Your introduction to the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s past, present and future
If ten years ago you were to ask any average hockey fan who their favorite female hockey player was, I’m willing to bet that the answer would have been “women don’t play hockey”. While untrue, that sentiment would have reflected the general state of women’s hockey at the time. Women were playing college hockey at the time in the US, but it wasn’t until 2015 that women were able to make money playing the game they love at a higher level. Even then, it was so different from the established men’s game that it was unrecognizable to the average fan.
The league had very few widely televised games, just seven teams, a $270,000 salary cap per team (compared to the NHL’s approximately $71 million at the time) and unfortunately no checking. I had a couple of coaches growing up that played hockey for one of the two US leagues, the Premier Hockey Federation or the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, which was a whole new issue that made the public’s faith in the cause teeter. Women’s hockey was starting slowly and wasn’t helped by the fact that it was competing with itself. Those who chose to play for one of the dueling leagues had to also have a second or third job on top of it, like my coach who was a realtor and a youth hockey coach to supplement her small salary. The lowest-earning players in these leagues were making a salary below the federal poverty line. This made it harder for players to dedicate their time to the game and improve it, which means that revenue was taking a hit. It sounds weird to say, but I think that the best thing that ever happened to women’s professional hockey was the dissolution of the PHF and CWHL.
In 2023, some of your favorite feminists (Ilona Kloss and Billie Jean King) helped found the Professional Women’s Hockey League with the LA Dodgers’ president, their co-owner and the VP of business strategy for the team. In their inaugural season, each of the 6 teams played 24 games. This number is increasing for the 2024-2025 season to 32 games, and the season is extending by about a month and a half (which is at least a little closer to the NHL’s 82). Personally, I’ll be tuning in to the Minnesota Frost’s first preseason game on November 20th.
Speaking of which, another major improvement this season is the introduction of logos and official team names. Previously, the teams had been named PWHL Minnesota, PWHL Montreal, PWHL Boston, PWHL New York, PWHL Ottawa and PWHL Toronto. Seems a bit redundant and boring, I know. Each team’s lack of logos was a major point of contention for critics of the league (which, in my opinion, was an excuse for people to hate on a women’s league without seeming like they hate women, but I digress). Now, we can all cheer for the Frost, Victoire, Fleet, Sirens, Charge and Sceptres, who all have pretty great logos in my opinion. The games have also been on streaming services and available online for fans to watch. I’d say that’s a huge improvement to the previous shoddy livestreams reminiscent of high school hockey.
The league is also finally running the women their money and paying them what they’re worth. The average salary on each team is about $55,000, with some players making $80,000+ before bonuses for postseason wins. A collective bargaining agreement between the players and teams also provides $1,500 per month for housing, which is tiny compared to what the men make. I’m choosing to look at the bright side though, since it’s a huge step up from the previous $10,000 salaries.
Now with all these steps forward, it seems like professional women’s hockey in the US is on the right track. Players like Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hilary Knight and Sarah Nurse are becoming household names. There’s not much that could be done in the present moment except to keep moving with this momentum, but I just have one last request: add checking to the women’s game.
References
- Wyshynski, Greg. “New Professional Women’s Hockey League Reveals Six Franchises.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 29 Aug. 2023, www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/38282089/new-professional-women-hockey-league-reveals-six-franchises.
- Penfold, Chuck. “PWHL: What You Need to Know about the New Ice Hockey League – DW – 01/02/2024.” Dw.Com, Deutsche Welle, 4 Jan. 2024, www.dw.com/en/pwhl-what-you-need-to-know-about-new-ice-hockey-league/a-67877835#:~:text=Under%20the%20collective%20bargaining%20agreement,%2435%2C000%20and%20%2480%2C000%2C%20excluding%20bonuses.