In its short history, the PWHL has been a league largely defined by firsts.
While it’s not the first women’s professional hockey league, it’s the first to have as wide-ranging an impact across North America, with sold-out arenas and attendance records set seemingly every month.
But on Thursday night in Ottawa, the league made history for another reason.
A little over 12 months after the league’s inaugural game, it’s finally had its first fight.
Boston Fleet’s Jill Saulnier and Ottawa Charge’s Tereza Vanišová were the two combatants on the evening, getting into it after a play in the corner. Saulnier forcefully tossed Vanišová to the ice and appeared to keep hitting her even while down. Vanišová took opposition to that and opted to send a message back with her fists.
The first legitimate fight in the #PWHL. 🥊 @PWHL_Boston’s Jill Saulnier & @PWHL_Ottawa’s Tereza Vanišová square off. #PWHL@jill_saulnier @VanisovaTereza pic.twitter.com/L6fr5biVmv
— Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) February 21, 2025
Both players kept their gloves and helmets on during the fight. Given that both players were wearing helmet cages as per PWHL standards, it makes sense that they didn’t opt to toss their bare knuckles against a hard metal cage.
As a result of the play, the two were given coincidental four-minute roughing penalties. Technically, the brouhaha won’t be scored as a fight given that both players only received double minor penalties, but given that neither player seemed too inclined to rip their cages off, it’s probably the closest we’ll get to a fight in the PWHL.
Boston ended up winning the game 3-2 in overtime, the same score as the 4 Nations final, which Canada won in their city.
The two combatants also share another unique distinction: they’re two of just 14 players in league history to have been involved in a trade so far.
Saunier, an Olympic gold medallist with Team Canada, played in New York in her first season-and-a-half in the PWHL before a midseason trade to Boston this year.
Vanišová, a native of the Czech Republic, began her PWHL career in Montreal before getting moved to Ottawa.
The two teams will meet again in a few weeks, with the Fleet travelling up to Ottawa again from Boston for a March 15 matchup at TD Place.
- You might also like:
- Akim Aliu calls P.K. Subban a ‘sellout’ and tears him to shreds for Trump comments