From All-Stars to expansion, draft/combine, a docuseries, merging with the PWHPA, an outdoor game and more...here are 10 fun ideas to ponder during the PHF offseason.
1. Add One To All-Star Weekend
The league has never seen an influx in NCAA talent like this offseason. Adding a fourth team to All-Star weekend would show off that incredible growth. Last year there was Team USA, Team Canada, and Team World. This year, the league should add a "Young Guns" team composed of NCAA and USports rookies to the league. Sure Alina Müller, Chloé Aurard, Theresa Schafzahl, and Emma Soderberg could still play for Team World if the league decided, but bringing together the future of the league in one place would be a spectacular addition, both from a marketing perspective, and player experience.
2. Expand the league to Green Bay immediately.
It's not a city often discussed by professional hockey loops, but they have a beautiful 10,200 seat arena, currently used for the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers, who draw excellent crowds. Wisconsin is a hot bed for women's hockey, and Green Bay is already an avid sports city. More importantly, the league could partner with the city's NFL team, and also be called the Green Bay Packers. The icing on that cake would be acquiring Madison Packer from the Riveters, and convincing Anya Packer to come out of retirement. The Green Bay Packers would be the most literal name in the sport. We're kidding about the name...but not the location.
3. Announce expansion using the Isobel Cup
Who knows where the league's next expansion team will be. Ottawa? Chicago? Washington? Tulsa? Somewhere in between or somewhere outside of the current league reaches? Wherever it's going to be, the PHF should aim to have the location in place by All-Star weekend, and announce that location as the host of the Isobel Cup final. What better way to drive interest in the league than allowing the new market to witness the best of the best play for a championship.
4. It's time for out of market preseason games
The in season neutral site games are fun, sort of. But in a 24 game season, taking away any home game isn't ideal for a fan base. The easy solution is to expand preseason play with out of market games. Tulsa has shown great interest in the league through the Minnesota Whitecaps and Buffalo Beauts' Battle of the Rig, but there are other mid-sized locations like this where the league could begin building a following. Perhaps they look at college cities like Providence or Madison. Maybe they go North or the border to London or Saskatoon. Eventually overseas games would be great, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
5. Could a midseason 'tournament' work?
In other sports, and in Europe, we see tournaments as a regular part of competition. In men's professional hockey in Europe, the Spengler Cup has been a mainstay. There are dozens of men's and women's soccer club tournaments. Women's hockey could travel to a bigger venue, perhaps a city like Seattle, Chicago, or Washington who already have a love for women's sport, and play. Or it could be rotated through current markets annually. It would be a unique opportunity for fans to meet in one place, to market and televise the sport, to introduce the league to new markets, and to gain extra games on the schedule. If it's a seven team league still, the league could invite a lower tiered national team like Hungary, Slovakia, or France to even the field, aiding in the international development of the game. It's no different than Canada fielding a team each year in the Spengler Cup.
6. Find A Way With The PWHPA
When the PWHPA started their quest for a league, what the PHF was offering didn't match their goals. Now, the PHF is offering everything the PWHPA is promising, and more. What they aren't, the PWHPA could bring with them. Between the two groups, every gap can be closed. It's time for the stalemate to end. Here's a fun idea, let's bring in a mediator, put seven non-board members of the PWHPA in a room, and the seven captains of each PHF team in a room, and bring the groups together. No upper brass, just the players. Who knows, perhaps there's still time to arrange a few midseason "showcase" events involving teams from both groups working toward a full merger and expansion the following year. Fans deserve to see all the best women in the world, and the only thing holding that back now is....well, we're all confused, because there is nothing.
7. Could a draft soon return?
Seeing the salaries major NCAA and USports athletes are drawing this offseason, leagues and fans may be questioning if and when a draft will return. It would stop a few teams from stockpiling talent, and help others recruit, but... Drafts can turn players off from playing for personal reasons, like familial/spousal separation, and they're decidedly anti-labor. Neither the PHF nor the PWHPA is at a point where they should be hosting a draft due to minimum salaries. You can't pick a player in Toronto or New York and pay them $40,000. Also, the absence of a draft will continue to push teams to improve conditions for players. If a team does not treat players well, doesn't provide quality supports and facilities, or has staff and personnel who can't sell a program, players won't come. Introducing a draft is anti-labor. Forcing teams to improve in order to competitively recruit makes things better for all. Long live free agent frenzy!
8. Forget the draft, bring on the Combine
Lots of teams hold informal skates, bring NCAA and USports players to practices, and more. When a CBA comes in, those actions should be banned. It gives some teams a geographic advantage, it also allows outside of salary cap perks. To erase this, the PHF host multiple PHF Combine weekends immediately after the season and NCAA championships. Scouting is the next frontier of women's hockey. It's a point most teams aren't doing well, and it's a problem. These events would allow teams to meet players in person, interview them, sell their programs, and for players to be introduced in person to the PHF, and some of the league's star players who would be brought in to coach teams and run on-ice sessions. In terms of advancing women's hockey, it would be a step forward. The league could also assist players by inviting agents to attend. These pros need representation, and too many are still trying to negotiate and find teams alone. It would also be an opportunity to bring in league partners and sponsors who could be looking for talent for endorsements and promotions. It's a win-win situation if done right.
9. Take the Game Outside
It's time for the PHF to put themselves on a grand scale with an outdoor game. We already know Seattle, Edmonton, and New York are hosting NHL outdoor games. The rinks are always set up early, other teams often play, it's time to get on the phone and make this happen. Isobel Cup rematch in Seattle? Buffalo and the Rivs at Metlife in New York? Montreal versus Toronto for an all-Canadian match up in Edmonton? Yes, please.
10. Give me Netflix...or Apple...or Crave...or Hulu
If you've watched interviews, follow players on social media, or have attended any in person games or events, you'll know that players in the PHF are articulate, have interesting personal lives, are multi-talented individuals away from the rink, and are down right funny. Couple that with the social issues of gender equity, the fight for professional women's sport, and the burgeoning market, and this league and a streaming docuseries sound like a match made in heaven. Fandom is evolving, and knowing players outside the rink, seeing them as people, is what fans want. If someone isn't pitching this, they should be.