Friends turned enemies: How the PWHL intensified the US-Canada rivalry
What further intensifies the rivalry between the US and Canada is familiarity.
A large part of that fame has been formed by the launch of the Professional women’s hockey league in 2024. For the first time, an Olympic women’s ice hockey cycle is defined by a shared professional environment, where many of these players share daily routines, locker rooms and long stretches of the seasonal calendar. They build friendships and learn to understand each other’s tendencies, habits, strengths and weaknesses, both on and off the ice.
Yet a clear line has been drawn: the friendship ends the moment the national jerseys come on.
“When you put on that jersey, everything changes,” Pannek said. “It’s amazing how quickly you can go from being friends to absolutely wanting to beat, well, your friends. But you don’t consider them friends at the time.”
Jacques agrees that the expectation is universal. “Everyone knows that when you’re on the ice, it’s business time. No one will blame you as long as you play clean and play your best.”
For some, that emotional transition is more difficult to make than for others. Bring out Canadian Emily Clarkwho jokingly calls herself a “people pleaser,” and admits that it can feel strange to be up against teammates who she has been by her side for most of the year.
“You appreciate people’s skills when you play with them, but even more so when you have to compete against them,” she said. “For example, now I have to find a way to avoid Renata Fast.”
Even in the heat of battle, those relationships sometimes shine through. “The number of times that Blair Turnbull or me or Renata [Fast] check each other out, but we smile afterwards, that’s what you do,” Clark added. “You want to push each other to be the best.”
Her story is echoed in an anecdote from Clark’s PWHL teammate and Team USA goalkeeper Gwyneth Phillipswho recalled a moment when Clark’s friendship was evident.
“In one of my first games with Team USA, I think Clarkie fell on top of me,” she said. “She looked at me and kind of whispered, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do this,’ haha.”
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