Women's hockey got a raise – now about that 20X wage gap

I don’t know about your cultural bubble, but in mine, women’s hockey has been having a moment. In the 2025–26 season, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) surpassed a million fans attending games – up from around 390,000 in their first season, which took place just two years prior. And, yes, it’s true, roughly 23.16 million fans attended National Hockey League (NHL) games last season, but the men's league has also had 109 years to build culture, narrative, and momentum around the league. The PWHL is just getting started.

League viewership is climbing, as are its salaries. For this upcoming 2026-07 season, the minimum annual base salary for PWHL players is US$42,000 – but last week, the PWHL and the league’s players association (PWHLPA) jointly announced annual salary increases over the next five years. By the 2030-31 season, the minimum salary for athletes in the league will be US$52,500.

That's great news for the players – and for Vancouver Goldeneyes fans, who want their faves to afford 1 – but the paycheques are dwarfed by the NHL. For the 2026-2027 season, the NHL annual minimum salary is US$850,000, around 20 times higher than the PWHL minimum salary for the same season. That disparity will stay pretty consistent over the next few years; in the 2029-2030 season, NHL players will make a minimum of US$1 million, while PWHL players will be making a minimum of just US$50,000.

But, again, the men’s league has had a century-long headstart. Back in 1917, Toronto’s Harry Cameron was rumoured to be the highest-paid player in the league, reportedly making just C$900 for the season – or about C$19,000 when adjusted for inflation.

To put the PWHL's raises into context, I looked at what athletes earn in three sports where both men and women play professionally: hockey, basketball, and tennis. Here’s what the numbers tell me: bringing in money and viewership for a new sports league takes time, and you’re not going to see results (or profits) right away – especially when you have societal gender bias working against you. But the longer women have been able to play a sport professionally, the larger audiences and salaries seem to be. To me, there's obviously an appetite for women’s sports, and it’s only growing – alongside the paycheques of top female athletes. Still, pay equity is a long way off.

PWHL

How much money:

• The current minimum salary, US$42,000, is already up from the league’s first season. When the first collective bargaining agreement was negotiated, the minimum player salary was just US$35,000.
• During the 2023-24 season, the average salary for the league was US$55,000; that has increased by 3% each year since. For the 2026-27 season, that will mean an average salary of about US$60,000.
• Last season, the highest-paid PWHL player was Emily Clark, who made $126,090 playing for the Ottawa Charge.

Where the money comes from:

• For its first three seasons, the PWHL has been funded by LA Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra. Earlier this year, the league announced additional funding from outside investors: Toronto-based Kilmer Sports Ventures and Detroit-based Ilitch Companies.
• The PWHL also generates revenue from corporate sponsors, plus merch and ticket sales, with tickets to Toronto games reportedly costing between C$20 and C$50 on average. The PWHL does not get any funding from the NHL
• The PWHL is not currently profitable. But recent financial decisions – such as expanding to 12 teams ahead of schedule and increasing player salaries – suggest that the league is bringing in more revenue than it expected, or at least that execs expect the cash to start flowing soon.

NHL

How much money:

• The current minimum salary, US$850,000, is up from last year’s minimum of $775,000.
• In the 2024-25 season, the average salary for an NHL player was roughly US$3.8 million, and the salary cap – the limit on how much money a team can spend on player salaries – was US$88 million. The collective bargaining agreement allows players to sign for up to 20% of the salary cap – so, in that season, the league could pay individual players up to about US$17.6 million.
• This season, the salary cap is substantially higher, at US$104 million, and it’s slated to climb to $113.5 million next season. Forbes reported that the highest-paid NHL athlete is currently Leo Carlsson, who makes US$21.2 million playing for the Anaheim Ducks. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim Ducks) aren’t far behind, at US$20.8 million and US$19.7 million, respectively.

Where the money comes from:

• Sportsnet recently reported that the NHL’s projected revenue this season is approximatelyUS$7.7 billion. Commissioner Gary Bettman said in June that “every platform, every source of revenue is growing.”
• Teams get cash from the league’s national media rights deals, corporate sponsorships, gate receipts (approximately 96% capacity during regular season games, and over 100% capacity during playoffs), and merch sales (a team sweater could put you out $150).

Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)

How much money:

• Earlier this year, the WNBA players association negotiated a new collective agreement, which saw player salaries skyrocket. In 2025, under the previous agreement, the minimum salary was around US$66,000, the average salary was US$120,000, and the maximum salary was roughly US$250,000. Approximately 10% of the league’s total revenue was allocated to player salaries, compared to the 50% ballpark common in many other major league sports.
• Under the new agreement, WNBA athletes will make a minimum of between US$270,000 and US$300,000, depending on their years of experience. According to the timelines set out by the collective agreement, those minimums should increase by more than US$100,000 over the next 10 years.
• The salary cap for 2026 is US$7 million, meaning the maximum player salary for this year is US$1.4 million – which is reportedly the salary made by Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx).
• Back in March, the league predicted average salaries of around US$585,000, but USA Today reported last month that the actual average salary is around US$518,000 and that the median salary is around US$350,000.

Where the money comes from:

• For a long time, WNBA team owners held 50% of the league, and NBA owners held the other 50%. Then, in 2022, the league sold a 16% stake to various investors, raising US$75 million in the process; this diluted NBA owners’ and WNBA owners’ stakes to just 42% each and provided the league with much-needed capital.
• The WNBA has grown significantly since its inception in 1996, particularly over the last couple of years; in 2025, the league brought in a historic amount of revenue. The exact numbers aren’t known, but it met the threshold to trigger revenue sharing amongst players for the first time.
• This year, the WNBA updated its 2024 media rights deal, and the new agreement is worth US$3.1 billion, or roughly US$281 million annually. Its previous media rights deal, prior to 2024, was only worth around US$43 million annually.
• The WBNA also brings in cash from other avenues like ticket sales; in 2026, approximately 3.79 million fans reportedly attended WNBA games, setting a new record for the league. Average capacity in stadiums was 83% across the league, and more than 90% for eight of the fifteen teams.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

How much money:

• ESPN reported that, for the 2026-27 season, the highest-paid NBA athlete is Stephen Curry, who makes roughly US$62.58 million playing for the Golden State Warriors. Nikola Jokic comes in second, earning around US$59.03 million for the Denver Nuggets, and Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards is the third-highest earner, at around US$58.46 million.
• Minimum salaries are dependent on years of experience. When the current collective agreement was negotiated back in 2023, the minimum salary for a rookie was US$1,017,781. This season, the players with the lowest salaries are reportedly bringing in US $1,357,763.

Where the money comes from:

• Forbes reported that, last season, the NBA’s revenue was nearly US$14 billion; they also reported that “the league’s 30 franchises are worth an average of $6.1 billion” and “every team is valued at $4 billion or more.”
• The league brings in money through a variety of channels – like sponsorships and ads, hefty media deals, and in-person attendance from fans. Over the last three years, the NBA reportedly had the best three-year attendance record in its history, filling arenas to roughly 97% capacity. And the league’s current deal with national broadcasters is valued at US$76 billion.

2

How much money:

• Forbes reported that, from August 2025 to August 2026, the highest-paid tennis player was Jannick Sinner, who made US$23 million in prize money, plus an additional US$35 million in endorsements, totalling to US$58 million. His on-court rival Carlos Alcaraz wasn’t far behind, bringing in US$53.7 million – winning US$15.7 million on the court, and earning the rest from brand deals.
• The third-, fourth-, and fifth-highest paid tennis players were all women. Serena Williams brought in US$40.1 million, nearly all of which came from brand endorsements; Aryna Sabalenka earned a total of US$36.1 million, just over a third of which was won on the court; and Coco Gauff made US$35.5 million, earning $7.5 million in prize money and the rest in endorsements.
• Forbes’s full top 10 list includes 6 women and 4 men.

Where the money comes from:

• Unlike with hockey and basketball, tennis players primarily make money from tournament prizes and brand endorsements, rather than league salaries. However, as of 2024, the ATP Tour – the men’s worldwide pro tennis tour – does offer a guaranteed minimum income of US$100,000 to the top 250 singles players as a financial safety net. No such safety net exists in the WTA tour, the equivalent women’s tour.
• In 2022, the ATP also introduced a profit-sharing model, allowing players to benefit from the tour’s profitability. The 2024 ATP season saw US$18.3 million in profits distributed to players. No such structure exists in the WTA.
• The Grand Slams all offer equal prize money to male and female athletes, with the US Open being the first to do so in 1973. But many tour level events do not. For example, as ESPN reported in 2023: “Djokovic, the men's champion in Cincinnati, received $1.02 million, while Gauff, the women's champion, earned less than half of that amount at $454,500. Both won in best-of-three set formats.”