At the end of the play-offs, one team will emerge as the first winner of the Walter Cup championship trophy, but the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has already marked its inaugural season as a resounding success.
An historic moment was achieved at Montreal’s Bell Centre when a record 21,105 people attended a professional women’s ice hockey game. The April game between Montreal and Toronto celebrated the crowning achievement of the six-team PWHL’s inaugural season.
Spanning both the US and Canada, the league’s initial success reflects the soaring interest in women’s sports. Nearly 393,000 fans attended the regular season games across Boston, New York, Minnesota, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.
“This season has been a series of firsts, with numerous records broken,” said Jayna Hefford, the league’s senior VP of hockey operations. Hefford, a Hall of Fame former player and five-time Olympian, credited the league’s success to a dedicated and diverse fanbase, including many who were previously not exposed to women’s hockey.
Treena Grevatt, originally from Gloucestershire, England, discovered a new passion for hockey through the PWHL after moving to Canada. “I want to support pro women’s sports… this is the first real opportunity I had to put my money where my mouth is,” Grevatt said, recalling the emotional experience of attending her first game in Ottawa.
The PWHL enjoys significant financial backing from the Mark Walter Group, led by the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and part owner of Chelsea Football Club. Tennis icon and activist Billie Jean King also supports the league.
Unlike past women’s hockey leagues where players often needed second jobs, the PWHL’s agreement with its union ensures players receive wages ranging from $35,000 to $80,000, with annual increases. This has resonated with fans advocating for equality in the sport.
Heidi Van Regan, a Montreal-based season ticket holder, emphasized the league’s impact: “It’s breaking the glass ceiling. It’s not just about the players; it’s also about women in broadcasting, blogging, or podcasting about hockey.”
Despite the success, challenges remain in certain markets like Boston and New York, where the league faces competition from other professional teams. Lifelong hockey fan Jim DeLise from New York noted, “They need more exposure and better advertising to attract attention.”
As the inaugural season approaches its end with the play-offs, the league is optimistic about the future. The two victorious teams from Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and Minnesota will compete for the Walter Cup later this month.
Jayna Hefford expressed hope for the league’s growth: “In the next five or ten years, I hope we are consistently filling buildings. The demand is already there, but we’ll be thoughtful and strategic about expansion.”
Hefford also highlighted the league’s broader impact: “The generation playing now likely dreamed of the NHL or the Olympics. But now, young girls see women’s hockey on TV almost every night, showing them a realistic career path. Inspiring them to play is a driving force of what we’re doing.”
