Minnesota PWHL wraps up first season: "It's everything we've hoped for and more"

MINNEAPOLIS — This inaugural season of the PWHL has been a long time coming.

If you still wonder what the difference is between this league and previous North American women's hockey leagues, the answer is simple: Money. The resources of this league allow its players to be full-time professional athletes. That wasn't the case before.

"Every day that you wake up, this is what you do. this isn't something else that you do. This is what you do, this is your job," said PWHL Minnesota forward and captain Kendall Coyne Schofield. "I don't think women had the opportunity to experience that as truly professionals."

Coyne Schofield is one of the biggest reasons the PWHL exists. She's been a staple of the national team for years and is the captain of team Minnesota. In 2019, she contacted tennis legend Billie Jean King for help in achieving what became a reality this year.

"It's hard to sit back and be compliant, and to be ok, and to look at the next generation of girls and when they come up to us and say I wanna be you, I want to do what you do, and having such a hard time looking them in the eye and saying, 'You can,'" said Coyne Schofield.

The league has set multiple women's hockey attendance records . Coyne says a few more seasons could bring about more teams.

"All the young kids that watch this sport in this state — knowing there's a lot of them — know that they can have the same dream to be a professional hockey player if they're good enough to do so," Coyne said.