5 Things The PWHL Got Right In Year One

The inaugural PWHL campaign isn't over yet, but the regular season has drawn to a close. With the playoffs still to come, storylines will continue to develop, but it's hard not to describe the first season of the PWHL as a success. The league will admit it, there are things they didn't get right, but in retrospect, the good overshadowed the issues. Here's a look at five things the PWHL did right in year one.

In a world where women's hockey has never been readily available with high quality video and broadcasting, the PWHL made no mistake on this one. They made sure fans could watch each and every game of the inaugural season, and that they'd all involve high calibre broadcasting. Sure, we'll all have the PWHL's commercial break music stuck in our heads for the next several years, but the choice to put the games on YouTube was an unequivocal win. The league opened up the doors and said 'have a look,' and judging by the consistent growth in followers and subscriptions online, television viewership numbers on networks, and the growth of sponsors over the inaugural season, people liked what they saw. Game videos were racking up hundreds of thousands of views, and by the final weeks of the season, the PWHL's YouTube channel had surpassed 100,000 subscribers. 

We all know players deserve their private life, and that as the league continues to grow, some of this may need to evolve, but the league held numerous events, meet and greets, and opened the door to players both in person and on social media. The result was rapid connection between players and fans, and the opportunity for young fans to see themselves represented by their new heroes. Seeing the autograph tables, photos of fans interacting with players after games, players helping at local minor hockey practices, and attending watch parties, was something you rarely see in the NHL, but it accelerated the growth of the league ten fold. As another aspect of this, the league also leaned in through social media and in game activities to allowing players to show their individuality and personality. Whether this was featuring walk in clothing, videos discussing Pride and mental health, or putting mic's on players, the league quickly captured moments and the vibrant personalities and articulate players this league features.

The league didn't hesitate to move games, switch venues, or change things on the fly. In part it was a byproduct of how rushed putting together the season was, but primarily, it was a sign the league was ready to read and react to changing situations, and to seize opportunities. While the league's big moments at the Battle on Bay Street, Duel at the Top, and PWHL Takeover Weekend in Pittsburgh and Detroit were the highlights, the more important changes were not these big ticket moments that smashed attendance records every chance they got. The more important changes were recognizing the capacity of venues like Mattamy Athletic Centre and the Verdun Auditorium were already too small for the league, particularly as playoffs rolled around, and that they needed to abandon ship on Bridgeport, CT as a home for PWHL New York. Instead the PWHL will host playoff games at Coca-Cola Coliseaum in Toronto, and Place Bell in Laval close to tripling the attendance capacity and profits for playoffs. The league also moved games to New Jersey's Prudential Center for two PWHL New York games to close out the season, and there was positive response in that move as well. Staying the course would have only been lost time, lost money, and lost opportunity on all fronts, but the flexibility and willingness to change the league showed was fantastic. 

If you saw the promos, if you heard the interviews, if you saw the hundreds of signs in the stands, it was clear, the message was about the power of women and girls in sport. For the first time, a new generation saw their heroes represented everywhere. They heard them on the radio, saw them in magazines, watched them on television, and met them in person. And the message was clear, you can do this too. This sport is for everyone, including women and girls, and this can be your career. For many women, it was the fulfillment of their own lifetime dreams to see women's hockey on a nearly daily basis, and not only did the PWHL welcome these feelings of empowerment, they found ways to amplify it, celebrating the fans as often as they celebrated the players. The spillover effect was a larger and larger fan base that bought out every bit of merchandise, clicked as fast as they could for tickets, and filled arenas everywhere they went. The league also made sure that antiquated rules like bodychecking were reversed to show the powerful and skilled athletes present in the sport.

This was the mantra from the beginning, the league wanted a best-on-best product on the ice. They got as close to this as they could this season bringing together the best players from Canada, USA, Czechia, and many from other hockey nations. The on ice product was fast, physical, and exemplified the elite skills level present in women's hockey. Next season, keeping the league tight at six teams, the PWHL will blow the roof off the already impressive quality of play. With the PWHL beginning in January this season, many players, specifically from Europe, were already under contract, and NCAA players who may have bypassed a fifth season were already enrolled and playing. This year however, the best from outside North America will begin to filter in with elite players like Noora Tulus and Ronja Savolainen from Finland, Maja Nylen Persson from Finland, Klara Peslarova and Daniela Pejsova from Czechia, and Anna Meixner from Austria joining the league, among many others. The influx will likely involve the replacement of at least one line of players per team, which will amplify the on ice calibre yet again. As a second item here, the league innovated on the ice with rules like the jailbreak, and it only added to fan interest and improved the gameplay itself.