CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy ―ThePWHLis going to have an impact on the U.S. women's hockey rivalry with Canada.
And that's a good thing.
Between them, the U.S. and Canada have won every world title and Olympic gold medal in women's hockey. The teams, in fact, have faced off in the title game in all but one world championship and one Olympics.
But a sport that's overwhelmingly dominated by one or two teams isn't sustainable – look at softball's struggles to stay in the Olympics. Which is yet another reason thePWHL, currently in its third season, is so important for the women's game.
Japan and France are the only countries in the 10-team Olympic tournament that will not have at least one PWHL player on their roster. The U.S. and Canada have 39 of the league's players between them. There are another 22 spread across the other six European teams, including eight on the Czech Republic's squad.
The U.S. women's hockey team's pursuit for its first Olympic gold medal since 2018 began with a matchup against Czechia to open the 2026 Winter Games.Players of Team United States celebrate as Alex Carpenter of Team United States scores a goal past Klara Peslarova of Team Czechia in the first period during the Women's Preliminary Round Group A match between the United States and Czechia during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
See Team USA women's hockey dominate vs. Czechia at Winter Olympics
TheU.S. women's hockey team's pursuit for its first Olympic gold medal since 2018 began with a matchup against Czechia to open the2026 Winter Games.Players of Team United States celebrate as Alex Carpenter of Team United States scores a goal past Klara Peslarova of Team Czechia in the first period during the Women's Preliminary Round Group A match between the United States and Czechia during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 05, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
More:The PWHL Effect: Why Olympic women's hockey looks different in 2026
Six of those players will be making their Olympic debut with another 10 playing at their second Winter Games.
"The gap is closing, and I think the role that the PWHL is going to play is going to be a big one," said Kendall Coyne Schofield, one of the architects of the PWHL and a mainstay on the U.S. team.
"Especially after this (Olympic) cycle, I think you'll start seeing players come over here and say, 'I want to play with the best. I need to play with the best in order to be the best,'" Coyne Schofield said. "Having all the best players under one roof is only going to elevate the game in a way that is going to close the gap among countries."
It's what has happened in other sports.
The NWSL, WNBA and NCAA have fueled growth in soccer and basketball. Individual players from countries where the sport is less established go abroad and get better, encouraging other players to make a similar move. That, in turn, lifts the level of the national team.
Take Germany's basketball team. It has sent an increasing number of players to the WNBA and NCAA in recent years, including the New York Liberty's Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally, Satou Sabally of the Phoenix Mercury and the Dallas Wings' Luisa Geiseloeder.
The Paris Olympics were Germany's first. It reached the quarterfinals.
The PWHL can have a similar impact. Already has, actually.
The Czech Republic did not qualify for the top division at the world championships until 2012 and did not win a knockout round game until 2022. That year, however, the Czechs won the first of two consecutive bronze medals at worlds. They've been fourth the last two years.
The difference? Almost half the players on the Czech roster are now from either the PWHL or NCAA programs, including Kristýna Kaltounková, the first pick in last year's PWHL draft. Their coach since 2022 is Carla MacLeod, whose "day job" is coach of the PWHL's Ottawa Charge.
"They've put resources behind their program," Coyne Schofield said. "There's no secret formula here. Give the players the tools they need to be successful and they will be successful. We're able to do that professionally. Now it's replicating that internationally throughout all the federations and you'll see that gap close. Real quick."
Finland and Sweden, which have four PWHL players each on their rosters, have also made strides, said U.S. captain Hilary Knight, who helped found the league.
"It kind of goes across the board," Knight said. "That's extremely exciting when you take a 30,000-foot viewpoint of women's hockey on where it can go and the trajectory of the sport and how far it's come in just a small time that we've been involved."
While other teams getting better could mean the U.S. and Canada don't dominate the way they consistently have, players are more than fine with that. They want women's hockey to grow, and other countries getting better makes the entire game better.
Besides, no matter how much the game grows or how many other teams become medal contenders, U.S.-Canada is always going to be THE rivalry. A bitter one, at that.
"They don't like us very much," Caroline Harvey, a two-time U.S. Olympian said. "(We) don't like them, either."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:PWHL is key to growing women's hockey, making game stronger
