One of the more amusing myths floating around the hockey world is that women’s hockey is somehow too polite for trash talking. Apparently, the players are supposed to glide gracefully around the ice, complimenting each other’s skating stride and saying things like, “Lovely backcheck there, Margaret.”
Anyone who has actually played hockey — at any level — knows that’s nonsense. And now that the PWHL is in full swing, the myth is quietly dying. Because the truth is simple. The rivalries are escalating. Familiarity with opponents is breeding contempt. And yes, chirping is more prevalent than ever.
Trash talking is as much a part of hockey as the red line or the Zamboni. The NHL has made it famous. Brad Marchand built an entire side career out of it. But the women’s game has always had its own version. International players have openly joked about who the best chirpers are on their teams. One U.S. player was even singled out by teammates as the league’s most notorious trash talker, proof that the skill exists — and thrives — in women’s hockey too. In other words, the only difference between men’s hockey and women’s hockey when it comes to chirping is this: The cameras haven’t caught as much of it yet.
The PWHL is still young. But the ingredients for classic hockey rivalries are already there:
Toronto vs. Montreal
Boston vs. New York
Minnesota (two-time champs) vs. Everybody
And when rivalries grow, chirping grows with them. You don’t skate through a playoff series against the same opponent five or six times without a few “helpful suggestions” being exchanged along the boards. Sooner or later, someone gets slashed, someone gets bumped after the whistle, and someone inevitably says something that can’t be printed in a family newspaper.
That’s hockey.
Women’s hockey has one unique twist: face cages. In the NHL, players — and fans — can read lips. In the PWHL? Not so much. A metal cage turns chirping into a muffled art form — hockey ventriloquism where you know something was said, but nobody is quite sure what… or sometimes by whom — which may be the greatest trash-talk protection system ever invented.
Fans Might Be Surprised
One thing the PWHL is already proving is that women’s hockey isn’t the sanitized version of the sport some people expected. The game is faster than many assumed. It’s more physical than advertised. Here’s the reality: Elite athletes don’t suddenly become polite conversationalists once the puck drops. Trash talking is an imbedded part of hockey culture. It’s part of the competitive theatre. And the PWHL — as it grows, develops rivalries, and builds playoff history — will have its share of legendary chirps too.
We just haven’t heard the best ones yet. But trust us…the next time you check out a PWHL game, someone out there will undoubtedly be advising an opponent to “#@%! &$#! @!%#”
Woah! Does your mother know you talk like that young lady?
