Ice hockey-A league of their own will elevate women's hockey, says Hefford

MILAN, Feb 4 : Milano Cortina is set to showcase the best and most competitive women's ice hockey the Olympics has ever seen, according to four-times gold medallist Jayna Hefford, driven in large part by the professional league the Canadian helped establish.

Hefford experienced the introduction of women's hockey to the Games when winning silver in 1998 in Nagano, then claiming gold with Canada at the next four editions. North America's first fully professional league began just two years ago.

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) is now in its third season, drawing huge crowds and giving players a long-awaited platform, with Hefford part of the league's management.

"Hockey has been around for well over 100 years on the men's side, but the women's game is just much younger," Hefford, 48, told Reuters.

"I think we're seeing this rapid growth, the game is so good, it feels like it should have been around longer. But we're still growing participation around the world."

Like the NHL on the men's side, the PWHL attracts top players not only from North America but from around the globe.

"We've said since the league launch that we want this to be the place that the best players in the world play, regardless of where they're from," Hefford said.

"At the beginning of season three, we had 25 non-North American players. We want to continue to grow that."

One criticism often levelled at women's Olympic hockey is the lack of parity, with Canada and the U.S. having won all seven gold medals and six of the seven silvers to date.

That gap could begin to narrow in Milan.

"I think that the level of play at these Olympic Games is going to be better than it's ever been as a result of the resources and support that so many of these women have