In total, the team boasts 3 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze medal.
Pretty impressive, considering there wasn’t a stable Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) in the U.S until 2023. The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) formed the NWHL in 2015, but the league still didn’t bring women to the same level or popularity as the NHL. After the PWHPA entered an agreement with Mark Walter and Billie Jean King in 2023, the PWHL was born.
If you’ve seen the incredible talent these women have but don’t know where to start watching, welcome to PWHL101, a crash course to the teams and the players. Listen up! Because class is in session.
CHOOSE YOUR TEAM
OK, so you’re looking for a team to root for first. There are eight teams currently available:
- Boston Fleet
- Minnesota Frost
- Montreal Victoire
- New York Sirens
- Ottawa Charge
- Vancouver Goldeneyes
- Toronto Sceptres
- Seattle Torrent
The Fleet, Frost, Victoire, Sirens, Charge and Sceptres are all members of the “Inaugural Six” and have existed since the PWHL’s founding in 2023. The Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes were introduced in the 2025-2026 season, so if you’re looking to root for the new kids in town, those two teams would definitely be a good pick.
If you want to immediately root for the best in the business? Give the Minnesota Frost a try. So far, they’ve won the Walter Cup (PWHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup) for two seasons in a row. They also had six players on the winning USA team this year, making the team a pretty good option.
But maybe you’re looking for personality, or maybe you’re just obsessed with the Olympian who has an entire Instagram dedicated to Caesar salads. In that case, I’d look to the Boston Fleet. Seven Olympians from the Fleet competed this year, four of them on Team USA. Every member of the Fleet boasts a loud and proud personality, including Aerin Frankel, Team USA’s goalie who loves Caesar salad enough to dedicate an Instagram account to it (@painbyromaine). Frankel also set the record as the first woman with three shutouts in a single Olympic appearance, facing 99 shots on goal throughout the entire tournament and only letting two in. Oh, and Megan Keller, the aforementioned overtime gold-winning goal scorer, is the Fleet’s captain. So yeah, the Fleet has personality AND power.
If you’re just looking for a strong personality and a sense of community, look no further than the Seattle Torrent. The Torrent had six players in the Olympics, including Team USA’s captain, Hilary Knight. Knight is a well-spoken, strong athlete and captain. Not to mention, she got engaged to her now-fiancé and fellow Olympian speed skater, Brittany Bowe, at the Olympics. Talk about having the best week ever.
And if none of these teams sound appealing, don’t worry! The PWHL is hoping to continue expanding the league, so maybe you’ll have your very own team to root for in the coming seasons.
Not only amazing, BUT also accessible
You want to watch a PWHL game, make your own team pick, or just wanna see how awesome these women are on the ice? I’ve got some great news for you. Every PWHL game is streamed for free on the official PWHL YouTube channel. The schedule for every game can also be found on the PWHL website.
Right now, the PWHL is testing new states to create teams by doing a takeover tour. This includes an upcoming game at Colorado’s own Ball Arena. Who knows, you might show up next year and find that Colorado has their very own PWHL team to root for.
Even if you don’t understand hockey rules, that’s OK! The PWHL just started a short animated web series called PWHL101, where Professor Puck presents the scheduling, playoff basics, and rules of hockey. Give it a watch, and you’ll be complaining about power plays in no time!
Support Women’s Sports!
Women’s sports are becoming more and more popular by the day, but these phenomenal, world-class athletes are still fighting for equal treatment. Do your part to see equality in the sports world. That can be as easy as just putting on a YouTube livestream in the background, making a post about your favorite women’s sports team, or simply being a fan.
The women of the PWHL are world-class, record-holding professionals. Let’s give them the love they deserve.