Rangers become 1st NHL team to host women's pro hockey game
Madison Square Garden will be 1st stop on 2021 Dream Gap Tour on Feb. 28
The New York Rangers have become the first NHL team to host a Professional Women's Hockey Players Association game, the team and the league announced.
The league will kick off the 2021 Dream Gap Tour on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. ET. It will be the first time professional women's hockey to be played at Madison Square Garden. Currently, this is the only scheduled date for the 2021 Tour but the league promised more games throughout Canada and the United States will be announced in the coming days.
History in the making. <br><br>On Feb. 28, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheGarden</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYR</a> will become the first NHL team to host a <a href="https://twitter.com/PWHPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PWHPA</a> game, advancing equity and opportunity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NGWSD2021?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NGWSD2021</a> | <a href="https://t.co/tm4FBK8y9i">https://t.co/tm4FBK8y9i</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZEqX5wK6Yi">pic.twitter.com/ZEqX5wK6Yi</a>
—@NYRangers"This is a major milestone for women's hockey and young girls who aspire to play professional hockey but don't have the option to make it a career today," said Jayna Hefford, PWHPA operations consultant in a press release. "NHL teams are uniquely positioned to elevate women's hockey to the next level. They bring major brand strength, corporate relationships and access to a fan base. I want to thank the New York Rangers and Bauer Hockey for helping us reach this achievement. We're even more excited to celebrate this milestone on National Girls and Women in Sports Day."
The league was founded in 2019 and features approximately 125 of the world's best hockey players and was formed to advocate for and advance equity, fairness and opportunity in women's professional hockey.
Breaking barriers at The World’s Most Famous Arena!<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/NYRangers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYRangers</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Chase?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chase</a> will be hosting a <a href="https://twitter.com/PWHPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PWHPA</a> game on February 28th at <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheGarden</a>, the first time MSG has hosted a professional women’s hockey game. <a href="https://t.co/nCD3ycACsp">pic.twitter.com/nCD3ycACsp</a>
—@BauerHockey"The talent level of women's hockey is simply incredible, and the Rangers organization is honoured to host this game. We're excited to play even a small role in helping elevate visibility for the women's game," said John Davidson, President, New York Rangers. "We all love this sport so much and any opportunity the Rangers have to participate in its advancement is something we want to be a part of. It's a win for everyone involved."
