- The National Women's
Hockey League 2021 season begins Saturday, January 23. - Six teams will compete for the Isobel Cup in a bubble in
Lake Placid , New York. - Here's your guide to the season, as told through a Q&A with 2019-2020 league MVP and top scorer
Jillian Dempsey .
The National Women's Hockey League will drop the puck for its 2020-2021 season opener on Saturday, with fans and players alike eager for teams to return to the
But this year will look rather different than seasons past, as the
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that cut their 2019-2020 season short and prevented the league from crowning a champion, players and staff will be isolated in Lake Placid, New York. Everyone will live out of a local hotel, and games will take place at Herb Brooks Arena, where the US men's hockey team completed its "Miracle on Ice" victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 winter Olympics.
Each team will play five games from January 23 to January 30, at which point the league will seed teams based on their records for a three-day regular-season Round Robin. After that, the top four seeds will advance to the playoffs. The full season schedule is available on the NWHL's official website.
And, for the first time ever, the NWHL playoffs will air on national television, with NBC Sports Network picking up both of the league's semifinals games and the Friday, February 5 final.
Insider spoke with Boston Pride captain Jillian Dempsey - a former Harvard star - about all things NWHL ahead of the unique 2020-2021 season. Check out what last year's MVP and top scorer had to say below.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
How much of a relief is it to just get back on the ice in an official capacity, given all of this turbulence over the past several months?
We're just thrilled. You put in countless hours outside of your actual competition with practice and the work that you put in individually to contribute to your team, and when you finally get to compete, that's what it's all for, and that's the best. Gameday is everything. And to have gone almost 10 months - or actually, it'll be over 10 months when we finally play a game - but to have gone that long, that's the longest streak in my entire life, my entire hockey career. We tried to mimic some of that intensity and some of that compete-level in practices with inter squads, scrimmages, and kind of battling against each other, but there's nothing like playing an actual game and being with your team battling against another.
Right now, there's some nerves and obviously walking on eggshells a little bit with the bubble so close. We don't want to make it there and have any kind of scares with all the craziness of COVID. It's just like, we're days away from leaving. We just can't wait to put on our jerseys, which are brand new jerseys for this season, and they're really sharp. So all the more, we're like thrilled to throw those on, get out there and battle, and have that opportunity at the cup that we didn't get in March.
Can you give an elevator pitch for the upcoming season for fans who are new to the NWHL?
There are the original four teams. You have Boston Buffalo, the Metropolitan Riveters who were initially New York and Connecticut, and then two seasons ago, Minnesota joined the fold. And that was a big deal - you got the state of hockey coming in, and they've had a program there for so many years, but for them to become part of that was really expanding the NWHL and bringing it up to that whole new market and obviously a market that's obsessed with hockey. So that was important to get that growth. And then this offseason, private ownership brought in Toronto Six.
I would say, as somebody who's been in the league since the inaugural and especially with it being so small, I always feel that my team's biggest rival is whoever we have that day for the game. That's how it feels. You play those same teams so many different times that it gets the blood boiling. It's always a dog fight. And if you beat them four times, they might be due for a win. They're going to keep it close that next time. And it's just a really competitive league.
From an outsider perspective, I would think that people would argue that our biggest rival is Minnesota, that you have the Boston-Minnesota rivalry. And last year, that was what the championship game was going to be. This year, I think there's already a Toronto-Boston rivalry, even though we never faced off on the ice together. But I think that obviously stems from the natural rivalry that already exists there between the Maple Leafs and the Bruins.
I would say that the beauty of the league is that on any given day, any team can win. If you're showing up, you're going to compete, and you have a chance at winning. That shows the importance of just showing up every single game day. You don't get to take a game off, you don't get to have a night off, you have to show up, and you have to perform and compete and be at your best in order to pull out the win each game.
That's not really an elevator pitch because I went on and on, but I think most people, once they watch it, they want to stay involved, and they want to see another game. And they're usually like, "Oh, wow. I didn't know it was like that." Or "I didn't realize how competitive it is." Once we get people viewing it, they usually become consistent fans.
What does having the playoffs broadcast on national television mean for the growth of this league and the sport on the women's side?
It's absolutely incredible. When they announced it, I was blown away by that because we never really had that opportunity to be on a prime time channel. And one of the things when discussing women's hockey and how to help grow it and how to improve its reach, so much of it is tied to that visibility. Some people will say, "Oh, I didn't even know there was pro women's hockey." Oftentimes that's the response that we get. But then once they watch a game, they're usually into it and impressed by it and interested to watch more and to learn more. So I think expanding that reach of who's able to watch is really gonna help our league grow and get more interest with partnerships and sponsorships. Kids can turn on the television and see it. It's not like you have to search on a computer and then hook it up. It's like, it's going to be on a real channel like a football game. So I think that's just an incredible step for us, and as players, we're thrilled for the opportunity to play on that stage and be part of growing women's hockey.
I've heard that you're a fan of OOFOS, and now the shoe brand is sponsoring the NWHL. Can you fill me in on how they help you personally with your recovery and staying comfortable off the ice?
Prior to COVID, I was at my trainer Mike Boyle's strength and conditioning gym regularly multiple times a week, and they had OOFOS flip flops. I would see the trainers wearing them. And one time, I just inquired. I asked, "Oh, you know what, explain to me. And, you know, I might want to grab a pair." And so he hooked me up with a pair.
You put your foot, and you're walking on a cloud. That's really how it feels, and I actually was tripping over myself a little bit here and there at the beginning because they were so comfortable. I was getting used to the shoes being that comfortable. I have no shame where my socks with sandals, but I don't know if that's a hockey player thing because you're in the rink. I don't know. It's probably a fashion no-no, but going to the gym or back from the gym, you just slip on your OOFOS, and they're extremely comfortable, but on top of the comfort level, they actually do help your stability. And the way the cushion is designed is to help absorb the impact. So you really feel it when you're walking.
It's the perfect shoe for me to wear to and from the gym. It was funny because over Christmas, we got my mom a pair, and she was just thrilled. She absolutely loved them as well, and she's not an athlete or anything. Once you wear them, it's tough to go back to some other flip flop because they just don't feel as comfortable.
What do you know about OOFOS' partnership with the league?
When I saw the email that OOFOS was going to sponsor the league, I was through the roof because I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this is amazing. This is a product I actually already used and loved." And so, for me, it's not adjusting to something new and using it a little and then promoting it. It's like, this is already a product that I use regularly and love. So I was just thrilled to hear about the league partnering with OOFOS, and I don't know the exact details of it, but I do know that we will be getting to rock some OOFOS flip flops when we're in the bubble, and it'll be our pre and post-game choice of footwear. So that's going to be exciting.
Everybody who bought a pair was thrilled or wearing them to the rink already and comparing colors. It's an excellent choice of a partnership. It's even better when you have a great product like that, and the people who are promoting it and the ones that you're connecting with are great people. That makes it that much more awesome to have and to be with that company.
Do you feel added motivation because last season ended so abruptly for your team?
The only thing that prevented last year from being arguably the perfect season was not winning the Cup. Obviously, the game didn't happen, but the end result of not having the cup was the same. We didn't have the Cup. That's what we set out to do, we didn't win it, and that disappointment and frustration carries over. Each offseason, I feel like you're either motivated to go out and like redeem yourself from having lost, like ending your season in a loss since there's only one team that gets to end in a win, and if you're the champion, then you have to defend that title. And if you're not the champion, then you're motivated to fight and get that championship.
Before the season so abruptly ended, we were feeling really great about having the opportunity to play in that game. We felt like we were peaking at the right time, and we were fired up, good to go, and feeling really positive for that final game. So to not have that opportunity, it's like all of it's boiled up.
How are you feeling heading into the bubble?
This year it's like we're hungrier than ever because we didn't get it. It's almost like it doubled up on us there. Last year was a blast because we were doing so well together, and everything was looking in the right direction. Anytime we did have a little bit of adversity, we were able to bounce back and have that resiliency. Heading into the bubble and that unique situation, we know that we're just going to be completely focused. We have two weeks in there to grind through be the last team standing. We know it's going to be a battle, and we've been preparing for that.
Everybody is very focused and fired up and just chomping at the bit to have that opportunity to play with a chip on the shoulder. We have that unfinished business, and you just always want to go out there and prove people wrong. People might argue we're a favorite, but that's not the mentality. We're playing as the hunter, you know? Eyes on the ultimate goal of hoisting that Isobel Cup again.