Raising the Game: a PWHL podcast covering women's hockey every week
Raising the Game is a weekly women's sports podcast hosted by Caitlin Tripp and Alex Tripp, and the PWHL might be where we've done our most distinctive work, because almost nobody else covers the league weekly. Since launching in January 2026, we've followed the league's third season through the Walter Cup Final, a four-team expansion, and the PWHL's first-ever salary transparency vote.
New episodes every Wednesday.
Watch the latest PWHL episode
What our PWHL coverage actually includes
Every episode with PWHL news gets a full section: standings, trades, and results, but also the business decisions most hockey coverage skips. We've walked through the league's five-phase expansion process document by document, covered a sign-and-trade that sent one of the sport's biggest names to a new market, and gone line by line through the first salary numbers the PWHL Players Association ever released.
We also stay with playoff storylines through the finish. We covered the Walter Cup Final from Ottawa's Game 3 comeback to Montreal hoisting the trophy, not just the headline result.
The Walter Cup: Montreal's championship run
The Montreal Victoire closed out their third-season run by beating the Ottawa Charge for the Walter Cup, and we covered the series in full. Marie-Philip Poulin won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP — the one trophy missing from her collection — and Abby Roque's off-the-mask backhand goal in Game 4 was one of our favorite highlights of the season. Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, nicknamed "the wall of Montreal," anchored the run defensively. On the other side, we gave real credit to Ottawa's underdog push: Rebecca Leslie's overtime winner in Game 3, and Gwyneth Philips becoming the first goalie to hit 1,000 saves in a single PWHL season.
The numbers around the finals mattered to us too. Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre drew a finals-record crowd of nearly 17,000 fans, and 48% of the entire postseason's in-person attendance came through that building. That's the kind of attendance story we think gets undercovered relative to how big it actually is.
Expansion: the five-phase plan and the Hilary Knight sign-and-trade
When the PWHL sent its expansion roster-building document to the Players Association, we broke down all five phases as they happened: player protection, where each of the eight existing teams could protect only three players; exclusive negotiation windows for incoming expansion teams; and a structured signing process designed to protect player choice instead of running a traditional expansion draft. The league grew from eight teams to twelve, confirming Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose as the four new franchises.
The story we spent the most time on was Hilary Knight's exit from Seattle. She signed a foundational contract with Las Vegas, which traded her to Detroit for Detroit's first-round draft pick (third overall) — a sign-and-trade that got her to the market she reportedly wanted while netting Vegas a real return. We also covered the wider protection-list surprises, including PWHL captains and franchise cornerstones like Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark going unprotected and landing with new expansion teams days later.
Want the whole story in one place? Our PWHL expansion explainer covers the four new teams, how their rosters were built, the Knight trade, and the full first round of the draft.
Salary transparency: what the numbers actually show
When the PWHL Players Association voted for the league's first-ever salary transparency — timed just before a wave of contract negotiations — we went through the full numbers on air. Out of 194 players in the league, only 10 earn over $100,000, led by Ottawa's Emily Clark at $127,000. The league average is $57,000, the minimum is $37,000 (earned by 16 players), and roughly two-thirds of the league earns less than $60,000. We covered what that data means for players heading into free agency with four new expansion teams bidding for their services, and for a league also negotiating a U.S. broadcast deal at the same time.
Start with these PWHL episodes
Five entry points, depending on what you're most interested in:
PWHL deep dive: history, structure, and stars (Episode 4)
Our foundational PWHL episode — league structure, the labor question nobody was asking yet, and the players worth knowing heading into the Olympics.
The five-phase expansion plan, explained (Episode 18)
The episode where we first broke down the PWHL's expansion roster-building process, phase by phase, before any of the new markets were even confirmed.
Montreal raises the Walter Cup (Episode 21)
Our full recap of the Walter Cup Final: Poulin's MVP run, Desbiens's goaltending, and the attendance numbers behind Ottawa's underdog postseason.
Historic salary transparency (Episode 22)
The numbers behind the PWHL's first-ever salary disclosure, and what it means for players heading into a contract negotiation window with four new teams bidding.
The Hilary Knight sign-and-trade (Episode 23)
How Vegas landed an Expansion Franchise Offer for Hilary Knight and immediately flipped her to Detroit, plus the full protection list breakdown.
Never Miss an Episode
Subscribe to Raising the Game wherever you listen.
If you'd rather read, the blog has written recaps of every show, including the PWHL episodes above.
Latest PWHL episodes
Episode 43 - A WNBA Title Could Be Clinched at 12:30 in the Afternoon
Game six of the WNBA Finals tips at 12:30 Eastern because of an arena conflict, the Indiana Fever lost their team president and general manager in the same day, and the last NWSL playoff spot comes down to three teams on decision day.
Episode 42 - Nobody on the Valkyries Can Slow Down Angel Reese
Angel Reese put up 30 points and 16 rebounds to even the WNBA Finals, the league handed out a six-player All-Rookie Team, and the USWNT came back from two down against Spain without answering the question of who actually starts.
Episode 41 - A'ja's Fifth MVP, Two Sweeps, and a Finals Nobody Predicted
A'ja Wilson won her fifth MVP, and Golden State and Atlanta swept their way into a Finals between the league's highest-revenue team and its lowest-attended one. Plus Spain exposed a real problem in the USWNT midfield.
Episode 40 - The College Sports Bill's Title IX Loophole, Angel Reese's DPOY, WNBA Semis
The Protect College Sports Act cleared the Senate with a Title IX workaround buried in its language, Angel Reese won Defensive Player of the Year, and the WNBA semifinals delivered the best basketball of the season.
Episode 39 - The Lynx's Playoff Wake-Up Call, PWHL's First All-Star Game, NWSL Tiebreak Chaos
The Lynx dropped game one at home, none of the four WNBA playoff openers were close, and the PWHL announced the first all-star game in women's professional hockey history.
Episode 38 - WNBA Seeding Chaos, Records Falling, and a Report the NWSL Can't Wave Off
The WNBA regular season ends with five teams fighting over four seeds, records fall everywhere, and a Defector report on how the NWSL handles misconduct.
Episode 37 - Team USA Sets the Standard, and the WNBA Playoff Math Gets Real
Team USA's fifth straight FIBA World Cup title, a third-quarter masterclass against France, WNBA playoff seeding math, and our USWNT roster picks for Spain.
Episode 34 - The Facility Boom, the Playoff Logjam, and Getting the Clowns Out
About $240 million in NWSL training facilities, a four-team scrap for the last NWSL playoff spots, our WNBA bracket picks, and the men disrupting W games.
More PWHL episodes
- Episode 31 - FIFA's $20 Billion World Cup Plan Collapses in Three Days
- Episode 28 - Is It Still Fair to Assume the USWNT Wins? Pay-to-Play, Global Parity, and a WNBA Roundup
- Episode 25 - Serena Returns, NWSL Comeback, and a WNBA Heat Check
- Episode 24 - Marketing Women's Sports and the New Fan Economy
- Episode 23 - Hilary Knight's Sign-and-Trade, Olivia Miles MVP Watch, and USWNT Gets Schooled in Brazil
- Episode 22 - Dense Week: Transfers, Transparency, and the Fever's Cracks
- Episode 21 - Montreal Raises the Walter Cup, PWHL Goes to 12, and the WNBA Heats Up
- Episode 20 - PWHL Finals Heat Up, Four New Teams Confirmed, and the WNBA Has a Whistle Problem
- Episode 19 - Ottawa Upsets Boston, Detroit Joins the PWHL, NWSL Week 7, and WNBA Season 30 Is Here
- Episode 18 - PWHL Playoffs Heat Up, Expansion Plans Drop, WNBA Season 30 Arrives
- Episode 17 - PWHL Playoffs Set, NWSL Week 5, and WNBA Preseason
- Episode 16 - WNBA Season Preview, A'ja Wilson's Historic Deal, and Emma Hayes' Masterclass
- Episode 15 - The $3 Billion Moment: Women's Sports Is No Longer a Bet, It's a Buy
- Episode 12 - The WNBA CBA Is Here, Women's Tackle Football, and March Madness Magic
- Episode 11: WNBA CBA Crunch Time, NWSL Is Back, and the PWHL Playoff Race Heats Up
- Episode 9 Recap: The Olympic Effect Is Real, the CBA Might Actually Get Done, and We Have Thoughts on That Phone Call
- Episode 8 Recap: USA Olympic Hockey Gold, She Believes Cup Roster & WNBA CBA Drama
- Episode 7 Recap: USA Women's Hockey, WNBA CBA, Angel Reese Returns to Unrivaled & NWSL Roster Moves
- Episode 6 Recap: 2026 Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn, & Team USA Hockey
- Episode 5 Recap: WNBA CBA Deep Dive: Is a Strike Coming?
- Episode 4 Recap: PWHL Deep Dive, Rodman’s Record Deal & USWNT’s New Era
- Episode 3 Recap: NWSL "Rodman Rule," WNBA Moratorium & 2026 Winter Olympics Preview
- Episode 2 Recap: WNBA Labor Standoff, Unrivaled’s Electric Debut, & Volleyball’s Big Business
Frequently asked questions
Is there a podcast dedicated to the PWHL?
Raising the Game isn't exclusively a PWHL podcast — we also cover the WNBA, NWSL, USWNT, and college sports — but we're one of the few weekly shows covering women's hockey closely. We followed the league from the Walter Cup playoffs through a four-team expansion and the league's first-ever salary transparency vote.
Do you cover PWHL expansion?
In detail. We broke down the league's five-phase expansion process phase by phase as it happened, covered the protection lists all eight original teams submitted, and walked through the Hilary Knight sign-and-trade that sent her from a Las Vegas expansion offer to Detroit.
Do you cover PWHL salary and labor issues?
Yes. When the Players Association voted for the league's first-ever salary transparency, we went through the actual numbers: 194 players, a $57,000 average salary, a $37,000 minimum earned by 16 players, and the fact that roughly two-thirds of the league earns under $60,000.
How often do new PWHL episodes come out?
Weekly, every Wednesday, with a dedicated PWHL section whenever there's league news — which, between playoffs, expansion, and free agency, has been almost every week this year.
Do you cover the Walter Cup playoffs?
Yes, series by series. We covered the Montreal Victoire's championship run in full, including Marie-Philip Poulin's playoff MVP performance, Ann-Renée Desbiens's goaltending, and the Ottawa Charge's underdog run to the finals.
Where can I listen to your PWHL podcast episodes?
Full video episodes are on YouTube. Audio is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and every major podcast app. Every episode also gets a written recap on our blog.
What makes your PWHL coverage different?
Almost nobody covers the PWHL every week. We do, and we treat the league's business decisions — expansion structure, salary transparency, sign-and-trades — with the same depth as the games themselves.
How do I suggest a PWHL topic or guest?
Email us at raisingthegamepod@gmail.com or reach out on Instagram. Several of our deep dives started as listener questions.