The final leg of the Rivalry Series is underway. Here's a look at 4 burning questions as the Series concludes.
The final leg of the Rivalry Series is underway. Here's a look at 4 burning questions as the Series concludes.
The final three games of the 2023-2024 Rivalry Series are underway. The Series, which previously was the only in season opportunity for North America's best players to face each other is evolving alongside the PWHL.
Here are four burning questions as the Rivalry Series nears its end.
What is the purpose of the Rivalry Series?
Is it to find line chemistry and fine tune a roster? Is it to select a roster? Is it to win the Rivalry Series? Is it an entertainment series for fans? All of this is unclear, specifically in the PWHL era. Canada looks to be riding their veterans and hoping for the best, which given how dominant USA has been with their NCAA players involved, might backfire. The way this season is designed, specifically for these national team players, giving some of these veterans a rest here and there would be wise, but that would go against the goal of entertaining fans, and winning the Series. It's logical to surmise that the main purpose of the series now, in the PWHL era, is roster selection. In previous years it was the main opportunity for national team women to get competitive repetitions against elite competition. That's no longer the case. Right now, newcomers are often named to the Rivalry Series roster, but either don't play at all, or see limited ice. It will be interesting to see how these dynamics shift next season.
Will USA trick Canada into believing again?
Don't let this final leg fool you, if Canada comes back to win the Rivalry Series like they did in 2022-2023, it's no grand statement on Canada's ability. The fact of the matter is, Canada's professional depth is currently stronger than USA's, but USA's overall depth is far superior. It was the same in the last Rivalry Series; when the USA's NCAA stars stayed home, Canada took over and won the Series. Perhaps it gave fans and the team itself a false sense of momentum and security heading into the World Championships, but the end result was USA winning gold. In a one game gold medal final, anything can happen and will, but if you pegged best-on-best against each other in a full series, USA would win that series time and again as it stands now. Taylor Heise has joined USA's full time pro contingent, but with Caroline Harvey, Hannah Bilka, Cayla Barnes, Abbey Murphy, Tessa Janecke, Haley Winn, Rory Guilday, Britta Curl, Lacey Eden, Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards and co in the mix, it's a different story. Don't be fooled, Canada needs to find a few new weapons to stay even.
How quickly can the Euro Hockey Tour close the gap?
If you listened to the Rivalry Series broadcasts, or read articles about this final leg, you probably also saw mention of the final leg of Europe's equivalent, the Euro Hockey Tour. Now more than ever, Czechia, Sweden, and Finland are closing the gap on Canada and USA in terms of international competition. The birth of the PWHL will accelerate that again. Finland should be worried their most dominant forward, Petra Nieminen, chose to stay in Europe for two more seasons. For Nieminen, it likely won't make a difference as she'll be a force wherever she plays, but for future generations, staying in leagues that are several rungs below the PWHL will make the now closing gap larger, not smaller. To ignore the contribution of the PHF in Czechia's rapid ascent would be an erasure of that league's impact. Czechia seems to understand the importance of getting their players into the best possible leagues, and Sweden and Finland need to consider this too. This week, the level at the Euro Hockey Tour is higher than it's ever been, which is an exciting prospect for women's hockey.
Can anyone crack Canada and USA's rosters?
Watching Team Canada is kind of like watching the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not the 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Penguins with a young Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury stealing the show. When that team came around, you knew there might be times when they'd stumble in the future, but you also knew they'd win again, and they did in both 2016 and 2017. This time however, you could see the writing on the wall. The group would stay competitive, as they do now, but the end of the era is in sight. The problem for Pittsburgh, is that to stay as good as they were, they sacrificed the future. Canada had their time in 2022 winning Olympic and World Championship gold, but the path they take now will impact the 2026 Olympics and every World Championship over the next half decade. Right now, Danielle Serdachny, Julia Gosling, and Sarah Fillier are the future. Gosling is the best bet to take a full-time roster spot with Canada. Corinne Schroeder should be a lock for Canada's crease as well, and there's a chance Sophie Shirley or Maggie Connors do enough to earn a depth role, specifically if injuries arise. On the American side, it appears a little more clear. Kirsten Simms looks like a lock, but beyond Simms, it's more likely we see a return to USA from a player like Grace Zumwinkle, rather than a brand new name.