3 biggest storylines from the first week of the PWHL season

2. There's more physicality

Physicality has been a noticeable component of PWHL games. While the women’s game has always been physical, it has traditionally been less physical than the men's game.

Players advocated for more physicality in the new league. Therefore, PWHL officials are allowing more physical play and letting more go. Many players have expressed their approval, including Ottawa’s Hayley Scamurra, Emily Clark, Jincy Roese, and Becca Gilmore. They believe physicality makes the game more intense.

While body checking is encouraged, open ice hitting is not permitted. Contact occurs along the boards. PWHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford, expressed in an interview that more physicality doesn’t mean the league wants to endanger players. “We're not trying to make the game unsafe,” Hefford said. “But we are trying to create the brand of hockey that is physical and skilled.”

In the PWHL’s opening week of games, fans were treated to the new brand of women’s hockey. The increased physicality has generated a lot of buzz. Hockey fans who have checked out a PWHL game saw what the buzz is about. The grit and scrappiness are exhilarating.