Women's hockey roars back to life in 2022 after tough pandemic years

Women's hockey in 2022 was a firehose filled with change and advancement after the virtual desert of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From a women's league closer to paying a living wage to its players, to two major international tournaments in one year, to NHL teams hiring and promoting current and former players at an unprecedented rate, it was a turnaround from the dark days of 2020 and early 2021.

Despite the pandemic hampering its preparation, Canada regained the upper hand in its storied women's hockey rivalry with the United States by winning an Olympic gold medal in Beijing in February with a 3-2 victory over the Americans. It would be the first of two wins for Canada over the United States in a major tournament final in 2022.

The International Ice Hockey Federation introduced a women's world championship into an Olympic year for the first time. Canada beat the U.S. 2-1 in September's final in Herning, Denmark, to defend its world title.

While those two countries continue to front-run internationally, Czech Republic's bronze at the world championship for its first medal was a breakthrough for that country.

Brampton, Ont., will host the 2023 world championship in April when Canada attempts a three-peat.

Without the corporate and business machinery that kept male pros playing hockey during the COVID-19 pandemic, North America's top female hockey talent played just a handful of games in the 2020-21 season.

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International games and domestic leagues severely curtailed because of restrictions and outbreaks, the women often trained alone or in small groups waiting for normalcy and the chance to grow their game again.

"2020 and 2021 were very hard years," Canadian