Coaches and players from the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) don’t expect to see the physical style of their new league carry over to the Women’s World Hockey Championship.
The LPHF rulebook, released Jan. 1 , and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rulebook for 2023-24 contain identical language regarding body checking in women’s hockey, but as with National Hockey League players heading to the men’s world championship, an adjustment is expected.
“The officiating is definitely going to be different I think,” said Canadian forward Brianne Jenner, who plays for Ottawa in the WFL. “There’s probably going to be more contact between players that’s going to be called, for sure.”
Canada opens its tournament Thursday night against Finland. The Canadian team will then face Switzerland Friday afternoon at the Adirondack Bank Center.
A “body check” used to be a minor penalty in international women’s hockey. Now the term is “illegal body check.” In its first season, the LPHF allowed for a lot of leeway when it came to full body checks.
“Nobody’s out there trying to destroy anybody at centre ice,” said Canadian and Toronto forward Sarah Nurse. “It’s a tough league and I think it’s prepared us for the level of competition we need. We might have to hold back a little bit, but I don’t expect a big difference.”
The Swedish Women’s Ice Hockey Championship has introduced body checking for the 2022-23 season. Nearly 90 players at the 2024 Women’s World Hockey Championship in Utica, New York, are playing in that league or the LPWHF.
“The reality is that in our sport, all decisions are somewhat discretionary, right? It’s based on what people see and what comes out of it,” said Czech and Ottawa head coach Carla MacLeod. “I think we’re going to learn pretty quickly here.”
“Play the puck”
Refereeing at the IIHF level tends to be stricter, both on the men’s and women’s side, when it comes to body checking.
Team Toronto and Team Canada head coach Troy Ryan mentioned that the officiating will not be the same as in the LPHF.
“A LPHF athlete coming to the world championship will ask herself as a first question if the game is refereed in the same way as in the LPHF,” said the Canadian. The answer is obviously no.”
The president of the Women’s World Hockey Championship, Marta Zawadzka of Poland, said that all teams were contacted a month before the start of the competition and provided with video examples of the refereeing standards to be considered.
“The message is to play the puck,” she said. “As long as your main objective is to play the puck, not the opponent, that’s the greatest interpretation.”
The LPHF and IIHF rules state that body checking is permitted when there is “a clear intention to play the puck, or to attempt to gain possession of it.”
As long as two opponents are in pursuit of the puck, they may “reasonably” push and lean against each other. However, they may not use the boards to immobilize, push, or eliminate the opponent from pursuit of the puck.
“I think it’s going to be tighter hockey,” Boston forward Hilary Knight said. “There should be a little more room to skate with the puck. I think everybody’s going to have to adjust.”
