No Longer On Thin Ice

SEVERAL WOMEN'S HOCKEY LEAGUES HAVE LAUNCHED (AND FAILED), BUT THE PWHL LOOKS POISED TO THRIVE

- BY KRISTEN NELSON

CROWD PLEASERS Stars like Pannek (opposite] have hockey fans across two countries turning out in record numbers.

WHEN KELLY PANNEK got a call in September 2023 to join PWHL Minnesota, everything was finally falling into place.

The launch of the Professional Women's Hockey League had been announced just a few days earlier, and the first puck was set to drop in four months. There were six franchises (Minnesota, Boston, Montreal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto) but no team nicknames. No other players had signed on yet. Minnesota didn't even have a coach. But Pannek did not hesitate to become the first player to officially ink a contract with the league. This is what she and hundreds of other women's hockey players had been working toward for years. “It felt like a no-brainer,” Pannek says. “Minnesota’s been a huge part of my life. It’s where I’m from, and it’s where I’ve grown up. Then to continue my professional career in Minnesota—that’s something I never was able to dream of.”

When Pannek graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2019, becoming a pro wasn’t a given. At that time the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) had just folded. There was the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), but more than 200 players were boycotting it because they weren’t earning livable wages. Instead, players created the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA), which played exhibition games to garner support for establishing a united and sustainable North American league.