Former Badger returns for second season in the Professional Women’s Hockey League 

After a nearly six-week break, professional hockey player Sarah Nurse is ready to “scratch” the itch she calls hockey.

The former Badger told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that she’s back to training on and off the ice for team Toronto as the second season with the Professional Women’s Hockey League is set to begin this fall. 

The North American league launched its inaugural season in January with six Canadian and U.S teams, including Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York and Ottawa. Minnesota won the first ever championship trophy, the Walter Cup.

“I think our first season was really incredible, pretty groundbreaking,” Nurse said. “The support that we received from all over the world was awesome.”  

For the upcoming season, Nurse aims to surpass her first season record of 11 goals and 12 assists.

“It sets the bar for where I want to continue to push myself for season two,” she said.

During the league’s first season, fans experienced nail-biting action with several games ending in double or triple overtime. One Toronto game set a world record for attendance at a women’s hockey game.

A common sight in  the stands: young girls watching their role models on the ice.

“I think that young girls who are growing up playing hockey have different dreams and aspirations of being able to be a professional hockey player,” Nurse said. 

With season two on the horizon, Nurse said she’s excited for the PWHL to soon unveil team names and logos. 

The following has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Kate Archer Kent: You were one of 16 former Badgers hockey players to compete in the first season of the PWHL. Two more Badger women were selected in the 2024 PWHL Draft. How does it feel to play against former Badgers?

Sarah Nurse: It’s always really special. We obviously have a lot in common because we picked one of the best schools in America. I think it just speaks to the strength of not only the program and the hockey culture at Wisconsin but the school and how magical it really is.

We can all go back and talk about stories about Coach Jackie Crum, Coach Mark Johnson and Coach Dan Koch and what we used to do at school. It’s always really fun to catch up.

KAK: What made your college years magical in terms of hockey?

SN: I think the culture that we had in Wisconsin was a culture of excellence, but we also understood that we were student athletes. That education piece was so important, but we also knew that we could have fun and that we wanted to be the best hockey players that we could possibly be.

I think the support from the community was always second to none. When I go back to Madison, Minnesota, or anytime I’m playing somewhere close by, Badger fans turn up.

KAK: Did you envision playing professional hockey as you went through UW-Madison?

SN: I never really had aspirations or really the ability to be a professional hockey player.

For me, I was probably 14 in high school and knew that I was pretty good at this thing. That’s when Wisconsin had first reached out. I figured this could be my ticket. I could get an education, and so that was my goal. I wanted to play Division I hockey, get a scholarship, then play on team Canada and play at an Olympic Games one day.

KAK: You grew up playing on boys teams. Talk about those lessons and the challenges you learned early on.

SN: Growing up, there wasn’t really the infrastructure for girls and women to play hockey. Being a good skater, I gravitated towards boys hockey. I continued playing with them until I was 11 or 12 and finally found female hockey throughout my province in Ontario, Canada. 

Thinking back, those boys really did treat me like a family. I can’t say enough good things about them. I think their parents may have had something to say about me, the girl, who was beating their sons. I think all the experiences with my teammates have been able to shape me to be the person and player that I am today. I’m very grateful for all of them.

KAK: In June, the PWHL held its second league draft. How do you feel about the players selected to play for Toronto’s team this coming season?

SN: We had a really good structure and foundation in place already. Julia Gosling and Izzy Daniel are going to be so good up front and Megan Carter is going to strengthen our blue line. We have a new goalie, Raygan Kirk, which will be awesome as well.

I’m excited about all of them and I can’t wait to get to training camp. 

We had a longer training camp last season, about five or six weeks. This one’s two weeks, so we have to find the right combinations, different chemistries. 

KAK: You were part of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with professional women’s hockey league ownership. As a member of the Players Association, what are ways to address the pay gap between men and women’s sports?

SN: We’re very far behind the men. But we’ve seen it happen before, where the gender pay gap goes away. We’ve seen Billie Jean King and her group lead the way in a sport like tennis. We see how those women are compensated. Their prize money is fair. There’s definitely that to look forward to and aim towards. We’re just in our infancy. I’m very excited for the future.