The 2025 PWHL Walter Cup finals were close. How close exactly?
The series went to overtime in each of the four games played, all with a score of 1-1. Three of those games were decided in a single overtime, while game three required three overtime periods to find a winner.
In total, the teams played an additional 78:52, more than a full game extra in overtime periods.
Despite the fact the Minnesota Frost won the series, they only held a lead once in the four game series. It was a 1-0 lead that last from 10:10 of the second period in game four, until 10:09 of the third period.
At the NHL level, only one series in the history of the NHL finals went to overtime in each game. That occurred in 1951 when the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens in five games, winning four games 3-2, and the other 2-1. Each of those games was decided in a single overtime period.
It was the series featuring Bill Barilko's famous last goal that won the Leafs the Cup. Barilko would pass away that summer. The series featured NHL legends and Hall of Famers including Maurice Richard, Doug Harvey, Bernie Geoffrion, Turk Broda, and Ted Kennedy.
Considering such a phenomenon has only happened once in the 110 history of the Stanley Cup being contested in best-of-five or best-of-seven series, it's highly unlikely the PWHL sees this feat repeated anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
It's quite possible that the 2025 PWHL finals will be a series decorated with future Hall of Famers as well. Both captains, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Brianne Jenner certainly have that chance, as do players like Taylor Heise and Lee Stecklein.
Even in the rivalry between Canada and USA in women's hockey, consecutive overtime games are rarely seen despite the admitted parity between the nations that sees them regularly trade wins and medal positions. The two went into overtime in the past two gold medal games, but not during their preliminary games.
The PWHL wanted to be built on parity, and during the league's first two seasons of existence, they achieved it, perhaps never more evident than in the four game 2025 PWHL finals.