Today, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) announced the first suspension in the history of the young league. PWHL Boston forward Taylor Wenczkowski has been suspended for one game for a hit to the head of PWHL Ottawa defender Amanda Boulier. Although Wenczkowski was only accessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play, the Chair of the PWHL Player Safety Committee Jayna Hefford felt the hit deserved a second look and further discipline, and rightfully so.
Historic Suspension Sets a Precedent
It’s likely the worst way to be remembered in the history books, but Wenczkowski will always be a part of PWHL history as a result of this play. The one-game suspension may not seem like much, but considering the 24-game season, it’s a significant penalty compared to how it would be seen in the NHL. She’ll miss 4.1 percent of the season which is the equivalent of a three-game suspension in the NHL.
The hit certainly deserved supplemental discipline, as any hit to the head has a high chance of injury. The key moving forward will be consistency from the Player Safety Committee, as now a precedent has been established for this type of hit. The fact that it took nearly a month for a suspension to be levied shows how clean the new league has been to this point, and hopefully, it remains that way.
Wenczkowski’s Road to the PWHL & Season-to-Date
Wenczkowski’s name is certainly a familiar one to fans of women’s hockey. The 26-year-old American played for the University of New Hampshire in the NCAA from 2015 to 2020 and was their captain during the 2019-20 season. From there, she was selected in the third round of the, at the time, National Women’s Hockey League Draft by her local team, the Boston Pride. After her rookie season, the Pride became part of the Premier Hockey Federation, where she remained until the PWHL came into existence this season.
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So far, Wenczkowski has played in four of Boston’s five games this season and has yet to record a single point. In fact, her only counting stat at the moment is the two penalty minutes that were a result of the play which led to her suspension.
The PWHL has made a historic decision, suspending a player for the first time in the league’s history. Although it’s likely not how she’ll want to be remembered, Taylor Wenczkowski will be a name etched in PWHL history. The one-game suspension was served as she missed tonight’s game against PWHL Minnesota.
