PWHL broadcaster Daniella Ponticelli is thrilled with how the year has gone and couldn't be more excited for playoffs, the overall growth of the league and expansion announcements.
In part one of a two part conversation, Ponticelli reflects on the second season for the PWHL and how it differs from the inaugural season.
Key players taking a big steps from year one
"I think the biggest part was we were able to kind of look at a baseline from year one," the broadcaster explains. "We had stars that came out like Natalie Spooner, she had the most incredible season. We knew her year would be a little bit different coming off an ACL injury she suffered in playoffs, so everyone was waiting her return but more than that, people were looking at someone like Hilary Knight who didn't have the kind of season last year like she had hoped, only to learn that she was also dealing with an injury that no one knew about. There were so many layered stories about players looking to take a step that were very intriguing."
Never a dull moment
On top of that, Ponticelli says there are number of things around the game that helped build excitement. "On the whole, there was a buzz about getting into new venues like Coca-Cola Coliseum, officially the home of the Toronto Sceptres which allowed for 8,000-9,000 fans for every home game, that was a big change from the old Maple Leaf Gardens that would hold 2500 last season. Prior to the season starting, we hear that not only is the league serious about expansion but they're looking at adding two teams by the end of year two. Add onto that the 'Takeover Tour', 9 cities and in some sense, those cities were auditioning to become expansion cities. So there's all this going on and it's just building excitement. Then we start having epic seasons from new stars. I think of Daryl Watts with the Sceptres, she has this incredible season, so much so that she earns her first World Championship debut with Canada, so now we're seeing the influence of the PWHL on the international stage as opposed to the reverse when it would be the international setting up who the stars of the PWHL would be. There was so much that went into season two and it's capped off with the two expansion teams Vancouver and Seattle, which will kick off year three."
Personality proving pivotal
A big piece in Ponticelli's mind as to why the PWHL has become so popular is the connection made between player and community. "It's the combination of the fact that the players have always been their true, authentic selves. It's untapped, it's raw, it's new because it's never been done before, some have never had cameras in their face before and all the professional things. The mic'd up's are great, every league seems to do a version of mic'd up players, where the literally put a mic on players during a game, but because these are players that have never had that before, they end up just being themselves. That's really what what it should be and I wish it was the case across all sports, but it feels like some professionals get into that professional faze where they lose a little bit of their personality, especially in interviews or in those moments. There seems to be a realness and candidness about all these people. So much of it is, as a woman in sports, growing up you didn't get the same resources or exposure as the male counterparts. Sometimes, I have interviewed university players that are in their early 20's and some would say it was the first time ever they had been interviewed one-on-one about their sport. That's not always the case when you look at the other side. Not to make it just about the gender aspect but it does play a part. We're still new at this and it comes with a lot of joy and a lot of excitement. Players being themselves, fans love it. I'm a fan of certain teams and I gravitate to players on those teams, whether it's in football or hockey or basketball, you gravitate to the players that make a connection, who speak to you, who are funny, humble, kind, who have incredible projects on the go, I think of Gabbi Hughes and all the work she does talking about suicide prevention in Ottawa. Other players are doing the same across their communities or run camps. The fans give it right back, I will forever say that the fans with the signs, they are tremendous. Not only are they funny but some are so heartwarming. We're still seeing young girls counting down to their draft year, talking about their future and it's so great. It's special. It's something that when I can, I encourage people to go to games and there are two new markets coming so fans have a chance to go to more games, I want them to just soak in the atmosphere because it's not like any other hockey experience I've ever had, it's unique to this league."
Pay for the whole seat, but only use the edge
This season has been incredible theatre on the ice and for Ponticelli, whether she's calling games or watching, she can't get over the pure entertainment the league provides with every contest. "The parody speaks for itself," she says quickly. "Down to the final day of the regular season again in year two, nothing has been decided up until that final day in terms of the top four teams heading into playoffs an the order which they rank. That's huge because of the rule that if you're the first place team heading into playoffs, you get to pick your semifinals opponent out of the teams that place 3rd and 4th seed. That's really exciting because that lends itself to the season series. There's a couple teams that, if you're the top team, you may not want to face a certain team because the matchup isn't there. I personally love, it's a bit more of a quieter rule, but I love the 'no escape rule', which was introduced year two with the express purpose of boosting power play goals. Last season, power play efficiency was sitting at around 16% and the league looked at it and said they wanted more out of it. The 'no escape rule' affects the team that is penalized. The player that has taken the penalty, whomever is on the ice at the time of the whistle, not at the time of the penalty, the four players on the ice have to stay. That has numerous times created a situation where there are three forwards on the ice, you know, situations or personnel on the ice you wouldn't want on the penalty kill, that has absolutely resulted in some epic moments. Whether it's a power play goal or the very first 'jail break goal' of the season, which is a shorthanded goal that actually ends the power play for the other team because it frees the player from the penalty box. That happened with Sarah Nurse on her first 'jail break goal'. It's led to some really exciting moments and it's led to an increase in power play goals. League wide, it's been up to 21-22%, it's come down a little bit but it's still higher than it was last season."
Making impacts now and into the future
With the continued success of the PWHL, Ponticelli has seen a ripple effect going from the likes of NCAA and university programs on down, but the biggest impact she believes is being made in minor hockey. "I absolutely believe it's having a positive effect. I'm going to use one small example out of Manitoba, in minor hockey for girls, registration has increased, there has been a sharp increase in correlation with the creation of the PWHL and it's success. Also, because there are some great Manitoban's playing in the league. I think just on the goaltending side alone, you have Kristen Campbell, Corinne Schroeder, Raygan Kirk and so many other players, it's one of those things where you're seeing stars from in or near your own home town. That alone is going to have an impact but when we look at the whole ecosystem of women's hockey, when you have a professional league to aspire to, it's not just the players you're bolstering in these programs, it's coaches who can look at their future and believe they can reach a different level. It's not just on the men's side or international side, that to me is remarkable. There's officials growing, broadcasters, everyone benefits from the healthy ecosystem that is being set up and it's going to strengthen everyone. Once we see the investment at the pro level and we see the value, and I mean, most of us have seen the value before this league because we have seen other leagues try in the past and those leagues were important in helping us get to where we are now, a unified league where it's best on best. The point is, when you see the value monetarily, that alone speaks for itself when it comes to if this is going to stick around, it absolutely is right now. It's setting up a very sustainable model and it's starting to benefit ton of prep schools who are helping get players to the next level. I'm hoping on the Canadian side, this really does strengthen and shore up the resources for U-Sport women's hockey. That's how I got my broadcast entry into calling women's hockey and there is great talent there. It's not all about the talent, it's just about developing programs, keep investing into facilities and resources, whatever these athletes need to become better. Sometimes it's not just about what's on the ice, it's nutritional support, off-ice support, whatever it may be. It's very exciting and it's all happening at a very fast pace it seems, but it's always been there just waiting for this tipping point to finally go all-in because there's a professional league to aspire too. Not just the players but everyone, trainers, people around the team, it's a special time."
Coming up tomorrow in part two with PWHL broadcaster Daniella Ponticelli, she'll detail more on the two expansion teams, the impact they will have on the league, the future for young women both on the ice and behind the scenes, the important role media plays into the league success and more.