American forward Kendall Coyne moves the puck against Finland during the first period of a Four Nations Cup women’s ice hockey game in Saskatoon, Sask., Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)
ST. LOUIS — It seems like every time there’s a women’s hockey event, there are more questions than answers.
That’s also true for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, where the women got their own event for the first time with their 3-on-3 matchup between the United States and Canada on Friday night.
The players wore the NHL shield on their jerseys, a direct distinction as the league continues to avoid directly supporting the PWHPA or NWHL.
Of the 20 players who competed Friday night, 19 are active members of the PWHPA. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday that the players selected were, in the NHL’s eyes, the best in the world and had nothing to do with their allegiances.
“I don’t think we’ve made a statement or a position one way or the other,” NHL executive Kim Davis said Thursday. “I think our statement or our position is that we want to continue to be at the forefront of positioning and showcasing the brightest and most talented women in our game, whatever it may be.”
Team USA forward Annie Pankowski confirmed Thursday that she and the other players received their invitations via email directly from the NHL, with no other women’s hockey entity acting as an intermediary.
A member of the PWHPA, Pankowski and the others still believe their selection is representative of the association that brings together the best women’s players in the world, and that the NHL’s help in giving them visibility is a positive step for their movement.
“Everything we do all the time is geared toward growing women’s hockey,” Pankowski said. “I think that’s why we have the PWHPA and why we have events like this. We’re excited to be here and have this showcase, it’s going to be great for women’s hockey in general, great for exposure. And most importantly, having an event like this to support and help grow the women’s hockey community in St. Louis is going to be really exciting.”
Despite some definite progress — Kendall Coyne Schofield noted Thursday how the NHL has increased women’s participation over the past three years — the PWHPA is still mired in the same fog it’s been in since day one; what happens next?
“It’s a tough one,” Pankowski said. “It’s a question that everybody wants answered: What’s next? And we don’t have an answer. So we’re going to continue to do what we’re doing, continue to put on games, do things like this, do the NHL All-Star Game and other things like that that are great for the game and will continue to move this conversation forward.”
Since the PWHPA announced its formation in May, the association has been touring North America showcasing its talent. Ice time is spotty without a league and a set schedule, something Team Canada’s Rebecca Johnston pointed out Friday, but the players remain committed to their cause despite the challenges.
“I think we need to keep the momentum going,” said Marie-Philip Poulin of Team Canada. “We need to keep the momentum going this weekend, maybe even expand it even more. With this showcase, maybe more people will join our movement and we’ll have something tangible in the next couple of years.”
Two players left the PWHPA and returned to the NWHL last month, citing a more regular schedule and the opportunity to play more games. The PWHPA has mostly said it has no hard feelings toward the players who are not members of the association, but those players have been removed from all PWHPA websites and archives.
With the Rivalry Series coming up in February, followed by a PWHPA event in Philadelphia, players will see an increase in ice time, but the future after that is still unclear.
“I think we have a lot of momentum this year,” Poulin said. “I think after last year’s news, it was a little disappointing. We were all sad. But I think we rose to the challenge together. Obviously, it was a scary time – it still is – but I think we’re in a good position to build momentum for women’s hockey using the NHL platform that people watch a lot. It’s going to be super exciting to be here.”
The NHL’s support for players during All-Star weekend is… something; the league is providing a stipend to players after being criticized for not doing so last season, at least publicly.
The league does not draw a line in the sand regarding which entity it supports and has not changed its position on not creating or developing another women’s league.
This leaves some of their words of support for current players meaningless, as the PWHPA or players like Pankowski still have no clear direction after eight months.
“It’s hard to put a measure on something like this, but I think we’ve definitely started a lot of conversations that need to be completed.
