WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — The business of women’s hockey has never worked as well as the faithful would have hoped. Professional leagues have popped up, tweaked their models, changed their names and sometimes disappeared before ever getting on the ice.
The promise of women’s hockey, on the other hand, is something to behold. It is skating and passion. Slap shots and smack talk. It is dozens of young competitors with helmets and ponytails running drills with professional players during clinics at AdventHealth Center Ice on Friday evening.
The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association brought its tour to Tampa Bay this weekend with instructional events Friday night and two games each Saturday and Sunday. It’s entirely inspirational to watch, and slightly heartbreaking to ponder.
