The Future (of Hockey) is Female

Hayley Wickenheiser, Geraldine Heaney, Jayna Hefford, and Marie-Philip Poulin. Recognize those names? They’re just a few of the most talented women to ever lace up hockey skates.

The talent did not stop with them. Sarah Nurse, Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne, and Natalie Spooner to name a few are part of the next wave of hockey superstars making an impact on the sport. Yet in spite of the immense level of skill and dedication displayed by these women, there has always been some key ingredients missing – recognition, support, and honestly, respect – but why? What is so wrong with women growing up playing a sport they love, one day hoping to make it to a professional league, be compensated for their skills, and most importantly, be both recognized and respected on equal footing to their male counterparts?

There’s been some progress over the last few years, taking steps towards equal representation in the eyes of sports fans everywhere. Appearing in NHL All-Star skills competitions, receiving national television coverage with record-breaking ratings for games, and partnering with various NHL teams are just a few of the many successes women’s hockey has seen. However, this was not without bumps along the way including cancellations, criticism, and lack of support and commitment from both investors and fans.

Professional women’s leagues have come and gone, including the CWHL which officially folded in 2019. Others such as the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) have since formed and become the face of the women’s game, working to create a strong foundation that can be built upon to ensure a stable future.

Being the only two existing bodies representing women’s hockey, it’s no secret that they have both heavily contributed to the recent growth in the women’s game. However, it’s also no secret that they may be unintentionally holding each other back. 

Although both the NWHL and PWHPA desire the same end goal, they each have different approaches to achieving it. The contrasting leadership perspectives and viewpoints have contributed greatly to their separation and isolation from one another. 

While both the NWHL and PWHPA have individually benefitted from their own efforts to represent and grow the game, in staying apart and not actively acknowledging the existence of the other, they are inadvertently restricting one another from growing any further. It’s weird to think that both want to see women’s hockey on a much larger platform, but fail to realize that, unless they begin to work together, they can only grow so much individually before they reach a plateau. 

Take a look at the NHL for example, even though both the NWHL and PWHPA are now aware of the need to have support from the NHL to build a strong foundation, not much can be done with the way things currently stand. Why? Although the NHL has publicly supported the NWHL and PWHPA by hosting events, the league refuses to commit fully to one while two opposing organizations exist. Clearly, this is a major roadblock for women’s hockey. And it looks like the only way to overcome it is for the NWHL and PWHPA to put aside their differences and join forces. Doing so would open them up to more funding, awareness, and opportunities for expansion.

I’m not asking them to abandon their approaches and viewpoints. They each have unique perspectives but ultimately the same goal – having a self-sustainable league with all the resources and respect these athletes deserve – which should not be ignored. The ask is for them to publicly acknowledge and support one another so that others are aware of the seriousness attached to achieving this goal. Others are looking at the separation between these two and are perceiving it to mean they do not support one another and are, in effect, trying to ‘beat’ each other to the finish line. Presenting a united front will make the fight that much stronger and will begin to turn more heads. 

Any woman, no matter who she plays for or what league she is part of, deserves to be recognized for what they can do. Having the NWHL and PWHPA operate in silos and opposed to working together is making that less likely each day.

What’s next for women’s hockey? The obvious answer is growth. Aside from getting both organizations aligned, there is a lot that can be done. For starters, it would be nice to see some respect and recognition. That goes a long way. Spreading awareness on public platforms is another easy way we can all help. Then, there’s the financial investment into women’s hockey that would elevate the game by providing the necessary resources to create a foundation and grow. I already talked about the issue with the NHL, but there are others out there that can help.  

Some of those ‘others’ also claim women’s hockey is too risky to invest in as it does not appear as stable.

#1: In this past year alone, there has been record-breaking views for women’s hockey events, national TV coverage for the first time, social media awareness is at an all-time high, and an outpouring of support from NHL teams and players – so the potential appears pretty stable to me.

#2: What investment is ever risk-free?

How do people expect the women’s game to take off if there’s no one there to help? Everyone seems so concerned about wanting to normalize the women’s game and contribute to the creation of a self-sustaining league, but very few are actually coming forward with a decent effort. You can’t use the excuse of risk and low potential for success – that just isn’t the case anymore.

All this also comes right as the IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship was cancelled due to COVID-19. Of course, safety is #1. But why was it that a plan B was formed for the Men’s tournament and not for the Women’s? In a year where so many women’s events have been postponed or cancelled, wouldn’t you think that they deserved a plan B? And why was the tournament cancelled instead of just being postponed? Not to mention, the Women’s U-18 Championship in Sweden was cancelled while the Men’s U-18 Championship was moved rather than cancelled. Why?

So many questions which have all remained unanswered. I mean, why the IIHF would assume the lack of a back up plan was fine because it didn’t seem like they needed one given the province’s approval, was an acceptable event management practice is beyond me. This is incompetence during normal times, let alone a year and half into a global pandemic when events are being disrupted left, right and centre.

However, despite what may seem like a very dim world for women’s hockey right now, there was still a lot of progress of which the athletes and advocates should be proud of. There is a long and bumpy road ahead, but something tells me the sports community will get it right one day, hopefully soon.

So, get ready because for women’s hockey, this is just the beginning.

-Antonia Ammendolia

Twitter: @TheHockey_Chick