For women's hockey fans, the league's first U.S. broadcast is a watershed moment

Women's hockey has seen record growth since the Olympics. Now, fans say the PWHL's first national broadcast in the U.S. brings visibility the sport deserves.

Growing up, Kate Hoos was told girls don’t play hockey.

“If you can find a girls team, we’ll let you play,” she recalled being told. But there was no girls team at the time — and it wouldn’t be until a decade later, at age 20, that she learned to skate.

Now 44 and fresh off a championship with her recreational team in New York City, she’ll be watching Saturday as the Professional Women’s Hockey League has its first nationally broadcast game in the U.S.

The New York Sirens will face the Montréal Victoire (1 p.m. ET, ION) at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena as part of the league’s Takeover Tour featuring regular-season games played in cities without franchises to increase exposure.

For PWHL fans, the broadcast is a watershed moment that reflects their long-held truth: Women’s hockey deserves national attention.