With US TV debut, women's pro ice hockey hopes to cash in big

Kate Hoos remembers watching in awe from her living room as women's ice hockey players skated on Olympic ice for the first time in 1998. But it would take another four years until women's ice hockey aired on national television again. This time, the wait won't be anywhere near as long. When the puck drops on the ice at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday, Hoos and thousands of fans will be watching in real time as access to women's ice hockey expands to television screens across the United States. Saturday's game between the New York Sirens and Montreal Victoire will be the first nationally televised Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) game in US history, made accessible to more than 126 million US households, the league said. "There are a lot of people who could be seeing it for the first time, just flipping through the channels," Hoos said. "It's great exposure." For a league that has only existed for three years, being broadcast on US television is a massive step. This debut is part of the next wave of expansion for women's professional sports. Across the board - from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) to the Women's National Basketball Associatio