Purple Reign

On a recent episode of the Women's Hockey Report one of the hosts talked about something that New York Sirens General Manager pitched to the league regarding a play in for the Walter Cup PlayoffsAs someone who had play in experience with the San Jose Barracuda I do not believe this is a good idea and I'm pleased to say the rest of the Purple Trio are in agreement with me

While getting involved with the World Championships over the last two years has been thrilling in terms off league play it has caused a massive disruption but that is now over as the IIHF & PWHL have come together to create a new international calendar moving forward

This is the best news we as women's hockey fans could ask for as it not only provides oppertunity to grow the game further but gives players the option to be able to represent thier country on the world stage and compete in the pro leagues

The entire Purple Trio couldn't be delighted and who knows we might be heading out to some of the European host cities in the coming years

October began with the release of the 2025/26 schedules, this should have been an exciting moment but with the league still playing 30 games and with no World Championships until November the neck results have very much angered the Purple Trio big time

We have a podcast update for you guys as we can officially confirm that Dreamland which was originally conceived as a one off miniseries is becoming an official companion showEach year the Purple Trio will look back on the championship run of each Walter Cup champion regardless who takes the crown so we might be in for some eventful seasons over the years

Over the summer the PWHL took its first step of growth with the first ever expansion draft and oh my did Seattle & Vancouver make the most of it

But not everyone was pleased with the layout of the draft and so the Purple Trio came together to work on some ideas on how we think the Expansion Process could be made better as the next round will be here before we know it

My time as PWHL advocate as felt like a honeymoon but now I have my first set of reservations as Seattle & Vancouver haven't even put their heels on yet and the league is already planning the next wave which could see four teams in one goThis has caused a divide among the Purple Trio as whilst Pluto sees the upsides me and Lady are very nervous that we might be going too fast and hard when we don't need to be

Both Vancouver and Seattle have taken their next steps as we get ever closer to their PWHL debuts as both have now their first ever head coachesIt's a tale of two cities to quote Shakespeare as Vancouver hired their perfect guy with a proven track record while Seattle have gone for someone who has international credentials but no experience in the women's game which as you know is a black mark in the eyes of the Purple Trio

The 2024/25 season built on the almighty success that the PWHL had in Year 1 as our second season saw the Inaugural Six receive their names and brands while the league as whole grew its footprint through the Takeover Tour and the first round of expansion

It was never going to be easy for the Fleet to replace Courtney Kessel but surely there was someone who had prior experience of coaching women's hockey out there who Boston could have hired instead of this unqualified man

The Back to Back Walter Cup champions bolstered their bench staff by hiring decorative athlete and future Hockey Hall of Famer Brianna Decker, this is a huge move as it helps to silence any of our doubters following what we lost during the Expansion process over the summer