Victoria Bach used to struggle to juggle her busy schedule trying to make a living and a life for herself.
She balanced her marketing job in downtown Toronto, pursuing her teacher’s degree, and playing hockey.
Bach, a double world champion, and Olympic gold medalist with Canada had all the glory of being a professional player, but without the pay.
But in September her emotions ran high when Toronto’s new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team selected her with the 38th pick in the PWHL Draft.
“I was excited, I grew up in this city, just wearing the name of Toronto in my jersey means a lot to me,” Bach said.
“Now I can focus on being a professional athlete. This is my job. It’s something special,” she said.
Many stars on Toronto’s roster can now finally fully devote themselves to the sport they love.
PWHL Toronto practices in the same facility as the Leafs and the Marlies, the Ford Performance Centre. Photo credit: Antoni Canyameras Rojas
The new PWHL emerged in September as a league that aimed to allow women to become full-time professional players, with salaries ranging from $35,000 to $80,000.
PWHL Toronto leads the league, that kicked off in January with fellow Canadian cities Montreal and Ottawa, as well as Boston, Minnesota and New York.
The previous competition, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, failed to provide the players with the necessary conditions to be professionals.
Another Canadian hockey star, Lauriane Rougeau, was part of that competition.
The multiple world championship medalist and the Olympic champion in 2022 said there is a radical difference between both leagues.
“We have now a lot of resources available like physiotherapists, coaches, and supporting staff we didn’t have back then,” she said. “But also there is media availability, sponsorships, everything that surrounded is very different.”
Toronto is leading the new Professional Women's Hockey League and aspires to win the championship. Photo credit: Antoni Canyameras Rojas
“We went through a lot of grinding. It was hard to finish the practice at 9 p.m. and then getting back to work and working 40 hours a week,” Rougeau said, who was working with Hockey Canada while she was playing.
PWHL Toronto plays in the Mattamy Athletic Centre and practices in the Ford Performance Centre, the same facility where the Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, train.
The players also receive professional perks such as meals meal before and after the practice as well as work with the team’s Strength and Conditioning Coach, Jeremy Steinbach.
Once in a while, coaches stop the session and reunite the players in a huddle to show them plays in front of a screen.
Assistant coach Mike Ellis leads players in a practice on April 9 at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke. Photo credit: Antoni Canyameras Rojas
The head coach, Troy Ryan, also serves as coach of the Canadian national team and when he can’t attend practice Mike Ellis, one of the assistant coaches, is in charge of the squad.
He said the founders of the league and the personnel at the helm of the teams are key factors for the rapid growth of the competition.
“The investors who started the league have a background in building big organizations, and also owners know how to build franchises,” Ellis said. “Probably this is the greatest factor overall and this league hopefully is going to grow steadily and smart.”
“In terms of the next steps for the league, I think establishing the right buildings that fit with the team, that fit with the potential crowd that could come to the games is a big part of it, as well the growth on the marketing and merchandising size as awareness comes to the league,” said Ellis, an experienced coach who won the AHL with the Marlies.
Forward Rebecca Leslie has a goal and six assists after 19 games. Photo credit: Antoni Canyameras Rojas
And players like Rougeau said they’re impressed with the support they’ve received from fans, adding to the professional feel of the league.
“People chant, people come with posters, it’s nice to see that engagement and not just from girls, but also little boys,” she said.
Rougeau is the most veteran player on the team at 34 years old and has dedicated her entire life to hockey.
“It’s nice to see the next generation will have something, that they will get out of college and they will have a next place with this lease. It’s nice we can leave the game in a better place than it was,” Rougeau said.
“This league is the cherry on the cake to me after the accumulation of a lot of years, a lot of sweat and tears,” she said.