Labar: Professional Women’s Hockey is Surging in Popularity with New League

By Abby Labar
Sportmoney Columnist

It’s Sunday morning around 7am and I’m getting ready to cover my first Professional Women’s Hockey League game. In an effort to make sure I’m fully prepared, I have an episode of “Jocks in Jills” playing in the background. The podcast airs every Tuesday and Thursday, and they usually have some pretty phenomenal guests on the show.

This episode in particular featured none other than Kendall Coyne-Schofield. Recognize the name? You don’t have to be a women’s hockey fan to know who this woman is: An unbelievable athlete who is highly decorated and has represented the United States with true passion and pride in her sport — while also advocating for equality and change within hockey.

My ears perked up when she started talking about how she made her college decision to attend Northeastern. She said that at the time her focus was on which university would be able to give her the best education to set her up for career opportunities after hockey. Isn’t that interesting to think about? In this day and age where all we talk about are “decision days” and “signing days,” hoping that the best athletes will attend the schools with the best programs, you mean to tell me she was more focused on her education?! The reality was that hockey after college wasn’t even a thought for women that played the game back then, which is just one small example of how far we have come.

That’s my introduction to capture your attention not just for this column, but hopefully in an effort to get you interested in following the PWHL. Full transparency: I’ve been covering the NHL for years now, but women’s hockey was not something I’ve followed. I’m not trying to justify why I haven’t paid much attention to the sport, but there simply hasn’t been a league or a platform that’s consistent or successful enough to draw in fans. Until now. 

I was asked to cover a couple of PWHL games to start their 30 game season, so I’ve spent the past month really diving into learning about the league, the background of the players and the landscape of women’s hockey over the past decade. Here’s what opened my eyes to how great this league is not just for us as fans but for the next generation of young women who want to play hockey:

I’m going to take you back to my prep work again. A part of my process for really any broadcast, not just women’s hockey, involves me getting players on the phone or grabbing them after practice to talk with them one-on-one. A lot of the questions are about the game, but I have other questions that are a little more open ended in a “get to know you” sort of way because I’m not just a voice for the game and teams, I’m a voice for these athletes. 

One player in particular I got on the phone, the New York Sirens’ Emmy Fecteau, has quite the fun personality. The 25-year-old French Canadian told me she is “living her best life.” She went on to explain the reason: “Getting to travel on planes, having meals prepared and equipment ready for us, it’s all an amazing experience.” Now mind you, this is a talented athlete that has played hockey her entire life. But it’s the little things that you would expect for any athlete, let alone a PROFESSIONAL athlete, that get her that excited?! It’s because she didn’t have this before. Many of these players didn’t experience it at any level of the game.

When I watched my first full PWHL game I was with my dad. He’s become a big NHL fan over the past several years as I’ve covered the sport. Both of us sat in awe on the couch as we watched the skill level of these women. We couldn’t stop talking about the speed, the pace of play and the physicality (which they just really started to welcome into the sport this year, and it’s changed the game). We were both so impressed with the product that we were witnessing, especially considering the fact that before the inaugural season last year these athletes didn’t have the chance to play consistently throughout a season. 

Now, the competition supports the league’s growth. In 2024, between the inaugural season and this new season combined, 55 of the 104 games were decided by one goal, which also includes 20 games that were decided in extra frames and nine in a shootout. These are women that have played hockey their whole lives but had several years go by where they were only seeing 6-10 games a year. To witness the talent and level of play despite this only being the second season of the league was really empowering. 

My first in-person game was a Sunday afternoon before Christmas at the Prudential Center, home of the New York Sirens. Two of the best teams at the time in the PWHL were in a battle for first before the holiday break, and the game didn’t disappoint. In front of a crowd filled with families, especially young girls and kids, we witnessed a New York comeback that sent the game into extra hockey and finished with a shootout won by the Minnesota Frost. 

During the game I was running back and forth between the benches. One thing that really stood out to me, besides the great hospitality of both teams, their staff, players, coaches, etc., was the attitude of the women. Being right behind the bench and in the locker rooms you could feel the genuine passion and joy. Both teams fought adversity throughout the game, but there was no sense of stress or negativity. You could just feel that no matter what the current score was, they were simply so happy to be there playing the game they love as a profession. 

The league is backed by Mark Walter, a successful businessman who is a part owner of an organization you’ve probably heard of before – the LA Dodgers. With the help of Billie Jean King, the league was up and running with a ton of support very quickly. They have experienced exponential growth from year one to year two: From doubling attendance numbers to international players seeing the success and deciding to uproot their lives to come live and play here in the United States. There is an incredible level of talent coming out of the NCAA, and right now the sky feels like the limit. 

While I wanted to go on and on about my experience thus far, as well as the excitement surrounding the PWHL, ironically I was on a flight to Minnesota to cover my second game this season as I was finishing this column and had to get back to my prep work for another weekend matinee. I’m looking forward to the turnout in a hockey town at a different arena, and hopefully I’ve encouraged you to tune in for the next one – or even attend a game if it’s near you. I’m so grateful to be a voice for the growth of women’s hockey.