The landscape of women’s professional hockey has undergone a revolutionary transformation since Kendall Coyne Schofield’s emotional plea for greater visibility following the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. What was once considered a distant dream has materialized into the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which now stands poised for its international showcase at the Milan Cortina Games.
Four years after her tearful declaration that ‘the status quo is not good enough,’ Coyne Schofield’s vision has been validated through the PWHL’s successful launch in 2023. The league, financially backed by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, represents the first truly professional platform for female hockey players, distinguishing itself from previous iterations where athletes often played without salary or proper recognition.
The Olympic tournament serves as a strategic launching point for the eight-team league, which features 61 PWHL players distributed across ten competing nations—notably comprising the majority of both Team USA and Team Canada rosters. The league is capitalizing on this global stage through extensive advertising campaigns aimed at converting casual Olympic viewers into dedicated PWHL followers.
Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford, now PWHL executive vice president, emphasizes the critical opportunity: ‘Previous years, everybody falls in love with the Olympics. They hear stories about players, we have huge viewership numbers, and then it’s sort of like ‘What now?”
The league’s growth metrics demonstrate remarkable progress: attendance has surpassed 500,000 fans nearing the midpoint of its third season, following the milestone of one million attendees achieved in under two seasons. Expansion plans include adding up to four new teams next season, with potential future establishment of European franchises.
Despite these achievements, challenges persist. The PWHL lacks a national broadcaster in the United States, though games are available through local markets and YouTube. Additionally, international representation remains limited, with only 25 of the league’s 200-plus players hailing from outside North America. League executives acknowledge this gap and are actively pursuing global growth through potential exhibition games in Europe and enhanced scouting efforts.
Veteran Swiss national team player Alina Muller, now with the Boston Fleet, believes the league’s stability will gradually attract more international talent: ‘Now being able to watch our games and think, ‘Yeah, I want to end up playing professionally,’ will change the attitude toward the sport completely.’
The Milan Cortina Games thus represent not just another tournament, but a pivotal moment in women’s hockey history—the culmination of years of advocacy and the beginning of a new era of professional opportunities for female athletes worldwide.