There’s a lot to like or love about the PWHL, women finally have a professional hockey league to call their own and little girls can now truly aspire to become professional hockey players. On top of this, the league is trying to change things and inject more energy and excitement in the game. Its not only reproducing the NHL with a female twist, but it’s also changing the game.
Most everyone has been pretty enthusiastic about the “jailbreak rule,” which gives the shorthanded team motivation to take advantage of every attacking opportunity it may get when it’s down a player. The rule also encourages a more attacking style of hockey. Last Saturday night, fans experienced the first shootout in league history. Many were surprised to learn that in the PWHL, there are five rounds to the shootout and not just three, as is done in the NHL.
The biggest shock came when they saw captain Marie-Philip Poulin get ready for another shot after she had already taken Montreal’s first attempt. I loved the fact the league was going with the international rule that had seen Jonathan Toews perform a miracle for Canada at the World Junior Championships and T.J. Oshie get center stage for the USA at the Olympics, but one little look at social media told me that may not be the case for most people.
Curious to see where most people stood, I started polls on both Facebook and X to get hockey fans’ opinions on the matter. Now, this is by no means a scientific survey, but the fact my various surveys all had essentially the same result must mean something.
A short X survey only received 108 votes. The results are as follows: 30.6% liked the shootout rules, 15.7% loved them, 39.8 % didn’t like them, 13.9% hated them. In other words, 46.3% were favorable to the new rules, while 53.7% received them negatively.
The comments received mentioned there should be a bit more structure and a hybrid solution could be retained. There also appeared to be a belief that the whole point of the shootout was to see an unlikely hero emerge.
I posted the same survey in two Facebook groups of PWHL fans and received even more votes and comments.
In the LPHF/PWHL group, 560 votes were received and split as follows: 106 people (19%) said they liked the rules, 11 (2%) said they loved them, an overwhelming majority of 392 people (70%) said they did not like team with another 50 people (9%) hating them.
Constructive comments voicing legitimate concerns explained fans’ stance. But still, 79% percent of the respondents felt negatively about the rules.
Sophie-Andrée Labelle explained: “I do not like the new rules, but I think it should be possible to use the same player in another round of the shootout. For instance, you must send out five different players for the initial five rounds, then in another block of three rounds, you can go back to the players you used in the first block of five rounds and so on… When you end up going deep into the shootout and you can’t use your best scorers, it’s not great for the show either.”
Many also expressed concern about how using the same player multiple times might effect team spirit. After all, hockey is a team sport. So, why should the fate of the team rest solely on one player? Could it create tension amongst players? Both Erin Ambrose and Ann-Renée Desbiens explained post-game that they were fine with Poulin taking four shots. After all she’s the best player in the world. Ambrose added: “You wouldn’t want anyone but Pou taking those shots”. As for Kori Cheverie, when the media asked why she had used her ace four times in the shootout she simply replied: “Why not?”. She later added: “Pou was having a great game. She was really feeling it. So, why wouldn’t I use the hot hand?”
Around The PWHL
In the PWHL FAN Group, 233 votes were cast, and the results were as follows: 33 people liked the rules (14%), 24 people loved them (10%), 165 people didn’t like them (70%) and 11 people hated them (4%). Meaning 74% of respondents had negative feelings towards the shootout rules.
Micki Seven said: “I don’t care for it myself; I wonder what message the coach is sending to the team if they choose the same player for several shots. Different players bring a different element. It’s nice to see a player have an opportunity they may not otherwise get, builds confidence perhaps.”
As for Cass Apsitis, she explained: “I don’t like it. Don’t get me wrong, watching Poulin work her magic multiple times was very entertaining, but I would like to see the other players display their skills. They have gotten all the way to the professional women’s league, and they deserve to showcase their capabilities, It’s also a great way for players to get some attention. If they make a great move, it has the chance of circulating the media and bringing new fans in. Everyone already knows Poulin’s name. The other players should see their names out there too. “
While I respect and understand the respondents’ many concerns, I still cannot help but love those rules. I’ll explain why.
Taking a penalty shot is not easy. The spotlight shines on the one about to take the shot, and not everyone relishes the opportunity. Maybe my opinion was skewed by the fact I lived in England for eight years, and for the men’s national football team, going to penalties was pure torture. So much so that the manager once explained it wasn’t easy to choose players to take the kicks as plenty of them were shaking in their boots. For English fans, a match heading to penalties signaled impending doom.
Maybe that’s why I believe when you have a player nicknamed Captain Clutch who lives for the big moment, you don’t have to think twice about sending her out there.
Furthermore, there’s a lot of info we’re not privy to. Perhaps the teams practiced the shootout, and the coach knows her best bet is to put all of her chips on the same horse. After Laurianne Rougeau gave Toronto the win on Saturday, head coach Troy Ryan said his team had practiced penalty shots, and Rougeau won a couple of those little internal competitions. Where we may see an unlikely hero, the coach sees a player who knows they can handle the pressure that comes with taking such an important shot.
While some mentioned that in season shootouts were not do or die, with the points system in the PWHL, each extra point counts and is important to qualify for the playoffs. Yes, there’s an entertainment value to penalty shots, but the point of the shootout is to crown a winner after 65 full minutes of hockey have been played and both teams are stuck in a deadlock.
In the past, we’ve already seen the PWHL be amenable to fans’ opinions. After “handshake gate,” it took less than 24 hours for it to release a statement saying the league regrets this lapse in protocol and the handshake line would be back in the next game. It will be interesting to see how the PWHL reacts when we’ve seen perhaps a larger sample of shootouts and the reactions remain the same.
In the meantime, yesterday, everyone was pleased to learn that the upcoming February 16 game between Montreal and Toronto would be played at Scotiabank Arena giving Toronto a chance to beat the attendance record set in Minnesota on January 6th.
I’m eager to find out where the Montreal vs Toronto game set on March 16th will be held now, the venue as yet to be announced and the Bell Centre is empty on that night. If the teams manage to fill the building to capacity next month (19,000 seats), perhaps they’ll get a chance to top themselves in March, the Bell Center can accommodate up to 21,000 fans, now that would be something! There’s plenty to be excited about around the PWHL, enjoy it!