The GIST

PWHL sees attendance growth in Canadian and neutral site games

A new report from Front Office Sports revealed that PWHL attendance has risen about 30% thus far compared to last year’s average, but the gains aren’t being felt everywhere. While neutral site and Canadian games have drawn higher-than-average crowds, U.S. attendance remains flat YoY, which could have ramifications on the PWHL’s expansion plans south of the border.

January 27, 2025

PWHL Takeover Tour could offer brands similar opportunities to the WNBA’s Canadian games

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As discussed on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the PWHL’s nine-city Takeover Tour is only three stops in, but there’s already plenty of discussion on where the league will establish its first two expansion franchises later this year.

January 15, 2025

PWHL partners with three new brands in Canada as league offers unique cross-border access

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Hockey is huge in Canada, so naturally, the PWHL’s popularity is growing fast among Canadian fans and sponsors. After tipping off its second season with nearly 50 corporate partnerships, the league inked three more Canadian-based deals this week, demonstrating its interest in reaching women’s sports fans on both sides of the border.

December 13, 2024

PWHL inks two key partnerships ahead of its new season

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Winter is upon us, and so is the second season of the PWHL. After scoring serious business wins in year one, the pro women’s hockey league is gearing up for expansion, from adding two new teams by next year to signing multiple partnerships before Saturday’s puck dropped — including one in October with yours truly.

December 02, 2024

PWHL announces new branding for all six teams as it gears up for season two

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As mentioned, the PWHL unveiled new names, logos, and colors for its inaugural six franchises, which sparked intense reactions across the hockey community. Part of what caught fans off guard is that the PWHL decided team branding without major input from teams, players, or fans, which Front Office Sports explained is a result of the league’s structure.

September 11, 2024

PWHL drops playoff puck after record-setting inaugural season

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It’s been a big week for the PWHL as its regular season wraps up, but it’s been an even bigger season for the brand-new league. We’ve never seen anything quite like it in women’s pro sports, so let’s review the league’s many wins as it continues to reshape women’s hockey.

May 10, 2024

🏒 The PWHL effect on women’s hockey by the numbers

PWHL has demonstrable effect on IIHF Women’s World Hockey championship

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The U.S. lost to rival Canada in OT in the gold medal match of this year’s IIHF Women’s World Championship last night in Utica, NY. The competition, which began in 1990 and has featured these two nations in the championship 22 out of 23 times, introduced a new element to the ice this year: the PWHL. Here’s how the pro women’s hockey league is impacting the game.

April 15, 2024

Sports Business

PWHL lands three key partnerships as U.S. companies increase sponsorship in league

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February 16, 2024

The PWHL just keeps winning. This week, the women’s hockey league signed the Women’s Sports Network (WSN) as its first U.S. national broadcast partner and brought on two financial services companies — Bread Financial and Discover.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #433

A 4 Nations preview, plus Trump's trans athlete ban

February 11, 2025

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A 4 Nations preview, plus Trump's trans athlete ban

Today’s episode of The GIST of It has a little bit of everything with one tournament preview and one WTF moment on deck. Co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz start things off by discussing the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, an NHL hockey tourney that’ll pit Team USA, Team Canada, Team Finland, and Team Sweden against each other for international glory. Icy and spicy.

Then in part two, El and Steph unfortunately have to dig into a massive WTF moment following last week’s news that U.S. president Donald Trump signed an executive order barring trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. El and Steph discuss what exactly an executive order does and the devastating impact this move will have on girls’ and women’s sports.