Fans inside Enterprise Center chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" seconds after the opening faceoffGETTY IMAGES
Female hockey players had an "ideal opportunity to showcase the game to a large audience" during the Elite Women's three-on-three event at the NHL Skills Competition, and they "excelled in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,000-plus," according to Matt Larkin of THE HOCKEY NEWS. The postgame ovation at Enterprise Center, while the Canadian and American women’s players "saluted the crowd, was as loud as any other cheer" during Friday's events. NHL All-Stars on hand had an "up-close look at the exhibition," which took place midway through the Skills Competition, and many were "blown away" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 1/25). The CP noted while the Canada-U.S. showcase "didn't have the intensity of a true international" competition, fans inside Enterprise Center "chanted 'U-S-A! U-S-A!' seconds after the opening faceoff." Canadian F Sarah Nurse said, "It was a fabulous event. For the current state of women's hockey and what we're doing this year, it was the perfect opportunity to really get that visibility and exposure" (CP, 1/24).
BIG-TIME PLATFORM: USA TODAY's Paul Skrbina listed women's hockey as a winner of the weekend, noting the women's game gained some "much-needed exposure as it tries to find a stable pro league to call its own" (USA TODAY, 1/26). Canadian F Rebecca Johnston said, "The Olympics is the biggest stage there is but this is going to be really close to that and the exposure the NHL is giving us to compete in the middle of the skills competition is huge" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/26). Johnston: "The NHL is helping us get the exposure that we need and I think the partnership is there. It's not something you can just build overnight." In L.A., Helene Elliott noted the national exposure on Friday "could accelerate that plan" (L.A. TIMES, 1/25).
NICE ADD: The TIMES' Elliott noted the consensus among NHL players was that the "brief three-on-three exhibition" was a "fine addition" to the skills competition. Capitals G Braden Holtby said, "It's a really good stage for it to be on to show everyone how talented and impressive they are" (L.A. TIMES, 1/26). In Boston, Marisa Ingemi noted for "all the talk of how the NHL platform elevated the women's game over the weekend, their presence certainly elevated the interest and star power of the weekend for the NHL" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/25). THE HOCKEY NEWS' Larkin noted there is "little chance the women's representation at all-star weekend goes backward at this point," as it has been "too big of a success not to grow" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 1/25). ESPN.com's Kaplan & Wyshynski wrote "all indications are that the NHL will continue to include women in the All Star Weekend next year," as this "should be a new staple." But the women "really want a sustainable pro league." They have "suggested that the NHL should run it." But NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has "stayed mum on a formal relationship" (ESPN.com, 1/26).
GREAT PRAISE: Wayne Gretzky said that the involvement of women's hockey players in the NHL All-Star Game was "'a big step forward' in growing the sport -- and he hopes the league will continue to stay committed to the women's game." Gretzky: "It's very important that there's an understanding from the National Hockey League that we want to help grow women's hockey and make girls hockey bigger and better than it's ever been. So I think the commissioner and the NHL have done a tremendous thing by bringing these women out." Canadian D Renata Fast said by the NHL expanding involvement this year to create an event specifically for women means the '20 All-Star Game was "one of the biggest events we've ever had for women's hockey in a long, long time" (ESPN.com, 1/24).
DONNING THE SHIELD: TSN.ca's Frank Seravalli noted for the first time ever, a group of women "got to put on a jersey with an NHL crest." That crest "served as a symbolic reminder of how far the women's game has come -- and how far it still has to go in their fight for more support, potentially from the NHL, and better infrastructure" (TSN.ca, 1/25). The HERALD's Ingemi noted the players donning the NHL shield was a "direct distinction as the league continues to evade backing" either the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association or the NWHL "directly." NHL Exec VP/Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs Kim Davis said, "I don't think we've made a statement or a position either way. I think our statement or position is that we want to continue to be at the forefront of positioning and showcasing the best and the brightest women in our sport, whatever that is" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/25).
WHAT'S NEXT? SPORTSNET.ca's Chris Johnston wondered, "When might we see the creation of an NHL-backed professional league for women?" That issue was "even addressed in general terms" by Bettman when he "met with the 20 female players in the dressing room before" the game. While Bettman's message "was not completely unlike others they've heard before, he stressed how far they've already come ... and highlighted why everyone needs to be patient." Johnston: "Still, it was hard not to see how everything played out in St. Louis and believe that it's a matter of 'when' not 'if'" (SPORTSNET.ca, 1/26). Bettman on Saturday said, "Our focus has been, let’s shine a brighter light on the women’s game and the great women who play the game. Let’s give it a higher profile, and let’s develop it more in a lot of ways that give it a presence and a platform.” He added, "I can’t predict the future, but it’s not as easy as people think to simply wake up one day and say ‘let’s do this, or let’s do that, or lets start a league’”(“Hockey Night in Canada,” Sportsnet, 1/25).
