The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) started the on-ice festivities for the NHL All-Star Weekend with their 3-on-3 Showcase. The players chosen were split into two teams, Team King after Billie Jean King and Team Kloss after Ilana Kloss; both are PWHL board members. It was a quick 20-minute game with two ten-minute halves, and to start, we’ll take a look at the members of each team.
PWHL Team King vs Team Kloss
Current teammates turned opponents, and current opponents turned teammates made Team King and Team Kloss quite fun. Team King was coached by Cassie Campbell-Pascal, who made a name for herself during her hockey playing career. She was assisted by celebrity coach Tessa Virtue, who won Olympic medals and World Championships as a figure skater, which made her famous. Plus, she’s married to Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly.
Team King was captained by Kendall Coyne Schofield, who represented PWHL Minnesota along with her teammates Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek, while Savannah Harmon from PWHL Ottawa was there. PWHL Montréal had Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renée Desbiens, while PWHL Boston was well showcased with Hilary Knight, Alina Müller, Megan Keller, and Aerin Frankel. PWHL New York had Ella Shelton, while Blayre Turnbull represented host PWHL Toronto.
On the flip side, Team Kloss was coached by another former women’s hockey player who now works for the New Jersey Devils, Meghan Duggan, and she was assisted by celebrity coach Jonquel Jones, who currently plays for the New York Liberty in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Team Kloss was captained by Brianne Jenner, who represented PWHL Ottawa along with Emily Clark, and Emerance Maschmeyer. PWHL Minnesota had their star Taylor Heise and Nicole Hensley, while PWHL New York had Alex Carpenter and Abby Roque. PWHL Montréal had Laura Stacey and Erin Ambrose, while host PWHL Toronto was well represented by Sarah Nurse, Renata Fast, and Jocelyne Larocque.
Team King Takes Bragging Rights
While this game was meant to showcase the women’s game on one of the biggest stages in front of 16,000 people, it was also meant to be a fun night with some bragging rights on the line. As this game had no prize at the end, the players still played competitively but were all smiles most of the night.
In the end, Team King came out victorious with a score of 5-3, with Harmon leading the way for her team. She was a part of all five goals; she scored three of them and assisted on the other two. The two goaltenders for each team had time in the net, one period each, and Desbeins had some fun showing off some Marc-André Fleury-esque moves. She flipped onto her back and threw her legs in the air, waiting to see where the puck would go.
There was a lot of scoring going on, but penalties were also called, which is typically rare in that type of game. One penalty per team right after the other, and neither team scored while on the man advantage. While Team King took the win, it was a great, fast-paced game on both sides that entertained everyone watching.
PWHL Knows Fun
In events like the All-Star Game, players can forget to have fun while competing; that wasn’t true for the PWHL players. They kept a high level of competition but were all laughing and smiling nearly every time their faces were shown on camera. The players were all talking with each other and during the introductions, Coyne Schofield was shown on camera telling the youth players to “have fun and enjoy the game.”
When Harmon scored her hat trick, rather than hats being thrown on the ice, there were gloves from her teammates who wanted to show their support but didn’t have hats. After the game was over, the cameras panned over to a few of the players on the winning team, who were jokingly interviewing each other in celebration.
PWHL All-Star Future
After the success of this season’s All-Star event for the PWHL, it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with for next season. Will they be able to have their own All-Star Weekend, or will they keep it conjoined with the NHL? Could they have a full draft and game, or should it be a short event again?
Related: PWHL Minnesota’s Offense Goes Through Zumwinkle & Heise
The options could be endless, but it all depends on how the rest of this season plays out and the plans for next. Locations have to be determined along with arenas, but thankfully, they have plenty of time to figure out logistics. Hopefully, they can have their own big event, continue to grow the game, and continue fulfilling the words Heise said in her pregame interview of “living the dream.”
