NWHL aims to build next generation of female hockey
Sure, this weekend was the first of the 2015-2016 NHL season. But it also marked the historical opening of the National Women's Hockey League.
From the looks of it, the new league is already off to a great start. Not just because it's the first of its kind to pay women to play hockey professionally, but because steps are already being made to build the next generation of female hockey players.
Photos captured fans lining up at Chelsea Piers in Stamford, Conneticut after the tilt between the Connecticut Whale and the New York Riveters to get autographs from the pros--showing their support and adding to the dream of young ladies everywhere who want to play pro hockey some day.
One fan reportedly told Yahoo! Sports: “I think it’s amazing that my future children and all these girls now have this opportunity. I didn’t have that opportunity. I think it’s amazing.”
The weekend's fanfair wasn't just for those present at the games either. Fans and spectators across the country were able to catch the action as well, thanks to games being streamed on the NWHL website, helping bring the league to a bigger audience.
Heck, the NWHL has already cracked the SportsCenter highlight reel.
It's is all part of the push to make professional womens hockey an ongoing success story, and keeping it around so future generations can partake. As the NWHL Foundation explains on the league's website:
"Studies show the overwhelmingly positive impact of sports participation in the development of self-esteem in youth girls; with hockey one of the fastest growing sports in the United States over the past decade."
Whale goaltender Jaime Leonoff describe the scene perfectly to Yahoo! Sports. “It’s what every girl dreams of. Every. Hockey. Girl."
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