As a queer woman dating a Canadian, it was inevitable that I’d care about the first season of the PWHL (professional women’s hockey league). After all, women’s sports are as gay as hockey is Canadian.
While my girlfriend’s local team Toronto didn’t make it to the finals, we did enjoy watching their five game series against Minnesota. And while Minnesota plays Boston in the finals, I felt like it was a good time to highlight the queer players in the league. We’ve done this for the WNBA and now we’re doing it for the PWHL!
Because this is the first year of the PWHL, there’s not a ton of personal information on the internet about most of the players. So instead I had to scroll through Instagram and play the ultimate game of siblings or dating or besties.
I tried to only include people who were obviously out, but that definitely prioritizes people in relationships. So if you’re a queer and single professional hockey player who doesn’t have engagement photos on your IG but wants in on this list DM me! Or if you posted pictures of yourself platonically kissing another woman and I misread, let me know that too.
Without further ado, here are the queer players of the PWHL! Including two teammate couples and a lot of goalies! Also a lot of really cute dogs!
Boston
Emily Brown (D)
Jess Healey (D)
Hilary Knight (RW)
dating Olympic speed skater Brittany Bowe
Amanda Pelkey (RW)
married to hockey coach Venla Hovi
Jamie Lee Rattray (F)
Minnesota
Emma Greco (D)
dating teammate Michela Cava
Michela Cava (C)
dating teammate Emma Greco
Liz Schepers (C/LW)
Montreal
Elaine Chuli (G)
Erin Ambrose (D)
Amanda Boulier (D)
Brigette Laganière (D)
Sarah Bujold (F)
Mélodie Daoust (F)
Kennedy Marchment (RW)
dating fellow player Allie Munroe
Marie-Philip Poulin (C)
engaged to teammate Laura Stacey
Alex Posnikoff (F)
Laura Stacey (F)
engaged to teammate
Marie-Philip Poulin (C)
New York
Abbey Levy (G)
Johanna Fällman (D)
Micah Zandee-Hart (D)
Chloé Aurard (LW)
Alex Carpenter (C)
Jade Downie-Landry (F)
Élizabeth Giguère (F)
Savannah Norcross (F)
Madison Packer (F)
Jill Saulnier (F)
Ottawa
Emerance Maschmeyer (G)
Zoe Boyd (D)
Emily Clark (C)
Shiann Darkangelo (LW)
Brianne Jenner (C)
Toronto
Kristen Campbell (G)
dating Olympian softball player Emma Entzminger!
Erica Howe (G)
Allie Munroe (D)
dating fellow player Kennedy Marchment
Hannah Miller (F)
Carly Jackson (G)
And don’t forget to watch game three of the PWHL finals this Friday!
Still shocks the hell out of me, that the league just started now…when women have been part of hockey for so much longer?? Like, what the heck? Doesn’t seem right, but better late than never I guess?
I also think it’s hella adorable how some players are dating or engaged to fellow players! <3
There have been a bunch of iterations of women’s professional hockey in the US and Canada, but they were semi-pro at best. A lot of the best players formed the PWHPA and boycotted the existing leagues to work on building a new league. I’m sure there are others, but Julie Foudy’s Laughter Permitted podcast with Hillary Knight and Kendall Coyne Scholfield did a great job discussing the origins of the league.
Yay PWHL content! This leagaue got me and my partner into hockey. I was rooting for Montréal cause I liked their colors lol. My partner rooted for Toronto. We are both so sad with how playoffs went for each team but it’s been fun learning a new sport! Very excited for Finals and next season!
Thank you for your service and for covering the league!
Wearing knives on your feet while passing frozen hamburgers around and slamming people into boards is lesbian culture
Thank you!!! I’ve never played/watched hockey before, but live close enough to the “Boston” teams’ home rink so I could get to most games and I became obsessed!! So fun, hoping for more PWHL coverage next season!
Yes! Thank you for this! I actually learned a few things. My partner and I had seasons tickets for Toronto and were at every home game – including the game 5 heartbreaker loss to Minnesota. It’s been really great to follow the PWHL this season.
A couple pieces of trivia:
– all three of Toronto’s goalies are queer!
– as far as I know, CJ (aka Carly Jackson) is the only player in the league who uses they/them pronouns (in addition to she/her)
– Emerance Maschmeyer’s wife is ALSO a Team Canada goalie, Genevieve Lacasse, who didn’t join the PWHL presumably because she is pregnant with their son!
– every team in the league held a Pride Night this year!
– follow the teams on IG to see some really great fashion content in the pre-game walk-ins!
Yay PWHL content! This leagaue got me and my partner into hockey. I was rooting for Montréal cause I liked their colors lol. My partner rooted for Toronto. We are both so sad with how playoffs went for each team but it’s been fun learning a new sport! Very excited for Finals and next season!
So awesome Drew! And I really appreciate all the amazing shoulders and arms in these pics.
Arms! Shoulders! Those thick necks! You just go ahead and take that puck right away from me I don’t need it any more
Agreed! Would also argue dating your teammate is peak lesbian culture
Thank you Drew!!! I have literally been waiting my whole life for this!!!!
OK so 37 that’s the exact same number of queer out players as the WNBA! But half as many teams. So i’m gonna go ahead and declare that hockey is the gayest sport ever. Cause it really seems like it is, but now we have proof!
At some point, we’ll have to do an updated count on out players but, if we accept 37 as the number, the W is still technically gayer league…because even though the PWHL has fewer teams, it actually has more players: 157 to the WNBA’s 144.
Natalie, I am glad to see this important issue is being taken seriously! I guess numbers don’t lie. But it’s a tight contest– 24% vs 26%. I hope you will continue to update us on this very crucial stat, but more importantly I will eagerly await any upcoming PWHL and WNBA articles, or really anything about sports!! Thank you!
Been waiting for this! Love womens hockey and I’m a big follower of the SDHL here in Sweden. And also ❤️ Johanna ❤️