STAMFORD, Conn. — There’ll only be one first game in the history of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. And players from the PWHL New York franchise are excited that they’re taking part in the inaugural game Jan. 1 in Toronto at Mattamy Athletic Centre, atop the fabled Maple Leaf Gardens.
“The word ‘inaugural’ always has a really cool ring to it,” New York forward Jill Saulnier said after the league announced the home openers for each of the Original 6 teams Tuesday.
“It’s going to be special. And it’ll be the start of a year to remember.”
The new women’s hockey league will make its debut on New Year’s Day at 12:30 p.m. ET, or two-and-a-half hours before the annual NHL Winter Classic, taking place this season between the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
That’ll probably help bring a lot of eyeballs to the first PWHL game. And New York forward Jade Downie-Landry is good with that.
“I just found out today, looking at the schedule and seeing we got the first game, and I was like ‘cool,’” Downie-Landry said. “All eyes will be on us, and that includes other teams, the fans, future generations (of women players), so it’s a pretty special moment.
“To be honest, speaking on behalf of everyone, we’re super humbled and privileged to be the team playing against Toronto on January 1st because it’s quite a special opportunity.”
Season opener momentous event for PWHL
The standalone game makes it an even more momentous event for the PWHL, which certainly can’t be a coincidence.
“Giving our athletes the opportunity to step onto the ice to compete in front of our passionate fans has been the driving force of our efforts, and it’s going to be an exciting reality on New Year’s Day,” PWHL Advisory Board member Stan Kasten said. “It’s time for the best women’s hockey players in the world to lift our game to greater heights.”
The PWHL is operated under the sole ownership of the Mark Walter Group. That means the six teams work closely together off the ice to launch the long-awaited venture, even though they’ll compete against one another on the ice.
It’s a unique approach that’s taken years to come to fruition. But there’s a real collaborative spirit at play between the teams, owner, management and players, and a belief that this women’s pro league will have the staying power previous leagues did not.
“Being able to be the ones who live this out when we saw the (players) before us who didn’t get this chance, there’s an emphasis and pressure in that we’re putting all of our eggs in one basket and making sure we’re representing the women’s game the best we can,” explained Saulnier, a 31-year-old who’s won Olympic gold and silver with Canada.
“We want to leave that legacy. Leaving a footprint is a great metaphor for the goal we have with this league.”
But first things first. There’s that inaugural game, the first of 24 in the regular season for each team in an abridged schedule which will be more robust in subsequent seasons.
And New York already has its sights set on New Year’s Day.
“I won’t lie, I keep thinking about it (Opening Night),” defenseman Jamie Bourbonnais said. “I’ll be so excited to put the jersey on for the first time and to step on to the ice. This has been years in the making, so to finally have that day come will be really special.”