Breakaway by Karissa Donkin
The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game
The opening puck-drop at the start of the New York-Toronto women’s hockey game on January 1, 2024, was loaded with significance. The face-off marked the culmination of months of activity to establish and launch the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
In Breakaway: The PWHL and the Women Who Changed the Game, Karissa Donkin delves into the lead-up to this event, as well as sketching out the ups and downs of the league’s first season. Donkin’s book discusses the leagues and teams that predated the PWHL, as well as the motivating factors behind the desire for a more professional experience for high-level female hockey players outside of the national team programs.
Breakaway talks about some of the key figures behind the startup of the new league, who included tennis great Billie Jean King, her partner Ilana Kloss, and Mark and Kimbra Walter. Donkin explores the important role played by members of what became the Professional Women’s Hockey Association. Starting in 2019, these athletes vowed “to not play in any professional hockey league until their labour is compensated and they can play in professional conditions.”
Donkin also talks about the diligent work done by Jayna Hefford, Stan Kasten, and others to bring the PWHL into being, working within a very challenging and compressed time frame.
The introduction of the PWHL, Donkin notes, wasn’t an automatic win for everyone. In the past, there had been different women’s professional leagues operating at the same time. With the philosophy that the best approach was to have one professional women’s league, the PWHL’s founders purchased, then shut down, the Premier Hockey Federation.
This closure was disappointing to the fans, and, like a game of musical chairs, meant that inevitably some players would be left out, as there would be fewer opportunities in the PWHL than there had been in the PHF and PWHA combined. But the advantages for the players were huge. The new league provided baseline salaries, larger venues, housing and moving allowances, and an overall more professional approach.
In outlining how the PWHL’s first season progressed, Donkin uses the Montreal team as a focus. She takes us through the first season chronologically, talking about the challenges and learning points, and also the human side—the impact on players and coaches.
Donkin explores the ups and downs of becoming part of a more “professional” entity. Yes, there was better compensation, and improved playing and training conditions, but there was also the possibility of being traded rather than choosing where to play, the other side of the professionalism coin. The players accepted that as part of the deal.
Throughout the book, Donkin’s familiarity with, and affection for, the subject matter shines through. Donkin’s bio for the book notes that, among other topics, she “writes about women’s hockey and the PWHL for CBC Sports.” Breakaway includes nuances, details, and insights that would not be accessible to a researcher less familiar with the topic.
As someone who followed the PWHL’s progress right from the first game, I found that Donkin’s book provided a deeper appreciation of what it took to get the league off the ground, and the seismic impact its creation had on the quality of the experience for the players.
The enthusiastic reception to the league, from season ticket holders to those who thronged to “Takeover Tour” events held in neutral cities, speaks to the pent-up demand for high-level women’s sport, the kind of fan experience it provides, and importance of having players like Marie-Philip Poulin as role models for young female athletes.
Donkin’s efforts in researching and writing this book did not go unnoticed. She received the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick’s Nonfiction Award for Breakaway. The annual awards, presented by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick, recognize the province’s best fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s picture books.
Thoroughly researched, smoothly written, and at the same time sensitive to the emotional side of the game, Breakaway should appeal to PWHL fans looking for more in-depth insight into the league’s formation and significance. Hockey fans, sport history buffs, and readers who enjoy books dealing with the women’s sport experience more generally should also find this book an interesting read.
About the Author
Karissa Donkin writes about women’s hockey and the PWHL for CBC Sports and has worked in newspapers and broadcasting for more than a decade. Since 2016, she has been working with CBC’s Atlantic investigative unit, covering stories that regularly air on national programs across all of CBC’s platforms. Her recent work on New Brunswick’s Child Protective Services was profiled on The Current. She has won a National Newspaper Award and several Atlantic Journalism Awards for her investigative work. Her journalism was also nominated for the prestigious Michener Award. Breakaway is her first book.
About the Reviewer
Ontario resident Lisa Timpf writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Her speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing in print and electronic formats. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social, and her author Facebook page is @lisa.timpf.author.
Book Details
Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
Publication date: Sept. 23 2025
Language: English
Print length: 244 pages
ISBN-10: 1773104365
ISBN-13: 978-1773104362