PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The advancement of women’s hockey is recent, but has been years in the making. The creation of the Premiere Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), a new garment for players to wear and a coaching position being filled by a woman, mark a revolutionary history for the sport.   

The PWHL was established in 2023, but the road to get to the current league was long, and filled with many challenges. The journey started when the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) was founded in 2007. In 2019, the league was halted after being described as not financially sustainable.   

Two years after the closing of the CWHL, hockey players formed the nonprofit organization, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). In addition to the creation of the nonprofit association, hockey players began to protest the lack of adequate pay, unfair working conditions and began the talk of a new future for women’s hockey.  

The PWHPA described the goals of the association in a press release from 2023.  

“We embody the league’s core principles — inclusivity, community, electricity, responsibility, opportunity and longevity — in all that we do,” they reported “And strive to create a safe space for the success and sustainability of our members.” 

In July 2023, the sport was changed when the Premiere Hockey Federation and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association joined forces to create the Premiere Women’s Hockey League. The league was backed by the funding of Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra Walter.  

Additionally, the league had a key member on its board of directors, former tennis star Billie Jean King. King is a long-time champion of gender equality in sports and founded the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973.   

Six teams made up the original fleet of terms in the league and were determined by if there was an existing National Hockey League Team already established in the state and city. The six teams were: the Boston Fleet, the Minnesota Frost, the Montreal Victoire, the New York Sirens, the Ottawa Charges and the Toronto Sceptres.  

January 3, 2024, marked the first PWHL match with Toronto facing off against New York. Associated Press Reporter, John Wawrow, had the opportunity to visit with Toronto captain, Blayre Turnbull before the groundbreaking match.  

“I think it was the moment where we all kind of said, `Wow. It’s happening. We’re here,’” Turnbull detailed.  

At the puck drop that night, Billie King shared her words of encouragement for the players and audience.  

“Today, I think, is really the birth of women’s hockey. This is the moment,” King said. “It’s special. Thank you for playing. Thank you so much.” 

Continuing in March of 2024, the league announced its first partnership that had significance within the new vision of the sport.  

Molson Brewery and the PWHL announced a multi-year partnership with the release of the “See My Name” Campaign. The partnership released a new hockey jersey format where the last name of the player appeared on the lower back of the jersey, ensuring that the player’s name could still be seen when the player wears a ponytail or other hairstyle. The Molson Brewery logo then took up the position on the jersey where the player’s name traditionally is placed.  

The PWHL described the release of the campaign in a press release in March of 2024.  

“Though currently a pilot project, these updated jerseys are just a first step of many in Molson’s mission to help elevate female hockey players,” the league reported.  

It was also noted that the name jersey placement had been worn in previous years by players, but the campaign made the jersey break into a mainstream acceptance of the garment’s format.  

Kara Fitzpatrick, marketing director for Molson and economy brands, described the campaign.  

“We’re proud to announce our upcoming new partnership with the PWHL in an actionable way,” Fitzpatrick said.  

“We’re huge fans of the league and its incredible athletes and launching ‘See My Name’ is a great way to help the stars of the PWHL continue to shine,” Fitzpatrick added.  

Women’s ice hockey also broke into the National Hockey League last fall when Jessica Campbell was named as the first female assistant coach in the NHL. Campbell made her debut, coaching the Seattle Kraken on October 8, 2024.  

Campbell spoke about her position in a press release from the Seattle Kraken.  

“For me, it’s just a normal day in terms of my work, in terms of my routine, in terms of all of those pieces,” Campbell said.  

“I never want to diminish the things that I’m doing because I’m so focused on the task at hand, but I also know that being focused on the task at hand has allowed me to get to this moment and is going to continue.” Campbell detailed.  

Campbell also described her realization of the importance of her stepping up to coach.  

“But I think the moment leading up to the game and stepping on the bench…I’m really going to try to honor what it is, because I know, and I definitely understand that the magnitude and the importance of this moment is really important for our game,” Campbell detailed.  

Campbell at the international level, won the 4 Nations Cup on home ice in 2014 and as part of Canada’s silver medal-winning side at the women’s 2015 World Championship.  

After a season in Germany with the men’s national team and the Nurnberg Ice Tigers, Campbell came to the USA and the American Hockey League.  

In 2022, she joined the Kraken’s top minor league affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, as an assistant coach for the following two seasons. 

With such a reformatory five years, women’s hockey has made mainstream advancements with the creation of PWHL, the ‘See My Name’ Campaign and Jessica Campbell breaking into the NHL coaching world.  

The PWHL will wrap up its second official season on May 3, 2025.  

To learn more about the PWHL and current rankings, visit the official website at: https://www.thepwhl.com/en/