PWHL’s inaugural season established exciting opportunities for the future of women’s hockey

There was a massive movement going on for the last couple of months.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League burst onto the scene in January and brought attention to women’s hockey, which has never been seen on a consistent basis in North America. From record-setting attendance to fantastic games, eyes from around the world, even those outside of the game, were tuning in to see what this new league was all about.

They were certainly not disappointed come playoff time, as the inaugural battle for the Walter Cup came down a decisive Game 5 on Wednesday night, with Minnesota outlasting Boston to become the first-ever champions in league history.

While the first season was great for fans and current players alike, the impact the league has made on the next generation may be the PWHL’s success. Young female athletes now can dream about playing pro hockey, a dream that has never been attainable.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk explain how important the first year of the PWHL was for the growth of women’s hockey.

Frank Seravalli: I’d say a smashing success. The fact that [the final] went to five games was huge. The viewership seemed to be really impressive. The ticket sales and impact they had, particularly across Canada I think was really strong. It needs to be better in the U.S. There’s still a lot of work to do in the U.S. to make it bigger and better, that’s also the exciting part, it depends on how you look at it, the opportunity is big. This was a great first step for a league that has tons of room to grow. Watching it, seeing it, I’m a big believer in where they’re heading.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…