PWHL drops playoff puck after record-setting inaugural season

The GIST: It’s been a big week for the PWHL as its regular season wraps up, but it’s been an even bigger season for the brand-new league. We’ve never seen anything quite like it in women’s pro sports, so let’s review the league’s many wins as it continues to reshape women’s hockey.

The brand support: According to the PWHL, the league signed over 40 corporate partnerships this season, including two in the past week. On Tuesday, Scotiabank was named the league’s official bank and the PWHL Finals’ presenting partner. And yesterday, Bauer revealed plans for redesigned sweaters for next season after becoming the league’s official jersey provider. Top shelf stuff.

The fan engagement: The women’s hockey attendance record was broken six times as total attendance surpassed 392K. For fans who couldn’t make games, YouTube provided free, global access: PWHL content amassed over 40M views and reached over 100K subscribers across 88 different countries. The league also garnered 238M social media impressions and 1.04M followers.

• And it looks like the trend will continue well into the postseason — PWHL Toronto won the league’s first-ever playoff game on Wednesday in front of a sold-out crowd of 8.4K fans at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum.

The takeaway: After years of trying to form a cohesive league, the PWHL had one of the most successful debut seasons ever seen in women’s pro sports. It’s a testament to the league’s pro athlete input and stellar management from the outset, which drew upon lessons learned from the WNBA and NWSL. The more you know.