The rise of the PWHL and Minnesota’s big win
Author: Kari Jackson
Support for women’s sports has grown consistently throughout the past few years, but 2024 has been monumental. Women’s hockey has had a slow start to gaining a league of their own. The initial problem began with a split between leagues, no salaries, and a lack of overall support. Before the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) was founded, other leagues tried to make women’s hockey more accessible. Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA) were two of the main leagues where women could play professional hockey. Due to the split between the leagues, they struggled to gain support and were told that there needed to be a unified league in order to gain traction. The women were also not paid to play in these leagues, so it was a struggle to find players. With many of these women being fresh out of college or already in successful careers, convincing them to play for free was difficult.
In January of 2024, the PWHL was founded and began to break down barriers. This organization was founded and funded by the Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter. The board of the PWHL consists of four members, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Stan Kasten, and Royce Cohen. Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss are a power couple who have dominated the tennis world. They have both broken records and had very successful careers within the women’s sports industry. With their professional expertise on the board, the women of the PWHL have excellent mentors on their side. Stan Kasten is the former president of the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals and is currently a partial owner of the LA Dodgers. Royce Cohen also works for the LA Dodgers as a senior vice president of business strategy. With the immense sports industry expertise within this board, the PWHL is in good hands.
As of right now, there are six teams. These teams are located in Boston, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto. These locations were chosen because of their strong hockey fan base and high support for women’s sports. The Minnesota team gets to play in the Excel Energy Center, which holds 17,954 fans.
The Minnesota team not only gets to play in an impressive arena, but they also recently brought home the first ever Walter Cup!
The team needed to win the best of five games to bring home the winning title. Minnesota had a tough loss in the game before the big win. The game ended in double overtime, and Minnesota went home without the Cup. In the final game, Minnesota beat Boston 3-0 and made history. Fans could see the passion within these women as they brought their A-game and played with might. Winning the first-ever Walter Cup was a special moment for the women of the team, and it brought about lots of excitement for hockey fans everywhere. A new local women’s sports bar in Minneapolis was packed with a line out the door due to the influx of fans wanting to watch the game. Fans were repping the Minnesota jerseys and wearing purple to support the team. The increase in support for women’s sports has been incredible to witness. Young girls are more inspired than ever, and teams like these are proving that women can do whatever they set their minds to.