2,640 days can make all the difference. How one lap around SAP Center in San Jose planted the seed for something truly special in the Bay Area, that this year became PWHL San Jose.
Back on February 25, 2019, San Jose was the host of the NHL All Star Game.
That event in San Jose had a very special guest, two-time Walter Cup champion and two-time Olympic medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield.
This was a historic event, as it was the first time in NHL history that a woman participated in an NHL All-Star event. Other participants included Connor McDavid, Mathew Barzal, and Jack Eichel, just to name a few. Coyne Schofield recorded a time of 14.346. For some perspective, McDavid notched a time of 13.378.
Fast forward a few years, and the Professional Women's Hockey League formed. On May 19, 2026, 2,640 days after Kendall Coyne Schofield's lap, PWHL San Jose held its official press conference regarding the new team expanding to the Bay Area. At the press conference, Jonathan Becher, President of the San Jose Sharks, was one of the many speakers.
He shared a story from 2019 when he watched Coyne Schoield do that lap and saw the environment in San Jose.
That's the moment he said, "We got to get a women's hockey team here."
Back in 2019, the PWHL hadn't formed yet, but fast forward seven years, and San Jose has a PWHL team. The first home game will take place at SAP Center, where Coyne Schofield did the lap and planted the seed for what was to come.
