It's a new yearand a new league.
On New Year's Day, the first Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) started play, media outlets noted.
New York scored a 4-0 win over host Toronto in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,537 people at the old Maple Leaf Gardens (now Mattamy Athletic Centre), NPR and CBC noted. New York's Ella Shelton made history by scoring the league's first goal.
New York goaltender Corinne Schroeder saved all 29 shots in the shutout win.
The PWHL was announced this past summer after the previous Premier Hockey Federation was dissolved following eight seasons, People Magazine noted. The league is governed by a board of directors that includes pioneering tennis stars including Billie Jean King and wife Ilana Kloss, as well as former major league sports executives Stan Kasten and Royce Cohen. King performed the ceremonial faceoff with PWHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operationsand four-time Olympic gold medalistJayna Hefford, according to a league press release.
The six original teams are from Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto, and the regular season will run through early May.
Andrew Davis