Female Hockey Players Finally Have a League They Can Be Proud Of And It’s Called The PWHL
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has finally launched and the decorated female professional hockey players celebrated their opening weekend.
Before this year, there were a few unsuccessful professional leagues. One was the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association and the Professional Hockey Federation. And years before those even formed there was the National Women’s Hockey League and the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Due to lack of funding and no television rights, all of those leagues eventually folded. But that’s when the PWHL was born.
What Is the PWHL?
![PWHL opening ceremonies in Boston](https://country1025.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/01/IMG_7913.jpg)
It was an incredible moment for the women who laced up and played in the first PWHL game in Lowell. This was a picture from the opening ceremonies.
The PWHL now has the biggest stars and best talent in women’s hockey. Many of the players played in the Olympic games for Team USA, Team Canada, and other International Olympic teams. The PWHL consists of six new talented teams across North America. There are three who represent Canada- Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. And then there’s three teams that are located in America- Boston, New York and Minnesota.
This league is the first of its kind. It’s the first that has had huge media and television sponsors. You can catch the PWHL on NESN, MSG Network, CBC, TSN, RDS and Sportsnet. You might have even caught Boston’s first home opener in person at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell on January 3rd, or live on NESN.
Opening Night For PWHL Boston
PWHL Boston played PWHL Minnesota in their opening weekend in Lowell, MA at the Tsongas arena. That’s where all of PWHL Boston’s home games will be played. My husband, Rob Bellamy, was a former professional hockey player. He went to the game and reported back the following:
“The attendance was amazing. There were about 3,600 people inside the arena. Many of the spectators were families and a lot of youth girl’s teams. But there was clearly support from higher-ups too. The General Manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney, was in attendance. Along with former Bruins Captain and future Hall of Famer, Patrice Bergeron, who dropped the ceremonial puck. And also another former Bruin was there, Adam McQuaid, who currently works as Player Development Coordinator for the Boston Bruins. There was a lot of hype and buzz around the league and the team.”
Rob also said that the product on the ice was very impressive. It was good pace and electric for the fans.
My husband’s sister is a former Olympic Gold medalist in women’s ice hockey. Her name is Kacey Bellamy and she’s won two silver medals and one gold for America. (Talk about trying to live up to the family name when I go over there for holidays!)
![Kacey Bellamy holding olympic gold medal in her mouth](https://country1025.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2024/01/IMG_1487.jpg)
Kacey Bellamy is my sister in law and I was so lucky to be able to see her win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. This is my favorite picture of her after she WON THE GOLD BABY!!!
While Kacey’s not playing in this league, I asked her about what she thought of a lot of her former teammates playing in the PWHL. Kacey said, “The Professional Women’s Hockey League represents a historic leap in women’s sports, providing a professional and equitable stage for female hockey players. It provides significant opportunities for the current and next generation, offering new dreams and pathways in hockey beyond the Olympics and national teams.”
Where And When To Watch PWHL Boston
Sadly, PWHL Boston lost their first home game, but you’ll have more chances to cheer them on this season in Lowell. The team has three more home games (January 8th against Ottowa at 6:00pm, January 20th against NY at 12:30pm, January 27th against Minnesota at 4:00pm). Tickets can be found at http://www.boston.thepwhl.com. If you can’t catch the games in person, you can watch them live on NESN.