WEBVTT - Acronym Soup 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:02.800 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're learning 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:07.280 how to correctly pronounce Lily Johannes's Dutch club Ijax not 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:12.719 a Jacks, Stupid American. Thanks to regular listen Hagi Litzer 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:15.680 for the heads up. It's Wednesday, November thirteenth, and on 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:17.520 today's show, we're gonna get you ready for the second 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:19.799 season of the Pro Women's Hockey League with some p 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.880 WHL one oh one led by Alex our resident hockey expert, 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:30.480 plus the Juicy Three, the Citrus Squad, and Accidental Dollporn. 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:47.120 It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices. 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:51.120 Here's what you need to know today. In college soccer, 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:54.400 the sixty four team NCUABLEA D one bracket is set. 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.640 Thirty teams automatically qualified for the twenty twenty four NC 0:00:57.720 --> 0:01:02.120 Double Attorney aka the College Cup via their conference championship, 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:06.319 while thirty four programs received at large bids. Duke, Southern cal, 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.720 Florida State, and Mississippi State all received number one seeds 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:12.560 in the tournament. FSU are the defending champs. They beat 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:15.399 Stanford five to one last season, securing the program's second 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:19.080 national championship in three years and fourth in program history. 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:21.640 To win the title, you gotta win six games. The 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.399 first round gets underway this weekend, and the tournament continues 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:28.160 till the national championship game Monday, December ninth. Will link 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:30.760 to the full bracket and schedule in the show notes. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:35.080 In College Basketball News, USC sophomore sensation Juju Watkins has 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:38.440 a docu series about to drop. The series, titled On 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:41.920 the Rise, Juju Watkins explores the Watts Natives connection to 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:44.920 her family and to the southern Los Angeles community she 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:47.080 grew up in, plus how both play a role in 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:50.200 the success she's seen on and off the hardwood. Watkins, 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.000 who calls herself an introvert, told The Hollywood Reporter that 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:55.600 the series will quote give people more insight into who 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:58.360 I am, my values, and my story because I take 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.240 so much pride in it end quote. Per Boardroom. She's 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:04.000 the first women's college hooper to star in and executive 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:06.800 produce her own show. The other executive producers are Rich 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:10.840 Paul's Clutch Sports, Lebron James Uninterrupted, and four four forty. 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:13.480 The series premieers on November twenty third at three pm 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:17.000 Eastern on NBC, right before USC squares off with Notre 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:20.560 Dame More College hoops News. Onward State, a student run 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:23.000 news outlet at Penn State University, published a story on 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:27.400 Monday detailing allegations of player harassment and trauma by Penn 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:30.600 State head coach Carolyn Keeger. Before I dig into this, 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:32.000 I just want to let you know there will be 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:36.040 some mentions of suicide, Okay. So, Onward State conducted interviews 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:39.680 with thirteen of Keeger's former players from Marquette, Keeger's previous 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:43.760 coaching stop, and from Penn State. Three players spoke positively 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.840 about Keeger, and two assistant coaches did as well, but 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:49.160 the other ten players described playing for her as one 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:52.240 of the worst experiences of their lives and that quote 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:55.800 the culture Keeger instituted in her programs hurt many players' 0:02:55.800 --> 0:03:00.680 mental health, made multiple players suicidal, and incorporated aspects of racism, 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:04.560 body shaming, bullying, and more end quote. Five players spoke 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:07.200 on the record with Onward State, and eight others spoke 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:11.040 but requested anonymity. Some cited fear of retribution from Keeger. 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:14.079 Several players said they left their respective programs because of 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:17.760 Keeger's behavior. Former Marquette player Danielle King said quote in 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:20.280 my senior year, I was dealing with depressive thoughts and 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.080 suicidal thoughts. I was talking to Keeger about it, and 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:25.640 she dismissed it. And she basically talked me down to 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:27.720 go into seeing the student counselor or the councilor on 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:30.040 campus or whatever. And she was like, I just think 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:32.239 you need to go to the gym more and basically 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:34.520 shamed me in saying my work ethic was the reason 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.520 why I was depressed. End quote. Former Penn State player 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:40.440 Jada Travasio Green told Onward State that after tearing an 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:43.960 ACL for the second time, taking a medical disqualification, and 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:46.880 dealing with her father's terminal illness, she said in part 0:03:46.920 --> 0:03:50.480 that Keeger was incredibly understanding and supportive and quote made 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:52.520 me feel like I was still important and a valued 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:55.200 member of the team, even though I was not always around. 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:58.880 End quote. A PSU athletic spokesperson released the following statement 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:02.119 about the allegations. Quote, Penn State and Penn State Athletics 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:05.400 take seriously any allegations of misconduct, and any reports are 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:09.040 thoroughly reviewed. In addition, in her collegiate Athletics conducts annual 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:11.640 student athletes surveys of its programs, as well as exit 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.960 interviews with student athletes and staff members departing their respective 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:18.640 sport programs. Based on direct feedback from student athletes, coach 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.240 Keeger and the women's basketball staff provide a positive and 0:04:21.279 --> 0:04:24.200 inclusive environment with a focus on their development on and 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.320 off the basketball court. End quote. We'll link to Onward 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.279 State's full story in our show notes and keep you 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:33.080 updated on this as more reporting comes out to WNBA News. 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.839 The Chicago Sky introduced new head coach Tyler Marsh on Tuesday, 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:38.640 and there are some cute shots of the former Las 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:41.960 Vegas Ace's assistant walking into wind Trust Arena holding his 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:43.840 two year old son in his arms as they checked 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.280 out the JumboTron with his face on it. We'll link 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.000 to those in our show notes. When asked about his 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:51.920 biggest off season priority for the Sky, Marsh said, quote, shooting. 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:55.280 We want shooting and lots of it. End quote. Sky 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.520 Forward in front of the show, Elizabeth Williams was sitting 0:04:57.520 --> 0:04:59.960 next to Marsha at the presser. She has not attempted 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:03.240 a single three point shot in her ten season WNBA career, 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:06.440 but Marsh turned to her and said quote Liz, We're 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:09.320 going to get you shooting some threes too. End quote. 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:12.679 In Hockey News. On Tuesday, the PWHL announced the launch 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:15.880 of PWHL Media House, a new media venture created to 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.839 boost conversation and content around women's hockey while also putting 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.920 players in the spotlight. As part of PWHL Media House, 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:26.480 the league acquired the jockson Jills podcast, featuring co host 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:29.960 Tessa Bonham and Julia Toscherry. The first episode of season 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.800 two went live on Tuesday, detailing more about the POD's 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:35.960 new home, reactions to the recent Jersey releases, and more. 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:39.279 Hockey fans be sure to subscribe. Also check out iHeart 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:42.680 Women's Sports new pod mom Sue Puck with Madison and 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:46.000 Anya Packer. Much more on the PWHL later in the show. 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.800 In Golf News, WNBA Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:52.880 is hitting the links tomorrow at the Onica LPGA Pro 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:56.400 Am in bel Air, Florida, presented by Gainbridge. She scheduled 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:58.200 the tee off at seven am Eastern. She's going to 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:01.039 compete alongside world number one Nelly cor and golf legend 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.160 Anica Sorenstam. The Golf Channel is going to offer highlights, 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:06.640 live look ins, and preview coverage of the pro am, 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.760 including a live stream of Clark's warm up range session 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.760 featured on various social media channels and in round walk 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:15.400 and talk with her and more. The LPGA Tour event 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:18.840 at Theonico runs Tomorrow through Sunday, the seventeenth. Last year, 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:22.400 American Lily Avoo took home the trophy I mentioned Gambridge. 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:24.960 There they joined the Women's Sports Foundation and the Athlete 0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:29.400 Partnership Platform Parody for the second annual Parity Week by Gainbridge, 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.559 a nationwide movement intended to celebrate and amplify girls and women. 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:36.000 So Gainbridge, Parody and the Women's Sports Foundation awarded a 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:38.640 total of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in grants 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:41.240 to twenty one organizations that support girls and women through 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.039 athletics and education. And in addition to the grants, Parody 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:47.479 Week includes two anchor women's sports events sponsored by Gainbridge, 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:49.520 the AICA Tournament I just told you about and the 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.039 Billy Jean Kingcup by Gainbridge, which Alex and I told 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:54.560 you will be attending next week. And by the way, 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:57.800 the BJK Cup Finals begin today in Malaga, Spain, with 0:06:57.880 --> 0:06:59.920 twelve countries battling it out on the hard courts the 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:04.239 last women's tennis trophy of the season. Canada, Australia, Checchia 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:06.880 and Italy have each earned bys, while the US and 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:09.600 seven other teams will play matches this week looking to 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:14.160 earnest spot in the quarterfinals. The US plays Slovakia tomorrow. 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.000 We're gonna take a quick break when we come back. 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:20.200 Alex gets you up to speed ahead of the second 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:33.120 season of the PWHL. Welcome back Slices. It's time for 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:36.160 a little PWHL one oh one, which means it's time 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:41.720 for Alex sixplains. 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:44.880 I have been waiting for this moment my whole life, 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.600 and I guarantee that you are going to learn something new, 0:07:47.640 --> 0:07:50.560 whether you have been watching women's hockey since day one 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:52.320 or are new to the PWHL. 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:55.880 All right now, how many PWHL teams are there? 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:59.520 There are currently six teams in the PWHL. You've got 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:03.880 three in KNA the Toronto Scepters, Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire, 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:08.240 plus three in the US the Minnesota Frost, Boston Ish 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:12.920 Fleet and the New York Ish Sirens. And as Sarah 0:08:12.960 --> 0:08:16.000 learned while hosting a panel at the espnW summit last month. 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:19.080 The league is planning to expand to include another two 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:20.920 teams as early as next season. 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:23.800 Hold up, hold up, why the ish for New York 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:24.360 and Boston? 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.080 Okay, Well, in season one, New York played most of 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.040 its home games in Connecticut, and this year they're playing 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.120 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, two places that 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:37.120 are arguably not in New York. Meanwhile, the Boston Fleet 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:41.040 play in Lowell, which is very much not Boston. That said, 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:44.040 as someone who lives closer to Loll than Boston, I'm 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:44.800 not complaining. 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:48.800 So that's cool and all. But when did the PWHL. 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:51.760 Start just under a year ago? Season one officially began 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:54.520 on January first, twenty twenty four, and it wrapped up 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:57.480 in June. Season two going to be a little bit longer. 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.800 Training camps are already underway right now and games start 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:04.280 on November thirtieth. The regular season goes until May third, 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:05.839 followed by the playoffs. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:09.160 Wowsers. So, if the PWHL is only one year old, 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.640 I guess that means women's pro hockey is pretty new, right. 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:15.320 You could not be more wrong. So let's break it down, 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:18.160 because people have been trying to make women's pro hockey 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.480 happen for longer than me and Miish have been alive, 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.840 and the result has been a whole lot of acronym soup. 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.160 A few years ago I did a deep dive on 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:29.840 the history of women's pro hockey, and here's the abridge version. 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:32.439 Let's go back to nineteen eighty eight. It was the 0:09:32.520 --> 0:09:35.760 year that Doppler radar was invented. The Summer and Winter 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:39.199 Olympics were still being held. In the same year, Wekleyfield 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:41.960 in Chicago got lights and held its first ever night game. 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:44.800 What a time to be alive. And in New York, 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:47.520 a guy named Donald Wilson wanted to start a twenty 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:50.600 sixteen women's pro hockey league that would pay players one 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:53.400 thousand dollars a week. And remember this is nineteen eighty 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:56.400 eight money. So let's just set the scene here. Nineteen 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:58.960 eighty eight, two years before the first ever women's hockey 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:01.880 World Championship and ten years before women's hockey would be 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:04.800 added to the Olympics. So if we're being totally honest, 0:10:05.000 --> 0:10:07.920 even as fans of women's sports, this idea was pretty 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:10.800 bonkers and the league, which would have been called the 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:14.440 United States Professional Hockey League, never got off the ground. 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:18.760 So let's fast forward ten years later. It's nineteen ninety eight, 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:21.800 and ahead of the debut of women's hockey at the Olympics, 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:25.200 a guy named Ed Saunders tried to launch another league. Now, 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:27.480 the idea actually got a lot of news coverage and 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:29.840 top players in the world were super interested in it, 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:33.720 but without tangible support from either USA Hockey or the NHL, 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:36.360 the idea didn't go anywhere, just given how much it 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:39.680 costs to operate a league. But even then, people knew 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:42.880 that women's hockey was a really good idea. It's probably 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:46.960 why the NHL trademarked the name WNHL all the way 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:49.640 back in nineteen ninety eight, even if they have never 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:53.080 made moves to actually launch the league itself. So for 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:56.240 the next two decades or so, we're talking early two thousands, 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:59.439 there weren't very many opportunities to make money playing hockey 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:02.679 after gradu waiting from college, Lots of players had to 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:06.240 pay to keep playing, whether it was for ice time 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:09.400 or travel costs. And we're talking about the best players 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:12.080 in the world. Even national team members were struggling to 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.520 make ends meet. During the late nineties and early two thousands, 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.560 the landscape was pretty bleak. One of the only post 0:11:18.600 --> 0:11:20.640 grad leagues was the NWHL. 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:24.679 Wait the NWHL, I thought that came around in twenty fifteen. 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:29.439 Nope, but also yes, the first NWHL was founded in 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:32.080 nineteen ninety nine, and that one was based in Canada, 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:36.720 but most players in that league had to pay to play. Eventually, 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.920 that NWHL folded in two thousand and seven, but just 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:43.240 a few months later, the CWHL that one stands for 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.400 Canadian Women's Hockey League was born. I told you we 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.800 were making acronym soup today. Now that was a nonprofit 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:53.720 organization and players still weren't getting paid. But to be clear, 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:57.440 the hockey was really good. The talent was strong, but 0:11:57.720 --> 0:11:59.840 so many players weren't able to make the financial side 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:02.199 of things work that they had to stop playing entirely. 0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:05.400 The landscape started to change in twenty fifteen, when for 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.680 the second time, the NWHL was founded. This is the 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:11.400 one that you're talking about, Sarah. This time it was 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.800 a league in the United States, and it made history 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:17.400 as the first women's hockey league to pay players. Lots 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:19.400 of the biggest names in the game quickly signed on, 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:22.360 including Hillary Knight, who led the Boston Pride to the 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:26.160 inaugural NWHL title in twenty sixteen. But behind the scenes 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.959 things were pretty suss. The NWHL ended up slashing player 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:32.920 salaries midway through season two, and players were dealing with 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:38.040 really unprofessional conditions. They didn't have basic equipment, facilities, medical staff. 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:40.640 During most of the league's history, they were only making 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:44.160 a couple thousand dollars each season. There was a players association, 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:47.440 but it wasn't unionized, and it took until season eight 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:51.680 for players to receive health insurance, so for nearly everyone involved, 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:54.800 hockey still wasn't their full time job, not the players, 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:57.840 not coaches, not staff, and because of that, teams could 0:12:57.840 --> 0:12:59.840 only practice a couple times a week in play games 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.120 on the weekend. The best players in the world were 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:04.880 pretty much split between the NWHL and the US and 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:08.720 the CWHL in Canada, but in twenty nineteen, the CWHL 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.840 announced that it was shutting down rather than just signing 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:14.280 on with the NWHL. Though in May of that year, 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:16.920 about two hundred players announced that they would be sitting 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:19.800 out the upcoming season instead of playing in the NWHL 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:23.320 that led to the creation of a new organization, the PWHPA, 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.400 a group of players mostly from Canada and the US 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:29.080 who wanted to see something new built. The years that 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.800 followed were honestly pretty strange, because the NWHL continued to 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:36.520 chug along. It rebranded as the PHF and brought in 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.920 new ownership, which resulted in some solid improvements to pay, 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.080 benefits and resources. All while hundreds of players in the 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:46.400 PWHPA refused to play in the league. And while plenty 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.720 of narratives pitted the players of the PWHPA against players 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:53.239 of the PHF, reality was of course far more complicated. 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:57.480 What everyone involved wanted was better pay, playing conditions, and resources. 0:13:57.800 --> 0:14:00.400 It all came down to a difference in vision approach, 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:04.240 and for players of the PWHPA that meant withholding their labor. 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.000 That brings us to twenty twenty two, when it was 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:10.320 reported that the PWHPA had entered an agreement with Billy 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:13.560 Jean King Enterprises and the Mark Walter Group to explore 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:16.040 the launch of a new professional women's hockey league, and 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:19.200 just over a year later it was made official. During 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.080 the course of a very tumultuous couple of days last year, 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:25.880 players from the PWHPA voted to ratify a collective bargaining 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:29.680 agreement after months of negotiating, and at the same time 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:33.280 ownership of the new league. The PWHL announced that they 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:35.960 had bought out the PHF. The timeline for all of 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.640 this was pretty wild. Reminder, this was the summer of 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:41.080 twenty twenty three when the league announced its plans to 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.800 launch in January of twenty twenty four, and six months 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:45.040 later they did just that. 0:14:45.920 --> 0:14:50.520 Alex, you are a proper hockey historian. That was really impressive. 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:52.960 But what I really want to know is who are 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:54.640 the stars of the PWHL. 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.800 Where to start. First of all, it's great finally seeing 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:01.840 all of these players playing together under one league. So 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.040 of course, you've got the player who could probably get 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:07.000 elected as the next Prime Minister of Canada. That's Marie 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:10.080 Philippe Pulen. She's the leader of the veteran group of players, 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:14.680 Hillary Knight, Kendall Quinschofield, Natalie Spooner, Brian Jenner. Now, these 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.680 players have been through it during their post grad careers 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:20.280 and they became stars of the game, mostly while playing 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:23.040 for their respective national teams, because that was the most 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:25.880 consistent way for fans to watch women's hockey for most 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.880 of the last decade. But there is so much young 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.600 talent in this league that has been fun to watch. 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:35.840 You've got Minnesota's rookie duo now sophomore duo of Gray 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:40.400 Sumwinkle and Taylor Heisei Boston Selina Mueller, who honestly kind 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:42.400 of feels like a vet given that she's been around 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.840 the international game for over a decade. And then you've 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:47.520 got this year's number one draft pick, Sarah Fillier, who 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:49.240 will play her rookie year for New York. 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:52.080 Okay, so, if we're coming in looking for the underdog 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:56.560 and the favorite who's won a championship in the PWHL, Minnesota, Baby. 0:15:56.840 --> 0:16:00.240 They won the inaugural p WHL title, defeating Boston in 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:01.920 a thrilling five game series. 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.120 All Right, I feel a little dumb, but I need 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.920 you to tell me what are the rules? 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.400 All Right? You've got all the basic hockey rules, off sides, 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.320 icing face offs, but the PWHL also has a few 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:18.040 innovative rules too. And the refs wear purple stripes on 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:21.160 their jerseys, not orange. Kind of hard to see sometimes, 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.280 but I love the innovation. You've also got the jail 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:27.400 break rule. Here's how it works. Normally in hockey. If 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.800 Team A gets a penalty, team B goes on the 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:32.960 power play, so it's five on four. If Team B scores, 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:34.840 the power play ends and it goes back to five 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:38.640 on five. But if Team A scores, nothing happens. They 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.760 still play shorthanded for the remainder of the penalty. But 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:45.120 the PWHL decided to change things up. If the short 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:47.760 handed team scores, the player in the penalty box gets 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:50.840 to go free, hence the jail break name. The idea 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:53.200 behind the rule change is to incentivize teams to be 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.400 more aggressive on the penalty kill. And let's also talk 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:59.800 body contact real quick. There is a misconception that women's 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:02.720 talk he is a non contact sport, though anyone who's 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.040 seen a single minute of a game will quickly learn 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:09.119 that that is not accurate. However, the PWHL does allow 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:12.240 way more contact than previous women's hockey leagues. We're going 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.120 to go to the rules here at number fifty two, 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.000 which says contact is allowed when quote there is a 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:21.080 clear intention of playing the puck or attempting to gain 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:22.080 possession of the puck. 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.160 More contact. I'm in. I'm feeling good about this league. 0:17:26.280 --> 0:17:27.800 How and where can I watch Alex? 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:31.560 Season two starts on November thirtieth. Full broadcast plans haven't 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:34.040 been announced yet for season two, so I'll keep you posted. 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:36.399 Something tells me we're going to put him in the 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:40.520 show notes when we get him. Thanks, Alex, love it. 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:43.760 I learned a ton. I'm so excited for this upcoming season. 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:46.240 We're going to talk to some faves from the league 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:48.640 for sure as we as we get going on season 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.560 two as well, we got to take another break when 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.240 we come back. We love slices who do their homework. 0:17:53.359 --> 0:18:02.840 That's coming up next, Welcome back. We want to give 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:06.160 a shout out to certified citrusy Slice Pamela Mudway, who 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:09.000 sent me a contest winning recipe for black bean soup 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.119 and whose wife suggested that our little trio me Alex 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:16.280 and mesh Aka Sam could go by the name Samsonite, 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.960 packing knowledge and fun into every journey. Cute, but it 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:22.720 will always make me think of dumb and dumber Samsonite. 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.919 I was way off. Ryan Driscoll also wrote in and 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:30.560 suggested seeds they're at the center of all the slices. Peals. 0:18:31.080 --> 0:18:34.680 They hug all the slices and hold us together. Honestly, 0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:37.040 seeds are a bit Ryan, but peels is cute. I 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:40.640 like that one. Another regular listener, alis Obradovich not only 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.000 answered my call for soup recipes with one for lentil 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.679 soup and one for Greek Trahana soup, which I've never 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:47.920 heard of, but I'm excited to try. She also sent 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:49.960 us some name suggestions, and a few of the ones 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.520 we liked are the Triple Play, the Citrus Squad, Orange 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:58.399 Zest Trio, the Squeeze, and the Juicy Three. Actually, that 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:00.520 last one might be dangerous. We'll stay away for the 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:03.600 Squeeze though, that's got a nice ring to it, and 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:07.240 Triple Play is super cute. We'll have to keep brainstorming. 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.320 Alyssa also let us know what she's doing to improve 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:11.800 her little corner of the world too. She said she's 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:15.000 helping college students understand and contextualize the election, which is 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:17.520 her actual job, but it still counts for sure. Supporting 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:22.159 college hoops, specifically number twenty three ranked Illinois and screaming 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:24.720 into the void. I want to tell you, Alyssa, I 0:19:24.720 --> 0:19:26.879 have a friend who literally drove to the Woods the 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.720 other day and screamed into some trees and she said 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:33.639 it actually really helped, so something to consider. Thanks Pam, 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:36.679 Thanks Melissa, Thanks Ryan. Thanks for continuing to engage with 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:38.760 us slices. We hope all you other slices out there 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:41.240 feel inspired to do the same, cause you know, we 0:19:41.320 --> 0:19:43.160 love that you're listening. But we want you to get 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.199 in the game every day too. And we got a 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:48.200 new good gameplay of the Day today. Follow the PWHL 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:50.320 teams on social so you can keep up to date 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:52.679 with the new season. We'll link to the six squads 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:55.760 socials in our show notes, and we love to hear 0:19:55.760 --> 0:19:57.359 from you on all other things too, so hit us 0:19:57.400 --> 0:19:59.679 up on email. Good Game at Wondermedia neetwork dot com, 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:02.040 leave us voicemail at eight seven two two oh four 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:06.000 fifty seventy slices. You know what I'm gonna say. Don't 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.720 forget to subscribe, rate and review five stars. Please tell 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:12.480 us how much you love us. It's so easy to review. 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:17.520 Watch porn on your packaging rating zero out of five 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:22.040 Glinda the Goods Review. In their effort to be more popular, 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:25.240 the folks behind the Insane promo push for the Wicked 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:27.720 movie might have moved a little too fast and missed 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:31.600 some very important details like I don't know the URL 0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:34.399 printed on the packaging of their newly released Wicked Dolls 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:38.000 because kids who brought home their alphabus and Glinda's found 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:40.240 a website link on the box that was supposed to 0:20:40.280 --> 0:20:42.880 direct consumers to the official landing page for the film 0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:47.360 wickedmovie dot Com, but instead suggested that they visit Wicked 0:20:47.400 --> 0:20:50.920 dot com, home of Wicked Pictures, which, per their site quote, 0:20:51.240 --> 0:20:55.480 was formed with a firm commitment to producing quality paroity 0:20:55.800 --> 0:21:00.399 porn movies end quote. Fun fact, Wicked Pictures hosted a 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:03.200 golf hole at a celebrity tournament in Lake Tahoe, where 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:06.040 actresses from their films greeted the golfers as they played through. 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:10.960 And that's where our next President met Stormy Daniels. Cool cool, 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:14.680 cool cool. Now it's your turn, rate and review. Thanks 0:21:14.720 --> 0:21:18.720