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Breakaway: The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game
When the first puck dropped in the Professional Women’s Hockey League in January 2024, it had been a long time coming. Women have been playing hockey since at least 1890 and playing professionally for decades. But until 2024, even the highest-level female players had never been compensated as some paid for their own gear and worked second jobs, earning a pittance, if anything, from their chosen profession.
In Breakaway, Karissa Donkin tells the story of the players’ efforts to create the PWHL, long before the first full season in 2024. Following the unnamed 2024 Montreal PWHL team, with some of the best players in the sport, like Marie-Philip Poulin and Erin Ambrose, Donkin takes readers through the League’s founding, the draft process, the practices, and the dramatic arc of the first season. Defying all expectations, with larger crowds and higher revenues than anticipated, this first season was a gamechanger for professional women’s sports leagues.
In Breakaway, Karissa Donkin tells the story of the players’ efforts to create the PWHL, long before the first full season in 2024. Following the unnamed 2024 Montreal PWHL team, with some of the best players in the sport, like Marie-Philip Poulin and Erin Ambrose, Donkin takes readers through the League’s founding, the draft process, the practices, and the dramatic arc of the first season. Defying all expectations, with larger crowds and higher revenues than anticipated, this first season was a gamechanger for professional women’s sports leagues.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2025
21 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 29, 2025
Really neat to hear some more of the background around the beginnings of the league and Montreal’s journey through the first season. Some cool stats and stories but not groundbreaking to me. To consider this a book about “The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the game” is a big stretch though. This is much more so a big advertisement for Montreal.
Huge topics like Natalie Spooner (getting drafted 23rd overall and then being top goal scorer & MVP the same season), Britta Curl controversies, the prowess of Coyne & Spooner as new postpartum athletes getting back into training, physical play being permitted into a women’s league for the first time, to name a few, surely should’ve made more of an appearance than a measly few lines in the outro.
If this was advertised as a book about Montreal, this might be a 4. Fun but fell short overall.
Huge topics like Natalie Spooner (getting drafted 23rd overall and then being top goal scorer & MVP the same season), Britta Curl controversies, the prowess of Coyne & Spooner as new postpartum athletes getting back into training, physical play being permitted into a women’s league for the first time, to name a few, surely should’ve made more of an appearance than a measly few lines in the outro.
If this was advertised as a book about Montreal, this might be a 4. Fun but fell short overall.
November 24, 2025
As this book covers at length, the world of women's sports in general and women's hockey in particular have long suffered from a lack of serious coverage. This book steps up to help address that dearth of detailed sportswriting. By providing a history of the women's professional hockey landscape and following PWHL Montreal's (now the Victoire) first season, the author paints an excellent picture of not only how the PWHL came to be, but how the new league's professionalism has impacted the lives and careers of its athletes. Stories like those of Erin Ambrose, Marie-Philip Poulin, Maureen Murphy, and Catherine Dubois echo throughout the league, but by focusing on one specific team Donkin was able to dive deep into the structure, conditions, and interpersonal dynamics of the league in its inaugural season. While this book is just a start in the PWHL coverage I hope to be able to someday access, it is a must-read for any fan of women's hockey who is interested in getting a greater understanding of how the league operates.
December 23, 2025
The value in this book should be the improvement of opportunities for women in hockey.
A bit about that…..
Recent media indicates that WNBA (women’s bball), loses 80 million per year.
Womens professional soccer in Canada only averages 2500 fans per game.
Previous professional hockey could not pay the players and still lost money.
PWHL seems to be doing it better. For most games, they are staying in smaller facilities. They are building the brand and there are salaries. Jersey sales are happening, slowly but surely.
The reason I say that is because I really wanted this book to be about the development of a women’s professional hockey league and how they are building it up to ensure it is sustainable. I was getting ready to push this book because of the social justice within. This was loosely there, but, it really proved to be a celebration of players and games and stats. Worse for me, for some reason, the focus was on the Montreal team, rather than the league as a whole. Although, Montreal does have Marie Philip Poulin……
I really appreciated that the vast majority of the book was about the awesome women who play in the league and did not try to compare to the NHL. I am big on each league, whether men’s or women’s leagues paying fairly based on revenues.
Then, on the last page, she writes….”women were making money to play hockey. But for some, it wasn’t a livable wage in a major city, and it was a far cry from what men make in the NHL. There is still a long way to go before women’s accomplishments on the ice are celebrated the way men’s accomplishments are and their labour is valued equally.”
I value this league but she went down this path without explaining that salaries in both the NHL and PWHL are connected to revenues. When the league makes more money, the players will make more money.
A bit about that…..
Recent media indicates that WNBA (women’s bball), loses 80 million per year.
Womens professional soccer in Canada only averages 2500 fans per game.
Previous professional hockey could not pay the players and still lost money.
PWHL seems to be doing it better. For most games, they are staying in smaller facilities. They are building the brand and there are salaries. Jersey sales are happening, slowly but surely.
The reason I say that is because I really wanted this book to be about the development of a women’s professional hockey league and how they are building it up to ensure it is sustainable. I was getting ready to push this book because of the social justice within. This was loosely there, but, it really proved to be a celebration of players and games and stats. Worse for me, for some reason, the focus was on the Montreal team, rather than the league as a whole. Although, Montreal does have Marie Philip Poulin……
I really appreciated that the vast majority of the book was about the awesome women who play in the league and did not try to compare to the NHL. I am big on each league, whether men’s or women’s leagues paying fairly based on revenues.
Then, on the last page, she writes….”women were making money to play hockey. But for some, it wasn’t a livable wage in a major city, and it was a far cry from what men make in the NHL. There is still a long way to go before women’s accomplishments on the ice are celebrated the way men’s accomplishments are and their labour is valued equally.”
I value this league but she went down this path without explaining that salaries in both the NHL and PWHL are connected to revenues. When the league makes more money, the players will make more money.
January 1, 2026
in november, i finished reading breakaway: the pwhl and the women who changed the game by karissa donkin, which follows the first season of the pwhl and some of the history that led to it, both in canada and in montreal specifically.
if any of my book club friends see this, hiiiii! this was a fantastic read. i’ll get my gripes out of the way and say that here and there i noticed a few extremely minor errors, and that i’d definitely like this book even more if it followed my team (i mean, duh), but on the whole, i loved this book. it does a good job of explaining enough of the history of women’s hockey in canada to set the scene for the dissolution of the phf and the creation of the pwhl, particularly from a labor angle. that was fascinating to me because it can be easy to forget that athletes are employees in the same way that most people are, and that their labor is just as important to consider, especially when considering that of female athletes who are not paid as much as men, if they are paid at all. after that, this book is mostly a recap of the 2024 pwhl season following pwhl montreal, with a few stops along the way to focus on different key players from the team or the league itself. for a nonfiction read, it was extremely approachable, and it was a nice change of pace from the nonfiction i typically read, which tends to lean more dense and bordering on if not outright academic. i’m extremely grateful to have heard a bit from the author about the book during a q&a session she did with our book club as well! learning about the behind the scenes of the book as well as generally picking her brain as a group was a lot of fun, and it was extremely cool of her to give a gaggle of online nerds the chance to talk to her.
this review can also be found on instagram here!
if any of my book club friends see this, hiiiii! this was a fantastic read. i’ll get my gripes out of the way and say that here and there i noticed a few extremely minor errors, and that i’d definitely like this book even more if it followed my team (i mean, duh), but on the whole, i loved this book. it does a good job of explaining enough of the history of women’s hockey in canada to set the scene for the dissolution of the phf and the creation of the pwhl, particularly from a labor angle. that was fascinating to me because it can be easy to forget that athletes are employees in the same way that most people are, and that their labor is just as important to consider, especially when considering that of female athletes who are not paid as much as men, if they are paid at all. after that, this book is mostly a recap of the 2024 pwhl season following pwhl montreal, with a few stops along the way to focus on different key players from the team or the league itself. for a nonfiction read, it was extremely approachable, and it was a nice change of pace from the nonfiction i typically read, which tends to lean more dense and bordering on if not outright academic. i’m extremely grateful to have heard a bit from the author about the book during a q&a session she did with our book club as well! learning about the behind the scenes of the book as well as generally picking her brain as a group was a lot of fun, and it was extremely cool of her to give a gaggle of online nerds the chance to talk to her.
this review can also be found on instagram here!
December 31, 2025
A book about the recent history of women’s hockey in Canada and the United States and how the PWHL came to be with a focus on my favourite team? Yes please! I love women’s hockey, specifically the Montréal Victoire so this book was right up my alley.
As interesting as it was, I found it to be a touch too repetitive. When talking about Dubois and the uncertainty of her career with the Victoire; Donkin repeatedly mentioned that reserve players did not get the same benefits as regular players (including not getting the stipend for housing) and should reserve players be needed more than twice, one of the twenty three regular players would have to be cut. These two facts were mentioned multiple times in multiple chapters. Whenever Dubois was brought up so too were these two points about her contract. Despite how important these two things are to her and her experience, I found the repetition annoying, it felt as though the author was saying the reader could not remember something that was said in the previous chapter.
As a fan of the PWHL and the Montréal Victoire, I enjoyed this book immensely. There were games and press conferences mentioned that have been ingrained in my mind as a fan that I could imagine them as I was reading. Overall, I had a very positive experience with this book, it was interesting, informative, and made me feel for women’s sports even more.
Although I am unhappy with the repetition in this book I still found it to be very interesting and I think more people should watch women’s sports so I am giving it five stars.
As interesting as it was, I found it to be a touch too repetitive. When talking about Dubois and the uncertainty of her career with the Victoire; Donkin repeatedly mentioned that reserve players did not get the same benefits as regular players (including not getting the stipend for housing) and should reserve players be needed more than twice, one of the twenty three regular players would have to be cut. These two facts were mentioned multiple times in multiple chapters. Whenever Dubois was brought up so too were these two points about her contract. Despite how important these two things are to her and her experience, I found the repetition annoying, it felt as though the author was saying the reader could not remember something that was said in the previous chapter.
As a fan of the PWHL and the Montréal Victoire, I enjoyed this book immensely. There were games and press conferences mentioned that have been ingrained in my mind as a fan that I could imagine them as I was reading. Overall, I had a very positive experience with this book, it was interesting, informative, and made me feel for women’s sports even more.
Although I am unhappy with the repetition in this book I still found it to be very interesting and I think more people should watch women’s sports so I am giving it five stars.
September 7, 2025
This book was for sale ahead of its official publication date. It's excellent. The women who were determined to put this league together come across as kind, determined, principled -- just excellent people all around. Karissa Donkin tells the story with enthusiasm and with great anecdotes. She brings out the human story and makes it all make sense. Even if you're (like me) not that interested in hockey, this is a compelling tale, well told.
November 29, 2025
This looks at the formation and first season, 2024, of the PWHL. Donkin looks at the previous professional women's leagues and how they collapsed, followed by the efforts to create the PWHL. She then chronicles the first season, with a focus on the Montreal team, getting into the background of several players as well. A solid source for the development of the PWHL, and women's hockey in general.
December 3, 2025
This book is written so wonderfully, you feel like you’re there in the rink watching history unfold instead of sitting on your couch. Would highly recommend for anyone a fan of hockey or women’s sports! Really helpful for me, who only found out about the PWHL in August, to catch up on what I missed the past 2 seasons.
December 31, 2025
I loved the book, it helped me learn more about women’s hockey culture in the North. A burst of emotions from anger to pride in everything that’s been achieved. There’s still a long way to go, but how important it is that more books like this come out and that more people help preserve this part of hockey history
December 3, 2025
An informative and thorough look at the first-ever season of the PWHL. Learned so much about women's hockey. Sequel WHEN (full disclosure I am very biased because I am Karissa Donkin's biggest fan west of the Maritimes, I said it I'm claiming it)
August 30, 2025
Review for Breakaway: The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.
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September 15, 2025An interesting book for the hockey fan in your life.
November 21, 2025
I loved this book and the determined, talented women it introduced me to. No prior hockey knowledge required!
November 25, 2025
Great telling of the founding of league and the history of previous leagues. It centres mostly around the Montreal Victoire so great for a Victoire fan in particular.
January 1, 2026
be warned the montréal bias is real here, but we love women’s hockey. i also accept the french-canadian-ness bc they gave us poulin. Go french
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews