Hockey’s Toughest Women: First-Ever PWHL Fight Ends in Chaos!
VIDEO: Pro Women Hockey Players Threw Bombs In Crazy First-Ever PWHL Fight, And One Of The Players Was Left With A Bloody Mouth
The first fight in the history of the PWHL broke out on Thursday night between Ottawa forward Tereza Vanišová and Boston star Jill Saulnier teaming up to create the milestone moment.
The Boston Fleet came to Canada’s capital to take on the Ottawa Charge at TD Place Arena, with Susanna Tapani scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to secure a 3-2 win for the visitors. Of course, that wasn’t the only memorable part of the evening.
During the third period of Thursday night’s PWHL clash, Vanišová and Jill Saulnier got into a heated confrontation that led to a vintage hockey-style fight. The two exchanged a series of punches, and Saulnier was seen dealing with a bloody mouth in the penalty box afterward:
Even though such fights usually result in five-minute majors, the two veteran forwards were only assigned minor penalties. Thursday night’s win moved the Fleet (6-4-2-6) to 28 points, putting them six points clear of the fifth-seeded Charge for the final PWHL playoff spot.
The PWHL has six teams: The Charge, Fleet, Montréal Victoire, Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens. The top four teams make the postseason, with the No. 1 seed having the right to choose between the third or fourth seed as their semifinal opponent.
PWHL Is In Second Season Of Operations
After the Premier Hockey Federation ceased operations in 2023, businessman and Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walters and tennis legend Billie Jean King partnered with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association to create the PWHL.
In its second season, the PWHL has seen a surge in attendance (the league reported a 33 percent increase through its first 43 games of 2024-25 compared to last year). With the playoff race heating up, attendance should only increase as the regular season nears its conclusion in May.
