The Professional Women's Hockey League is making history — and selling out arenas
Karissa Donkin and Sianna Gerelus celebrate this historic moment for women's hockey
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) is almost halfway through its first season. Launched on Jan. 1, the league is made up of six franchises — three in Canada and three in the United States. The Canadian franchises are based in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and the American franchises are based in Boston, Minnesota and New York.
The PWHL was formed after the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League in 2019 with the help of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association — a non-profit organization that advocated for more professionalism in women's hockey.
The demand for professional women's hockey is evident, as tickets for the Toronto versus Montreal game at Scotiabank Arena this Friday sold out in minutes. More than 18,000 fans will be attending the game. Also, because it's the first season, every hat trick, every shut out, every trade and every victory feels historic.
Sports reporter Karissa Donkin and hockey TikToker Sianna Gerelus join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to celebrate the PHWL's inaugural season and talk about where the league is headed.
We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast on your favourite podcast player.
LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Panel produced by Shannah Williamson