Writer: Sofi Dawalibi
Editor: Mare Lara
The Professional Women’s Hockey League is in full steam as its second season approaches just around the corner. With their brand new names and logos, there is no doubt that the PWHL is simply following the footsteps of the momentum of the WNBA – which is absolutely crushing in streams. – While we wait to report the actual games and news at Sports Girls Club, we might as well have some fun with the facts about this sport!
Teammates to Girlfriends Pipeline
Minnesota Frost is home to a beautiful love story between teammates Michaela Cava – who plays center – and her girlfriend, Emma Greco – who’s in defense – as they won last year's inaugural Walter Cup. The two had met when they played the now-disassembled Premier Hockey Federation's Toronto Six and made the team together, having been together since the end of 2022. Emma has signed a one-year contract with the Boston Fleet for the upcoming season, which means we might see one of them cheering for the other on the sidelines – despite the rivalry between teams.
Ottawa is not the first Charger, and neither is Boston the First Fleet
With the new team names being announced on the 9th of September, a lot of buzz went around surrounding the opinions of fans. Some copyright and patenting conflicts were brought up with the announcements as some logos and names sounded familiar – especially surrounding Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet. – The Los Angeles Chargers are an American Football team currently in the NFL (West Division), while the San Diego Fleet was a professional American Football franchise that was dismantled in 2019. Though completely different sports, fans can’t help but want something more unique for their teams.
There were 4 Finalist Names before the Actual Names
Building on the previous subject of names, those weren’t the only options considered nor trademarked for the six teams in the PWHL. Previous to settling on the ones announced, Bauer had placeholder pages for each team. For Montreal, the ones considered were Echo, Métro, and Lumières. In Toronto, they were: Torch, Tempest, and Sentinels. For Ottawa, they were Alert (a fan favorite), Guard, and Advance. In Boston, they were Blitz, Wicked, or Emeralds. New York was in between Rush, Sound, and Odyssey. At last, before Minnesota settled on Frost (my personal favorite), they thought about Superior, Marmots, or Monarchs. Though all the teams have pretty cool logos, there were some missed opportunities to make them more memorable rather than trying to “play it cool.”
Once Upon a Time, a Woman played in the NHL
Before being the inventor of women-specific hockey gear, Manon Rhéaume played for the Tampa Bay Lightning as their goalie in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues. Back in 1992, Manon was the first ever woman to play in a preseason NHL game. However, that wasn’t her first conquest, as she had won an Olympic Silver medal in ice hockey. She opened the way for many women who came after her, such as Dawn Braid who became the first full-time female coach in the NHL for the now-disassembled Arizona Coyotes. The final score was two goals against nine shots in less than twenty minutes of the game, which might not be the best – but really what matters is the history made by Manon.
Women’s Hockey dates back to the late 19th Century
Though organized women’s hockey leagues and competitions didn’t emerge until the early 20th century, the first ever documented women’s hockey game was in 1892 in Barrie, Ontario. Gaining its popularity within universities in Canada, such as the University of Toronto and McGill University in Montreal, women’s hockey has been around for over a century. Isn’t it so strange that just now it’s finally getting traction? Back in 1954, the first woman to have her name on the Stanley Cup was Marguerite Norris, after inheriting the Detroit Red Wings from her late father – being named president of the team – It is incredibly heartwarming that now, women have their trophy engraved with their names.
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