With a packed PWHL schedule, is there still room for a Canada-U.S. Rivalry Series?
CBC
An eight-day international break gave some PWHL players a chance to rest and recover from lingering injuries.
But for two of the league's biggest stars, time away playing for their countries at the Canada-U.S. Rivalry Series led to stints on long-term injured reserve.
Both Toronto Sceptres forward Sarah Nurse and Boston Fleet rookie Hannah Bilka were hurt in game 4 of the annual series, which Canada won in a decisive fifth game in Summerside, P.E.I. last week.
The series was created in the 2018-19 season, before the PWHL existed and when the top female players had fewer opportunities to play meaningful games.
Introduced after the 2018 Olympics, it was aimed at capitalizing on one of the best rivalries in all of sport and doing so in cities across North America that don't always get to see their national team play. Shortened to five games from last season's seven, this iteration included stops in Halifax, San Jose, West Valley City, Utah and Boise, Idaho, in addition to Summerside.
But is it worth it for players to add extra games and travel to their schedule on top of a 30-game season in a very physical league? Is it worth the possibility of a player getting injured and missing key games for their PWHL team?
Several players and staff who spoke to CBC Sports before Nurse and Bilka were injured all said they still see a purpose for something similar. It comes as the players gear up for the Olympics in Italy in 2026, which will happen in the middle of the PWHL season.
"It's an opportunity for us to represent our country and every national team minute is a great minute," said American Kendall Coyne Schofield, who captains the Minnesota Frost.
International breaks are written into the collective bargaining agreement between the players and the PWHL. The league must allow any player who qualifies to compete in the Olympics, world championship, which typically takes place in April, or "other international tournaments/competitions."
The break earlier this month wasn't just for the Canada-U.S. Rivalry Series. It also allowed some players to help their countries qualify for a spot at the Olympics next year in qualification tournaments, and for the finale of the Euro Women's Hockey Tour.
While there's no question Olympic qualification is a worthwhile reason to leave a league mid-season, is the Rivalry Series worth it? The winner gets a trophy and bragging rights — which can't be understated in one of the fiercest rivalries out there — but it isn't a world championship or the Olympics.
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Players interviewed by CBC Sports said they still see a purpose for the series, even with the PWHL in its second season.
"One-hundred per cent, I still see a role for it," Montreal Victoire defender Erin Ambrose said during training camp in November. "I will never not feel honoured to be a part of Hockey Canada, to be able to represent this country."
