Men's Vs. Women's Hockey

Hockey is a well known sport, but unlike soccer and basketball, the differences between the men’s and women’s side are relatively unknown. Since the winter is coming and the hockey season has begun, it’s important to take a look at the differences between the two sides of this cold-loving sport as well as its two professional leagues: the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

Starting on the men’s side, the NHL is its professional league. When the league began in 1917, there were only six teams. Today, there are over 30 teams, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken being the league’s most recent additions. This season began in early October, and every team plays 82 regular season games. Quickly, the best teams have sorted themselves out, and the top teams right now are the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, and the Minnesota Wild. Players come from a wide range of places, most commonly from Canada, with the U.S at second. The NHL is the most popular hockey league in the world and also the most skilled and competitive. The best players from around the globe play in the NHL. It’s been this way for a long time and has consistently made fans enjoy watching the sport.

Attempts have been made in the past to start a popular women’s hockey league, such as the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL). Unfortunately, it wasn’t financially stable and ended abruptly after the 2018-19 season. It wasn’t all for nothing, as leagues like the CWHL set the foundation for what the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is built on. The PWHL had its first season last year and was immediately a hit. In just a few months, it smashed records for the most attended women's hockey game. Starting with 8,318, then over ten thousand, then almost twenty thousand, and finally 21,105 on April 20. This year's season starts on November 30 and teams will play 30 games instead of 24. Not only that, but each team is now equipped with new logos, jerseys, and names. Fans and players are hoping for it to be another great season and for attendance records to be smashed again.

While the women's side is beginning to grow in popularity, it still has a long way to go. So how does it grow further? Well, the differences between men’s and women's hockey provide some insight on why men’s hockey is more popular than women’s hockey, and how the PWHL has taken that into consideration. 

Part of the reason people love hockey is because of the speed, hits, and physicality of the game. When you compare an NHL game to a PWHL game it is immediately apparent that the NHL is much faster and more physical than the PWHL. One of the most obvious differences is that in women's hockey, you can’t body check. A body check is a direct hit to a player, typically into the boards, with the means of separating them from the puck. While there is nothing we can do about the difference in speed and strength between the sides, the PWHL still found a way to be popular. How? For one, they are much more lenient with the physicality of the game, and two, the players are taking full advantage of this. Making the game more physical is just what women's hockey needs to rise in popularity. 

Aside from the professional leagues, how else is women's hockey different from mens? Two big differences are popularity at a collegiate level and media exposure. Much like professionally, women's college hockey is still trying to grow its traction. With only 36 D1 teams compared to men’s 60, it is hard to gain fans and media attention. Men’s hockey is much more likely to be watched than women’s and controls many of the popular cable channels as well as spots on ESPN and other major sports platforms. 

Although men's hockey is still more popular than women's, it's important not to forget that women's hockey is growing. In a twenty-year span from the early 1990s to late 2000s, the number of girls playing youth hockey multiplied by ten, and adult women's hockey leagues are beginning to expand as well. The best thing to help women's hockey grow is to watch a game. Be sure to support this growing side of hockey by watching the PWHL on YouTube once the season starts.