On a recent Saturday night, more than 18,000 fans packed into Madison Square Garden for a sold-out game. They were all there to watch the New York Sirens face off against the Seattle Torrent, as the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) made its debut in the world’s most famous arena.
The Sirens signature chant — “Wee-woo, wee-woo” — filled the air as the players chased the puck around the ice for more than two hours. While they trailed the Torrent for much of play, the Sirens tied the game with 3:35 left on the clock. And in a thrilling shootout, the Sirens won, 2-1. The crowd erupted as all the Sirens players took to the ice to celebrate the historic win.
Two of those players were Elle Hartje ’24 and Anna Bargman ’25, both forwards for the Sirens and former captains of the Yale women’s ice hockey team. The duo reunited on the ice as players in the PWHL when Bargman was drafted last year. (Two other former Yale Bulldogs also play in the PWHL: Claire Dalton ’23 for the Toronto Sceptres and Vita Poniatovskaia ’25 for the Ottawa Charge.)
Hartje and Bargman in 2022.
The PWHL officially started in January 2024, and it’s been growing in popularity ever since. During its inaugural season, millions of viewers tuned in to watch, demand for tickets surged in some markets, and attendance records were repeatedly broken. This year’s Winter Olympic Games, in which both the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams won gold, further shone a light on the sport, as did the popular TV series “Heated Rivalry.”
In an interview, Hartje, who grew up in Michigan, and Bargman, who hails from Massachusetts, discuss their love of hockey, how playing at Yale shaped their careers, and their hopes for women’s hockey in the future.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The PWHL just made its historic debut at Madison Square Garden (MSG). What was it like playing in front of the sold-out crowd?
Elle Hartje: The experience was incredible. I never dreamt that I would be playing in front of a sold-out crowd at MSG. We set the U.S. record in attendance for women’s hockey. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a few games that have done that. We’re steadily climbing in our fan base and in viewership. People want to watch women’s hockey.
Anna Bargman: To be standing in that arena and seeing so many people, I felt really lucky that this is my reality to start with in being a professional women’s hockey player. It made me appreciate everyone that came before me and worked so hard to get to this point. So much effort went into building up women’s hockey so that we could play at MSG in front of more than 18,000 people.
How did you first start playing hockey? What made you fall in love with the sport?
Bargman: My uncle played hockey, and so my grandparents have always been big hockey people. When they had grandchildren, that was something that they introduced us to. My cousins and my brother were always on the ice when I was very little, and that was something that I wanted to do with them even if it wasn’t something that they originally planned for me. Once I got on the ice, my parents and my grandparents say that I just didn’t want to get off. I fell in love at a very, very young age.
Hartje: My dad’s side of the family is huge into hockey, and he even played professionally for a while. I have three siblings, and for all four of us, my dad put us in skates as soon as we could walk. I’ve been playing since before I could remember, and my earliest childhood memories are just being around the rink. I wanted to be there for my brother’s practices and my sister’s practices. Even if I wasn’t skating, I was doing my homework on the bench, or I was at the concession stand. I was always a rink rat.
From left, Bargman, Hartje, and Yale teammate Jordan Ray.
How has your time playing at The Whale shaped your hockey careers?
Hartje: College is a formative time in your life, but playing for the Yale women’s ice hockey team was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. We were lucky enough to go to the Frozen Four in my sophomore year and Anna’s freshman year. We were ranked first in the nation at one point. We did a lot of winning while we were at Yale. Playing at Yale shaped my hockey career in terms of helping to develop a sense of self in hockey, a leadership style as a captain, and being surrounded by like-minded people who cared so much.
Bargman: Being able to go to the Frozen Four pushed my hockey career to a place of growth and helped me develop so much on the ice and off the ice.
What’s it been like playing together again for the New York Sirens?
Bargman: It’s almost surreal. When I got drafted to New York, Elle had texted me, and one of the first things that I thought was, “Wow! We just spent three years together, and now I’m lucky enough to get another.” It was good to have a friendly face and somebody that I trusted and knew already on and off the ice.
Hartje: When I knew Anna was in the draft, I really wanted to be able to play with her. The odds weren’t great; there’s eight teams and one her. So, I was excited when her name got announced in New York. We were line mates for three years [at Yale] and did pretty well together. We’ve always had some great chemistry, and it’s always so much fun to play with her.
Why do you think women’s hockey is becoming more popular in the U.S.?
Hartje: There’s a lot that came before us, including attempts at different leagues. This is the first time where all the best players in the world are really condensing in one league and wanting to make this thing work. The biggest reason why we’re seeing so much growth is because up top, they’re really committed to providing the resources, the funding, and the media availability and are just pushing this thing forward.
Bargman: The fan base and the interest has always been there under the surface. This was an investment for Mark Walter [founding financier of the PWHL], but he trusted Billie Jean King [who was instrumental in organizing funding for the PWHL’s launch] and the women who said there’s a market here.
What are your hopes for women’s hockey moving forward?
Bargman: I hope that it continues to grow and that it continues to get the attention that it deserves. I hope that girls growing up now and girls growing up in the future can set their sights on the PWHL.
Hartje: In the near term, we’re trying to expand to new markets. Right now, there’s only eight teams, but it’s been announced that there’s going to be some more added. I think people forget this is a very new league. Also, there’s not a national broadcast deal for the entire year yet. Right now, you can watch on YouTube. But I think getting those casual viewers — where you’re just flipping through channels, and you can see the PWHL game in the United States — is a short-term goal that we’re working toward.
Has there been a favorite moment of playing together for the Sirens yet?
Hartje: We got to be reunited on the line together for one game in Vancouver [in March], and it was sort of like riding a bike. I kind of just always know where she’s going to be. When you play with someone for three years and you’re practicing every single day together, I think that comes with the territory. We’ve always worked so well together. So, when they put us on the line together, we were really excited, and Anna ended up scoring.
Bargman: I just remember singing the Bulldog fight song to Elle, and she was just like, “This feels good.”
