For almost a decade, Jill Saulnier was an energy line forward for the Canadian women’s national team, winning two Olympic medals and a world championship.
Now she can add a new line to her resume: She threw the first real punches in the history of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, in a fight with Ottawa forward Tereza Vanišová.
“We were battling out there,” Saulnier told The Athletic. “She got a hold of my stick and dropped it down, and that was just kind of the green flag for me …. I said, ‘Let’s go.’”
The first legitimate fight in the #PWHL. 🥊 @PWHL_Boston’s Jill Saulnier & @PWHL_Ottawa’s Tereza Vanišová square off. #PWHL@jill_saulnier @VanisovaTereza pic.twitter.com/L6fr5biVmv
— Melissa Burgess (@_MelissaBurgess) February 21, 2025
The Feb. 20 fight during a game between the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge was the first-ever in the PWHL and one of the league’s most viral moments.
Fights aren’t entirely new to women’s hockey. There was a line brawl between Canada and the United States at a pre-tournament game ahead of the 2014 Olympics, and another in the now-defunct National Women’s Hockey League in 2016.
There are usually big hits and scrums after whistles at the professional and international level. But these moments — with fists…
