On May 27, the Minnesota Frost made history by winning their second consecutive Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Walter Cup title. The Frost routinely displayed their dominance throughout the regular season and solidified their reign in a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge. Liz Schepters scored the winning goal in overtime and keeper Maddie Rooney made multiple clutch saves to defend the Frost.
Despite talented athletes and dominant teams, women’s hockey has classically struggled to secure a valiant fanbase. But the Frost pulled in an electric fanbase for their title competition, with over 10,000 fans in attendance. Frost head coach Ken Klee remarks about the outstanding turnout for the playoffs in an interview with the PWHL, saying that the support from fans is “just outstanding.”
Collapse of the CWHL
A professional women’s hockey league was never guaranteed. In 2019, the premier women’s hockey league (the CWHL) announced that it was being forced to shut down. After being founded in 2007, the league highlighted North America’s top hockey talents. Fans and players were shocked at the league's closure.
Citing insufficient revenue, the CWHL called their business model "economically unsustainable". Despite being a premier league, the CWHL was only able to provide players with small stipends, making it nearly impossible for women hockey players to fully commit to their craft. While the CWHL’s closure caused initial stress for players and fans of the league, it also paved the way for a more sustainable league for professional women's hockey players.
Creation of the PWHL
The PWHL was created in 2023 with a unified purpose in mind. For the first time in history, all of the best North American women’s hockey players would be competing within the same league, leveling up play and potential for revenue.
There are six teams from different North American regions within the PWHL—Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, New York, and Minnesota. Each year, regular season play begins in November and the postseason Walter Cup tournament concludes in May.
The centralized brand of the PWHL increases VISibility for women’s hockey players, with major media platforms like ESPN and CBC providing coverage. All games within the PWHL are available for fans to view for free.
The PWHL provides much better opportunities for the players, too, with athletes being provided full-time salaries and health benefits, something that wasn’t possible under the CWHL. Under one centralized unit, the PWHL has also secured sponsors that support not only the league, but also individual teams and their needs.
What's Next?
Although the tournament season is over, the action is far from done. The PWHL is in the middle of their expansion draft, where teams select and trade players to fill their 12-woman roster. Until preseason kicks off in November, PWHL players will be conditioning and training to get ready for the long season ahead.
