Olympic gold, sold-out arenas: Kendall Coyne Schofield sees PWHL surge

Meghan L. Hall, USA TODAYFri, March 6, 2026 at 6:20 PM UTC

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From players to brands investing in the PWHL, Minnesota Frost forward and Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield knows the league is changing perceptions about women's hockey.

"Some people think hockey, and they don't think beauty. And we think both," Coyne Schofield told USA TODAY, while promoting a partnership with e.l.f., which has been an partner of the PWHL since its first season in 2024.

"It's male-dominated sport, and a lot of people didn't see women's hockey growing up. That's one of the best parts about the PWHL is that you can turn on hockey [and] you see women's hockey, women's pro hockey, men's pro hockey ― it doesn't matter ― you see hockey. Now you're talking to younger generations, and for a lot of us, people would ask us, 'Oh, how did you get into this game?'"

Coyne Schofield is one of the many women's hockey players now rightfully getting more attention following the 2026 Winter Olympics. Before winning gold with the U.S. women's hockey team in Italy, the Frost forward had a decorated career with PWHL titles, World Championship and Olympic medals. Still, she says her most recent gold medal win was different. Coyne Schofield said the group of 22 women she played with, 16 of whom were PWHL athletes, "was a special group by a long shot."

The U.S. women's hockey team was part of a much larger body of PHWL athletes competing at the highest level. In total, 61 PWHL players participated in the Games, and 45 competed in the two medal games, showcasing the league's global talent. Following the Olympics, which ended on February 22, the PWHL returned to action four days later, a noticeable shift from years past.

1 / 0Relive USA’s thrilling gold‑medal OT win and celebration over CanadaPlayers of Team United States celebrate winning the gold medals after the team's 2-1 overtime victory in the Women's Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy.

"One of the things I'm so excited about in this year, and closing these Olympic Games, is that typically fans would have to wait about eight months to see the best of the best suit up again and play. Now, they're barely waiting eight days," Coyne Schofield said.

"For so long, after this incredible momentum of the Olympic Games, women's hockey would go silent and would go dark, and everyone just continued talking about men's hockey and how incredible that is. But there was nowhere for fans to come watch us, and now, because of the PWHL, that gap has closed. I think that gap needs to be celebrated so widely so people know, 'Hey, I can go watch those players play.'"

The visibility Coyne Schofield and so many other PHWL receive indicates a larger investment in women's sports. According to StubHub, interest in pro women’s hockey tickets jumped 50% after the U.S. women won gold. On Feb. 28, the Seattle Torrent set a record for the largest attendance ever for a women's hockey game in the U.S, with 17,335 fans at Climate Pledge Arena. On April 4, the league is expected to set another U.S. attendance record with a game between the New York Sirens and Seattle Torrent at Madison Square Garden. It's already sold out.

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The investment doesn't stop with the ticket sales. The PWHL currently has 38 partners, including e.l.f, ranging from country-specific companies in the U.S. and Canada to global brands like Gatorade, UPS, and Hyundai. Coyne Schofield says companies are recognizing that women's hockey is good for business.

"When a brand invests in women's sports, the return is real. The difference is real, and it's not logo slapping. It's not just trying to associate yourself with the league. You're associating yourself with societal change," said Coyne Schofield.

"I know how far that support takes the league, and how it sustains the league and sustains the players. People want to talk about differences. Well, these partnerships are continuously closing that gap on the differences between men's and women's professional sports."

The Olympian says the evolution of the PWHL since she joined two years ago has been " tremendous." Coyne Schofield touted the competitive balance, saying, every game feels like a "gold medal night." She also explained playing in the PWHL is an evolution by itself. Before joining the league, she was averaging only about 10 games a year. Coyne Schofield hadn't played more than 30 games since she was in college, well over a decade ago.

She told USA TODAY that it's hard to get better playing so few games and no amount of practice would help. Coyne Schofield said trying to maintain an elite level of play while also balancing one or two full-time jobs is difficult. The existence of the PWHL changes that.

"You think of all of these obstacles and barriers that some of us experienced before the PWHL, and now there's a PWHL, " Coyne Schofield said. "Everyone's like, 'Wow, you guys are good!' I'm like, 'We've always been this good. You just have not had a place to watch us be this good for so long, and here we are. We're here to stay.'"

Minnesota Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield and a fan during an e.l.f. cosmetics event. (Photo courtesy of e.l.f.)

The PWHL provides a legitimate path for a career in hockey. Coyne Schofield says it's wonderful to listen to chatter from those groups and hear them asking questions about their future. Where am I going to get drafted? What am I going to wear on draft night? Now those young athletes can extend their careers without missing critical time to develop. The Minnesota forward says it's important to support those players, too, as they transition.

"If that player has wowed you in college, they're gonna wow you in the PWHL, so keep following them, supporting them," Coyne Schofield said."When you really start to watch the PWHL, you see how incredible it is. A lot of people have talked about the NHL and how fun that is and entertaining that is. The PWHL is equally as entertaining. It's just it's getting fans in the door. I will tell you once they get in once, they're definitely coming back for more."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kendall Coyne Schofield on PWHL, Olympic gold and women’s hockey growing

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