Our Girls Play Hockey: The PWHL Takeover Tour Takes Over Washington, D.C.

 Hello, hockey friends and families around the world. And welcome back to another edition of our girls play hockey. We could probably change it to our women play hockey. I don't know if that sounds weird or not for this episode. Cause today, uh, Hayley Scamurra and I are here and we're going to be recapping, uh, which was a, and this is super pun here, a monumental event that happened in Washington, D.C. this year. It's two thousand twenty six. It took place in January. The PWHL takeover tour, which for those of you who don't know, the PWHL plays in several different arenas around the year. It could be NHL arenas or just gigantic venues to spread the love, to spread the wealth, to spread the enjoyment of PWHL hockey. And Hayley, I'm the host, so I'm introducing it, but you really are actually the authority on this as someone who plays. So before we get into the actual DC event and what made that such a huge success, can we just get your general thoughts on TakeOver Tours in general? Because it's not the first time they've been doing it. And the success has, well, it's always successful, but it varies, right? You're in different cities. Talk to us, A, about what it's like to pull yourself out of you know, kind of your home venue into these large arenas. I mean, that probably is a pretty big change. And then also like, do they tell you at all about how they're choosing these places or it's just the schedule says we're in Washington today, we're in New Jersey today, so forth and so on. I think I mean, the takeover games are awesome. I think it's great to bring the game to locations where our teams aren't like they don't have the whole markets for. I think like in year one, it was big. And in year two, they did it a lot based on where they thought they might expand to just to see how the markets did and how excited they were for women's hockey, which obviously majority do really, really well. um and so that's been that's been really cool to see and i think you know especially in a market like dc where you maybe wouldn't think that they'd be into women's sports but if you actually know the area you know that they're huge fans of women's sports and so it wasn't surprising to me but it was incredible to see how much they beat the record by and especially with not having like a home fan base it was just the players they wanted to see like that wasn't like you know I felt like they were rooting for Montreal a little bit more. But overall, they just want to see women's hockey, and they're excited to have a team there. So it was really fun and enjoyable, and I love the takeover games. They're a lot of fun, and it's nice to see different markets that don't have women's hockey to watch regularly. Yeah. I love them too, because, uh, not only is it a celebration of women's hockey, but of hockey as well. Right. And these takeover tours really are kind of a weekend or a multi-day event. So let, we're actually going to kind of reverse engineer this one. Uh, the, the, the event ended with fans shouting. We want a team pretty darn loud. Let, let, again, we're going to go backwards in time. Uh, What did that even, I mean, you're never supposed to ask this question. What did that even feel like? I mean, first off, did you hear him yelling that? And then is that empowering? I mean, even after the fact, right? I mean, it's kind of unprecedented, right? Like what does that feel like to you? I'm not going to lie, I didn't notice it during the game. I noticed it in watching the broadcast afterwards and I was like, that is incredible. But what I did feel during the game was their energy level was next level. Because sometimes you go to take over games and you can't really quite feel the energy because they're not really rooting one way or the other, or maybe they're a little quieter. That happens sometimes, but the D.C. fans were not quiet. They were very loud. They were very excited. And I know all the players, we all could feel it on the ice. And so it was a lot more fun to play with that kind of environment. Now, I imagine, too, you said you didn't hear it. Now, the reason you didn't hear it is because I'm going to say it just like I saw it. There was a bit of a scrum at the end of the game, but it would pile up. Some penalties were handed out. I want to go two ways on this one, because. uh it was a scrum like that's what it was yeah uh but but i don't know if it was the media or different people like i can't believe that there was a scrum did you see the big fight at the end of the game i'm like that was a scrum it wasn't anything big why don't we get the hayley Scamurra because you were right in the middle of it yeah like like like the overview i mean of what that was just a scrum but what's your feelings on that hayley because because it did go a Sometimes it's frustrating because I think it gets more attention because we're like women fighting and it's just like, what could have possibly happened? What provoked it? And I go, we're trying to score. They're trying to stop us from scoring. We got close to their goalie. They got mad about it. People are starting to push. And then you go in to protect teammates and then one thing leads to another. Like, The typical thing that happens in hockey. Yes, it got a little extended because it was the end of the game. Emotions were high, but it wasn't anything too crazy. I guess the craziest part was someone from their bench came off the bench, so she did get suspended for a while. You're not allowed to do that, everyone at home. So that was like the biggest thing. And then she tackled someone from behind. So that's what I was like trying to yank her off. Like it did get a little crazy there, but overall it's like, it's just typical what happens, you know, end of the game and everyone's getting close to the goalie and they don't want you close to their goalie. So I think the big reveal here, I'm being sarcastic when I say hockey's hockey. And that, as you said perfectly, Hayley, that scenario happens once a week in the NHL. It should not be a shock that it happens in any hockey game, whether it's women's or not. And what I loved about it is it just shows the passion that we already knew was there. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we needed that in order to see it. But, you know, it's hockey, right? And I think that the fan base responded like, this is hockey. We're watching hockey right now. It was a great game for, you know, in terms of just the overall atmosphere of the game. I know one team had to win and one team had to lose. But it was exciting. You mentioned it earlier, too. New U.S. attendance record was set. Seventeen thousand two hundred and twenty eight fans. That is a NHL. capacity rank right there sold out in Washington DC on kind of a you know not a random it was a MLK weekend okay but I mean that's just amazing you said it before you know you might not expect Washington DC to come out for a game for that but they absolutely will I mean girls and women's hockey in we'll just say that the northeast even though Washington's technically below the southern line Right. A lot of hockey teams out here. Right. Now, I'll also say this, too, as well. There's been I won't call anybody out. There's been other NHL venues. Haven't seen that kind of attendance. Right. So it's a bit of a perfect storm. And I can say this, too. Again, reverse engineering it. Hayley, this was not just the game the day before the game. Open practices with both teams. Obviously, the it was Montreal. When I was there, we actually got to meet for the first time in person, which was pretty cool. I had my entire Little Flyers girls, TENU team down there. And boy, were they excited to see the team take the ice. All the players. We should probably go through because a bunch of stuff happened during this practice that I'm not sure anybody expected. So it started out amazing. I'm doing it from kind of the coaching fan perspective, walking in. You walk in and some players messing around the ice and the team starts to come out. And for me as a coach and a father, there's nothing quite like seeing the young girls run up to the glass and see you all come on the ice and several coming right over the glass and knocking on the glass and saying hello. Right. I mean, it was a mix of like we're pros. We got to practice, but we also say hello. Right. Why don't you tell me that from your perspective? Because it's almost like you guys rush to see each other. It's the coolest thing ever. yeah i think um the open practice concept is really fun we do it at all the takeover games and i think that really shows the hunger for women's hockey because i mean the whole arena was packed like that was crazy and um just to see us practice we're like this is just a day-to-day practice like that's so crazy and so we do like to make that extra effort to make sure we say hi to the you know the young girls and the fans who are there who came out to see this. They took time out of their day and made signs and all of that stuff. So we really appreciate the support. And I know for me, I was running late and I never run late. So I was racing out there that I saw you guys and then try to take a quick pick. And then I heard the whistle and I was like, oh, got to run. But overall, it is really fun to have people at practice and watch us and support us and Yeah, it's been great. Well, and just to give you a shot to how big of a pro you are, like somehow you came out and saw us right away. It was pretty quick. I remember I kind of gave you the salute. There's always a moment like, well, she even know who I am. And I can tell like, oh, she recognized me. And you came to the glass, the team rushed to the glass. We did get a picture of you. But just just to tell the fans that the whistle blew like the picture is in three pictures. It's you waving and it's you turning and it's you skating away as the whistle blew because it was militant. Right. But that's how practice runs. Yeah, I can tell you what's cool about from a coaching standpoint, youth coaching standpoint. This is a youth hockey show is we're able to tell our girls, you know, we had kind of a bad practice. Yeah. Practice before this takeover tour. All right. So we were in a position of like, do you see how hard they work? We were in a positive way, like watch how they skate. And then we were having some issues with our breakout. They were watching you do your basic breakout drills. Yeah. And we have not had a bad practice since, since I'm not kidding. All right. And you can tell that it had an impact on them for them to see that. I'm going to take a little, little bit of pull through on this a little bit from a coaching standpoint. Because I think, especially at the younger ages, we don't show kids enough what it should look like, what the next level looks like, what they may look like, right? Sometimes that seeing it and visualizing it is a game changer, right? And Hayley, this is cool for you. Like now when the girls go on the ice with us, it's like, hey, they're just like the PWHL players. They're out there practicing. There was a huge connection point there. Now, this is just one practice we're talking about. You're doing this all over North America. Who knows the impact this is having? And I dare to ask, like, do you even know the level of impact? Keep in mind, you probably won't see it for a few years in terms of like what it turns into. But you've got it with that. It was completely sold out at this practice. Like you could not find a place to stand. And then, sorry, I did ask a question. I'm excited, obviously. But you see all these girls. I know you mentioned a minute ago. Do you feel the impact or is it just kind of fun right now? I feel the impact for sure, but it's always nice to kind of hear little stories like that. And then how much it means to the girls just by saying hi, just by tapping the glass to them, like it makes their day, it makes their season. And so to be able to have that kind of an impact just means the world to me. And it's something I, you know, I take very seriously. I like to, you know, mentor young athletes and things like that because I never had that. And so I'm very passionate about that. And it's yeah, it's always really nice and reassuring to hear like we are having that kind of impact just by showing up and being professional female athletes. So I know that during the practice, there's some things that you do know about some things you probably don't know about. The big thing that I think caught everybody by surprise was about twenty minutes, maybe not even twenty minutes in the whistleblower. And everybody went to the bench, and we're all kind of watching, thinking – actually, we were thinking, oh, maybe the coach is going to say something to them. And then we noticed Poulin got on the bench, and then out of nowhere, this guy, Alex Ovechkin, shows up just standing on the bench. And we're all standing there like, that's Ovi over there. And, you know, as dads were like, that's the greatest goal scorer in NHL history hanging out there. I, again, from a fan perspective, we're watching, obviously there was some Jersey trading. I'm going to shut up. You were right there. You were right there. Just walk me through that situation. He is my favorite player of all time. So I was freaking out. It was really nice to see him and Pierre-Luc Dubras were there as well. And just showing their support, you know, and it really meant a lot. You know, they were saying they were going to try to watch the game on their computers in the air because they were traveling like the next day. um but yeah it just means the world to us when the professional male athletes kind of like see us as equals and like come support us in that way um and then with the jersey swap you know he asked him for an autograph right like little things like that just mean a lot and it just kind of shows that they're humble and they respect us and uh yeah it goes a long way yeah it's so huge uh for lots of different reasons. Again, we're talking about the greatest goal scorer in NHL history, absolutely acknowledging the importance of this, that you are hockey players, that this is real. Again, I'm not saying it needed that. It's just such a great thing to see. Now, after that happened, you guys went back to practicing. Yeah, that was kind of crazy. No big deal. Just go back to practice. Got to go focus. I'm sure you're aware of this after the fact. But now I start getting, again, I'm in the stands area. And I get word, and this is cool, hey, Kachuk's on the other side of the building. Right? The Florida Panthers are in town to play the Washington Capitals that night. And Matt Kachuk is just... on the other rink right you can walk over there right now now this is what's cool about that situation um several of the dads did go over to kind of check that out the the crowd on the pwhl small did not so i did not get any smaller yeah everybody stayed i i wanted to be there right so that that was pretty cool so now it's an interesting situation where there's two rinks You've got, you know, a lot of Team USA and Canada represented now on the ice. And people are still sticking around, right? So you finish your practice, your goaltender goes over there, takes some shots from Kachuk. That got all over the internet, which is pretty cool. Did you hear anything about that? Did you find out about after the fact? Oh, she told us all about it. Yeah, she, because they actually offered like Abby Rock to go out there. She goes, I don't want to shoot with you guys. Like you guys are, you're good. But then Anne went and she was dying. Like she was so tired. She got off the ice because they were just go, go, go. Right. But she just said it was incredible. Like their shots were so hard and it was really fun to just kind of be out there with them for a little bit. But she was a little gassed there for sure. Yeah. For those of you listening, we're just talking about practice right now. We're not. Yeah. in the game yet. And then I'll say this is really cool. At these takeover tours, the PWHL tries to do a lot to create the environment for kids to be there. So we all went upstairs afterwards. There was free face painting, free poster making. The pro shop was open up there. and again i had my whole little flyers team upstairs and they were just kind of hanging out um and it's funny because because i at this point i don't really know where you're at i don't want to bother you i kind of sent you a text like hey like just thanks for coming over to the glass i was content with that and as i'm looking down at my phone i hear Hayley and i turn around I guess I just realized that's your name too. Anyway, you said, Hey, and I turned and there you were. And it's always surreal to meet someone you've spoken to for the first time. But I know things are right because we just right into a conversation. Now, this is what's funny about it, Hayley. I know I've got thirty seconds. before everybody recognizes that you're upstairs so we had really quick it's so nice to meet you you know had a quick conversation all of a sudden i look and can i have an autograph like the team steve started coming up and within uh within within fifteen seconds my entire team was over there asking for autographs. And I'm going to say it. Hayley signed every single one with a smile. She had conversations with all the kids. It was actually going on for so long. And you actually kind of made a joke about this. I don't think you realize it. They were running to the pro shop and buying blank pucks and running back. I was wondering. They just kept coming with new things. I was like, all right, here we go. Right. They were running to the pro shop. My favorite one was one of our players came up with a goalie helmet. And you're looking around like, is this okay to sign this? And you got a double clearance from me and her dad to sign that. But they were just ecstatic to be with you. Like, you didn't have to do that. Like I said, there was a signing going on kind of downstairs you needed tickets for. But you came up to see me and our team. And, man, it stayed with them. I mean, you got to meet my daughter, too. You took pictures with everybody. We got an awesome picture of it. We'll probably use that for something with this episode. So first off, I want to say thank you for that. Um, your professionalism in that moment, just, just shown through. Uh, and the other thing too, is that, that, and I always like to remind people this, you know, when you see us or hear us on the air, it's a broadcast, right? Like it's a version of us. Um, but Hayley is Hayley. Like when you see her off the air, she's the same exact person she is on the air. I'd like to think the same myself. Right. Uh, but what a cool moment with these kids. Um, and now we're having great practices, Hayley. Oh, you're so welcome. Honestly. Yeah. Yeah. it was a lot of fun, right? So that's how the practice ended kind of a perfect afternoon. Obviously the kids were down there by the way, for a tournament, which they were did very well. And we were really, really proud of them. Uh, nothing quite like a boost before a game, like seeing a PWHL practice and, and, uh, and, and player. Right. So now the night comes, the next day comes. Now, I got to tell everybody, I was not able to go to the game because I was coaching. Right. That's the ultimate excuse. I would have been there with the whole team if we could have. Our producer, Caitlin, did get out to the game. And the report from her was that the atmosphere was just incredible. All right. Now, we did talk earlier in the episode about kind of like the end of the game. But it sounded like from the second the game even began, there were people in the arena. Talk to me about the atmosphere. Talk to me about the energy. And talk to me about the impact that has. Because, look, you've got to bring it every night no matter where you're playing, whether it's five thousand seats or twenty thousand seats. Right. What kind of an impact does that have on you as players, opponents, everything? It's a lot easier to kind of get amped up for it when there's more fans and especially when they're loud, because when it's quiet, it's sometimes you can feel the energy of both teams is kind of diminished a little bit, I would say. But when you're in a loud environment, when you're with a lot of fans, you immediately like you play up a little bit more energy, more intensity. all of those things. So that was huge. You know, I heard from people who worked for the Caps that it was like louder than any Caps game they had been to that year. Like, I just think it really just shows the excitement they have to, you know, see women's hockey and they want a team for sure. They made that very clear. And so that was really cool. And then for me, just the history with it, my dad played for the Capitals. So that part was really meaningful. And then they had like a little video for me because I worked for the Caps as well, doing like learn to play programs and everything. And They made a little welcome back video for me, which was really sweet. So it just shows the classiness of the Capitals organization and how proud they are of the DMV area and what they've done to grow women's hockey. When I was little visiting that area, there was no hockey. People did not know what hockey was. They were perplexed by it. And then now there's girls teams everywhere. So it's really cool to see. uh, just very, you know, grateful for that organization. And they kind of made a, like a little second homecoming for me. Cause I'm from Buffalo, New York, but it's like a second home for me there for sure. Yeah. For those of you who don't know, um, and for those of you, who's the name Skamora sounds familiar, like we don't talk about it a lot, uh, but hockey runs in the family. You want to talk a little bit about that with your ties to the DMV because they really did do a great job of honoring the family. Yeah, so my dad played for the Capitals. He was the first person drafted out of Buffalo to the NHL. Played for the Capitals in like the mid-seventies. But that's how I met my mom because my aunt was married to the goaltender at the time. And then that's how they met. And, you know... here I am today. So I, you know, hadn't really realized it until I'd done interviews, but like I have them to thank for my literal existence. So I think that's just kind of crazy because there's no way they would have met otherwise. So in that sense, the capital organization is very special to me. And then also with me working for them for the last two summers, because like all my family, like my mom's from the Maryland area and all my extended families there, my brothers are there, my nephews, nieces. And yeah, So the last few summers I've worked with the Capitals and they've been nothing but welcoming to me and providing me with so many opportunities that they would provide the NHL alumni. So I just, I love the DMV area. It's great. Yeah, I'll echo what you're saying, that the Caps are one of the easiest organizations to work with in the NHL. We've done some stuff with them. We've had interviews with members there, really actually from an educational standpoint about how important they take reading and their programs. Another funny fact, my mother is from Maryland as well. so there's another there's another there's another little connection the silver spring area for those of you uh familiar with the dmv area and i i do want to give a shout out to the to the capitals too Hayley because they really did highlight you uh and i'm going to say this in the way you should have been highlighted excuse me I'm not breaking up. I just had something in my throat there. The fact that they went out of their way to interview you, they had you drop the puck the night prior against the Panthers. I love seeing that. Now, I will say... you know, we found you first, okay, from a broadcast standpoint. We've been doing this longer than the Caps, but I think it's just really great that they took the time to honor you and your family like that. I know you kind of commented on that already, but tell me about the process. How big of an advance did they give you that, hey, we really want to take some time here and talk about the Skamora line in hockey? So I had done the one interview with the Capitals like over the summer because I had a little inside scoop that we were having a game there. um in terms of the day of like even the day before i found out like the day of that i was going to do the puck drop and then i was going to do all these interviews and i was like okay cool right uh they gave us great seats in the vault which was sick if anyone hasn't heard of it it's like um they have these new suites at the capital one arena And then it goes out and you're basically like glass side at the rink. And it was really, really nice. Like they gave us like prime seats. So that was incredible. And then, you know, for game day, they had my mom come in and do the lineup, which was really cute and sweet. And then had no idea they were going to play that video at intermission. Like I, cause I knew I did the interview. I just didn't know when they were going to air it or if it was just going to be on socials or, or whatnot. And then I did the interview on the Jumbotron after the game. Like, i did not anticipate that much attention i really did it like i wore my dad's uh jersey before the game and stuff like that so i just figured like i'd get a little attention you know but it was a lot it was incredible it was insane and i'm very grateful and it was very sweet um but my whole family was like uh taken back by it for sure they were like that was beautiful like that was really nice and they were so glad they were able to make the game right uh so yeah thank you again capitals organization oh you deserve all of it Hayley yeah again we're kind of going i told everybody we're going to kind of go backwards and all over the place here yeah uh let's talk about the puck drop real quick because it's uh This is an interesting thing. So puck drops typically reserved for armed forces. I mean, there's a lot of different things. Actually, I'll give a big shout out to the New York Siren who had my team, the Puerto Rico women's national team, drop the puck at the takeover tour game in New Jersey with the Devils play, which was a massive deal for our team, right? Two players, Jocelyn Modell and Estella Vasquez, got to drop the puck before that game, which was, I mean, that brought joy to my heart. Um, but we're, we're, we're like guests in that sense. You're a professional hockey player. So, so walk me through, I mean, are you a fan in that moment? I mean, what does that even feel like? And then there you are out there with Ovechkin again, just kind of hanging out. Yeah. No big deal. Yeah. We got ushered in like a different entrance, you know, we're waiting and it definitely is a little nerve wracking, like walking out with that many people. Cause like when you do it for a hockey game, you're not really thinking about it. You're just playing hockey. But for that, it's like, oh my gosh, I don't want to trip. I don't want to fall. Like I don't want to do the wrong thing or drop the puck. at the wrong time so we were kind of joking around we kept asking all these questions and the person probably thought we were like yeah you just go out there and drop it that's yeah it's not a big deal but it's very like complicated procedure you know right um but it was super cool and like you know eckblad and um ob came up for the drop and then you know got to shake their hands and everything and they were like asking us like how seasons was going and things like that so it was really cool and then like all the caps players gave us fist bumps on the way down so Just little things. It was just really nice of them to have us out there for that. Yeah, it's special. I meant to say this a minute ago too, but we actually have to kind of shout out Caps fans because in recent years, there's been success, there's been milestones, there's been a Stanley Cup. But outside kind of the mid to late nineties, a lot of pain in this franchise. You know what I mean? Like, like it was not, it was not known as a winner for many years, but these fans run deep and they have stood by this team for decades and they know their history. And I think it says a lot that since you dropped the puck, you know, you play in the game, they highlighted you. It really is a cool shout out to the Caps organization. And I don't think that they get, how do I say this right? I mean, I know they're a legit franchise. That's not where I'm going. I just think sometimes the Washington Capitals are like, oh, it's not Montreal. It's not the New York Rangers. And that kind of is in their own way, right? They run real deep. So I think that's pretty cool to see. And look, The PWHL takeover games have been amazing. Again, New Jersey, Washington, they just did one in Denver. They had one in Seattle. The newest one that I know about that's been announced is Madison Square Garden, which I will say it. That is the pinnacle in terms of locations, right? You don't get any bigger than Madison Square Garden when it comes to hockey. When you heard that, I mean, is that an eyebrow razor? Is that like, oh, okay. That's the garden. That's a very special place. From a player point of view. would be incredible to be able to play at that game we actually got to play there so when we were our union before the pro league started right we actually got to play a game there but it was during covet so there was no fans right but low-key kind of an incredible arena to get to play in empty because you really got to enjoy like the architecture of it how beautiful it was the history of it um so that part was actually kind of cool in a way however Seeing it filled with women's hockey fans will just be absolutely incredible. I cannot wait to see how that game does. I have a really good feeling it's going to do really, really well. So I just think it's such a special arena to be able to play it. And I know all the players are super excited. And I'm sure the people in New York City are excited as well. Oh, I bet. I mean, we know who one of the teams is going to be. We know Siren are going to be playing there. We'll see who their opponent is. I think it's Seattle. Yeah, it might be. What they should do is have everybody play there. Maybe do more than one game there. Maybe next year. Yeah, like play everybody at least one time in there or at least over the next few years. But again, for those of you who haven't been to Madison Square Garden, I don't know how to describe it to you. I worked there for many years. It is a special place. It has its own aura. There's no way I'm going to do any justice in trying to do it here. I can just tell you that it is a different environment than anything I've ever been in. And I've been to many NHL arena. All right. So just that, that is such a nod to the value to the success of this takeover tour. Now let's look to the future here, Hayley, because The takeover tour, in essence, if it succeeds, will actually destroy itself. There won't need to be takeovers anymore because you'll just be in NHL arenas, right? You know, we got to really think about this. The PWHL is in its third season. Four years ago, this is impossible. It's not even being talked about. And we're going to Madison Square Garden here. It's insane, right? I mean, can we reflect on that for a minute about the speed at the growth here? And we talked about this in another episode. If this was a fad, it would have been done by now. This is not a fad. This is so real and so awesome. and growing and getting bigger right and look there was even talk at one point i'm gonna kind of do this for the naysayers that oh it's just the caitlyn clark effect like when caitlyn clark's not in the picture like they're only doing it because caitlyn clark i'm calling bs like that might have been the catalyst that started it but it is it is heart is beating it is moving it is amazing right i i can't i'm my mind's blown and i'm not even playing Yeah, it's just incredible. And here we are talking about it's probably selling out at Madison Square Garden. Like, there's no doubt in my mind that it's going to do incredible. And I think that in and of itself just shows the growth of women's hockey. Like, before we're like, oh, let's hope the lower bowl is filled. It's like, no, we're selling out at rinks. Like, it's not really a surprise anymore, right? Like, Denver did really great despite having the Denver Broncos playing their AFC championship game that day. Yeah, at a snowstorm. So it's like... Sorry, Bronco fans. Sorry. Yeah. But... Yeah, so it's incredible and it doesn't, you know, what's the word I'm looking for? It doesn't go by us like how incredible it is, like the growth that we've experienced and how much it's going to continue growing. right right and that is the goal you know and another question i want to ask as we wind down here um is these takeover tours are going to keep happening uh we've been begging for one in philadelphia i don't know what the hold up is there we'll see what happens but they're going to keep happening all over north america for the parents listening Right. Let's talk to them for a minute about you find out the PWHL is coming to your city. It's a major opportunity. Right. How can parents and coaches and organizations use that momentum, the aura, the fan engagement to kind of grow the game in their area? And we're not just talking about girls hockey. I think that's actually really important to mention here. I think it's important. Yeah, girls and boys hockey. I think taking full advantage of like we do community clinics like the day before the game. We have our open practices where you can see us like a little bit closer in person. Tickets to the game. I think it's so important for girls and boys to see women at that level so that there's that respect. level where it's like men and women can all play professional hockey um so i think why not take full advantage come to practice it's free right like the clinics i'm not sure exactly how that works but like sign the kids up if they want to try hockey it's a great way to try hockey right right and i'm going to reiterate it's free uh you know for those of you again wondering okay how do i find out just simply follow at the pwhl or wherever you follow people um because they're very upfront about posting and if you want follow the teams too they do a lot of great content it's really fun to see um you know to each their own and how you want to do that but the information is readily available for you to get involved and i'm going to say it again not only my my daughter but my my team had a wonderful time and they still talk about it Such a big moment for them. One of the things that I like to talk about, I talked about this with some of the parents of the kids, was I love to pinpoint now they never have to not see that again. Now it's happened. Now they saw it. They saw professional women's hockey. That sets a bar for them of they've seen it, so it exists. They get to a game, it exists. Again, Sometimes people roll their eyes when I say this. Guys, it didn't exist before it existed. We've seen it our whole lives in the NHL. There's only three years in. For my daughter to see you out there is such a huge deal. Now that becomes the... The bright light at the end of the tunnel, right? It's, I don't know. I can't downplay that. Or I'm sorry, I can't upplay that enough for young girls, right? I know you feel that. We've talked about it many times on and off the air. But every time you step on the ice, you are trailblazing every single time. And I think the cool part for you is that while you've mentioned that you feel that responsibility, at the end of the day, you're just a hockey player playing hockey, right? That's how you do it. Yeah. And I have to remember that too, and not, you know, make the moments too big and things like that. But I think also remembering that helps you kind of bring yourself back to reality a little bit too, that like, it's bigger than us. It's like for that next generation to keep playing and to keep having fun with it, because that's what it's all about. Right. Totally agree. And then last thing I'll say, just cause I saw it in person. If you guys want a good lesson on a great hockey stride, watch Hayley skate, you know, load of the ice head does not, you know, just really great skating technique there. Hayley. I noticed that as soon as I saw it, that's coach talking. Hayley, listen, that's all we're going to talk about. It was just a wonderful event. We talked about it from, from right afterwards that we should probably document this because it's, It was special to me. It was special to you. It was special for hockey in general. And you got in the score sheet with that ten-minute penalty you got. I mean, you just had to get that in there somewhere forever on that score sheet now. I couldn't believe it. I was like, what the heck? Yeah, there you go. But I wanted people to make sure that they saw this as more than that game that ended in a scrum. It was a great hockey game with seventeen thousand two hundred twenty eight fans in attendance to set the new U.S. record in attendance in the PWHL. And not to mention an amazing practice the day before for for all the people in attendance. It wasn't seventeen thousand, but it was enough to fill the arena. So thanks so much for taking the time to to document this with us today, as always. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for sharing it with everyone. It was really it was really fun and incredible and just so grateful for it. Yeah, thank you. And last shout out for me. For those of you watching, you'll see behind me now the set's been upgraded. We've got a Victoire jersey and a Team USA Olympic jersey. Both teams that my co-host plays for. That's the coolest thing I'm going to say today. But you can get those online if you want to at the pwhl.com. Okay, for Hayley Skamora, I'm Lee Elias. Thanks so much for listening to this edition of Our Girls Play Hockey. Remember, if you have a question for Hayley, if you have a topic you want to discuss on this show, email us at team at ourkidsplayhockey.com or use the link accompanying the episode in the description. Tap on that. We cannot respond to that, but you can text us your name, where you're from, or just do it anonymously. Any questions you have, we love hearing from you. That's going to do it again for Our Girls Play Hockey. We'll see you at the next TakeOver tour location or the next time you listen to the podcast. Have a great day, everybody. That was fun. Perfect. Yeah. I was telling the kids, like, look at how Hayley skates. That's so funny. It's a good strike. All right. Awesome. You want me to end it? Yeah, you can end this. I didn't really have a second.