On today’s episode of The IX Sports Podcast, host Maya Smith catches you up on everything there is to know ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games, including teams not named Canada or the US. Then, she discusses how the PWHL is affected by these Olympic Games and vice versa.
Smith begins by setting the stage on where everyone stands, as well as key storylines and names to look out for ahead of the Olympics. “This year, Czechia and Sweden have been making strides,” she said. “They’re looking strong, but Finland is always a presence internationally, and they did take home bronze in the last Olympics. They have also won bronze at the last two Women’s World Championships, and similar to the US, they’re bringing a good mix of youth and veterans.”
With 61 PWHL players heading to the Winter Games, this also marks a major monumental moment for both the players: “I think it’s important to remember, you know, along with the veterans that we know and love, that there are a lot of young players coming to the Olympics for the first time, which, in my mind, is almost more exciting than getting to live out their dream like this,” Smith said.
And for the PWHL, which Smith says is the “biggest winner” of the Olympics. “It is true that the fans will be able to find their favorite players in the Olympics and continue to watch them for the rest of the season with the PWHL, though that has been possible in the past, there could be a large number of fans that come into the PWHL after watching the Olympics, which is absolutely key for the league, which continues to grow and is currently seeing a higher percentage of fans this year than ever before.”
In the next segment, Smith looks ahead and goes over the current PWHL standings and previews what’s ahead. The PWHL is currently on break but will return Feb. 26, and when it does, she anticipates there could be some surprises ahead. “We have no idea how these players will return from the Olympics, what runs or losing streaks teams could go on with this disruption of momentum, how teams like Vancouver and Seattle, who finally get a long stretch of time to work together and build up that chemistry that’s been missing, could fare When they come back. Everything could look different.”
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