The first year of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has been a resounding success, both on and off the ice. The on-ice product won fans over immediately and the importance given to diversity and inclusivity was a big hit. The fun factor was very high all season long at PWHL Montreal’s games whether in Verdun or Laval. What fans particularly liked however was how accessible the players were and how much they were willing to interact and even get in on the social media action.
The Poulin-Stacey Relationship
It’s a well-known fact for most women’s hockey fans that Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey are in a relationship. In May 2023, they announced their engagement on social media and got mostly positive reactions, although there will always be those who say they don’t want to know about their sexual orientation. What these people do not understand is that by coming out, they are giving those who are still living in the closet to come out and truly be themselves.
Early in the season, Stacey scored a goal which she celebrated with Poulin, the PWHL photographer captured the moment, and it was posted on X. One fan wrote: “Score a goal and celly with your fiancée” Another X user answered: “Her fiancé is there? Didn’t see him behind the glass.” Someone took no time to answer: “Her fiancée is number 29 Poulin. She’s gay Marcus” Just like that, the first PWHL meme was born.
Since then, T-shirts, bracelets, hats, and so many jokes have been made, but last weekend, it all culminated when Stacey and Poulin had their bachelorette party in Austin, Texas, and everyone wore “She’s gay Marcus” tank tops. This is the beauty of this league; the players are aware of what is going on with the fans and want them to feel included.
The Montreal Win Celebration
In Quebec, a band has always been popular at family parties and weddings; La Compagnie Creole. When the time came for PWHL Montreal’s players to choose their win celebration song, they picked from the band’s discography and opted for “Au Bal Masqué” which translates to: the masked ball. After their first home win, four players (Gabrielle David, Sarah Bujold, Mariah Keopple and Ann-Sophie Bettez) decided to dance to it and the fans loved it.
A new tradition was immediately born in Montreal. Should one of the dancers miss a game, another player would be roped in to fill in. No consent was necessary according to Kristin O’Neil, who had her baptism of fire towards the end of the season. There’s no doubt Don Cherry would be calling them “a bunch of jerks”, but this league doesn’t have a Don Cherry and that’s a thing of beauty.
After each win, fans stayed in their seats waiting for the traditional dance and a fantastic atmosphere reigned in the building. Even in defeat, the fans applauded the players for their efforts.
The Pride Celebrations and Erin Ambrose’s Skates
While the NHL decided to do away with the Pride jerseys and tried to ban the rainbow stick tape, the PWHL held Pride nights in every market and sold Pride t-shirts for the occasion. The nights were hugely popular with fans and t-shirts were best sellers at the merchandise stand.
Earlier in the season, Erin Ambrose revealed her new custom-made skates and she made sure to include a neat little Pride feature on them. At the back, there’s a tack with her number on it, but the background is made up of a Pride flag. I had the pleasure of interviewing the Montreal blueliner and here’s what she had to say about her skates:
I think, that those that just don’t understand maybe just need to listen a little bit more and have a little more compassion as human beings.
It’s pretty simple, it’s not a matter of me being a hockey player, of me being anything more than a human. I think that the most important thing is something that is as simple as a rainbow tack on a pair of hockey skates makes an impact on people, then that’s wonderful.
And if something as simple as a rainbow tack on a pair of skates sets people off, then I think that those people need to be a little more compassionate towards human beings, it’s as simple as that.
With so many players openly gay, it is not surprising the PWHL is so inclusive. On top of Poulin and Stacey getting set to marry this summer, PWHL Ottawa’s goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and her wife Genevieve Lacasse are expecting a baby this fall, Chloe Aurard and Elizabeth Giguere from PWHL New York are also members of the community, while Montreal’s Kennedy Marchment is with PWHL Toronto’s Allie Munroe and the list could go on and on. So many inspiring women living out their dream of being professional athletes and doing it while being true to themselves.
Inclusive Even With Those Who Don’t Agree
At the 2024 PWHL Draft, the PWHL Minnesota team used the ninth overall selection to pick Wisconsin’s captain Britta Curl. For those who are not aware of the back story and wondering why they heard a lot of booing when Curl was drafted, it comes from her social media activities. In a nutshell, she showed a lot of support for anti-LGBTQ+ posts online, anti-trans comments and even racist posts.
Since being drafted, she issued a video to tell PWHL fans she has nothing against the LGBTQ+ community, she has a lot of people from the community in her entourage and she never had any issue with them or anyone else.
It remains to be seen if fans will be satisfied with the “apology” Curl put on her social media, hopefully, they will be. The league and the fans are very proud to call themselves inclusive, they have to be, even with people who aren’t and educate them. PWHL Minnesota fans have seen enough turmoil already with the Natalie Darwitz dismissal fiasco. Judging by their booing of head coach Ken Klee at the draft, they are not over it yet, and considering she’s a legend in the state, it could take some time for them to be. Captain Kendall Coyne-Schofield will need to use her leadership to get the players to really mesh as a team.
Related: PWHL Champions Minnesota Let Go of GM Natalie Darwitz
Today is free agency day in the PWHL and it will be interesting to see if the signings will be announced as they come and not in one announcement per team days later. There could be a lot of new players on your favorite team when the 2024-25 season kicks off, but rest assured, this is in the best interest of the league and the on-ice product quality. You’ll enjoy getting to know those new NCAA rookies and European draftees. Fear not, there will be some familiar faces as well.
