PWHL named Sports Breakthrough of the Year at Sports Business Awards

The Professional Women’s Hockey League has been recognized thanks to an incredible inaugural season.

At the 17th annual Sports Business Awards on Wednesday, the Sports Business Journal named the PWHL the Sports Breakthrough of the Year.

The SBJ stated that the league “was a true definition of a breakthrough, creating six teams from the ground up and setting attendance records for women’s hockey, all within months of launching.”

The league, which officially dropped the puck on New Year’s Day, has been an incredible success. It has broken women’s hockey attendance records, gained a massive following through viewership and social engagement, and created over 40 partnerships throughout the year.

Advisory board member and tennis legend Billie Jean King was in New York to accept the award on the league’s behalf.

“There are more than 200 employees who aren’t able to be with us tonight, each of whom took a bet,” King mentioned during her acceptance speech. “This award is a significant achievement for hockey, and women’s sports. And on a personal note, I’ve waited my entire life for moments like this. And women’s sports are now seen as an investment and not a charity. Those of you in this room are the game changers who can keep women’s sports moving forward.”

The league made history multiple times this year by setting new pro women’s hockey attendance records. On April 20, 21,105 showed up at the Bell Centre to see Toronto beat Montreal in overtime.

The PWHL was a finalist for the award with ESPN Creative Studios and Beyond Sports for their Toy Story Funday and Big City Greens Classic presentations, the NBA In-Season Tournament and the World Champions Club.

The PWHL Finals continue on Friday, as Minnesota and Boston meet in St. Paul for Game 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The series is tied, 1-1.

Check out the DFO Walter Cup Playoffs hub