NHL playoffs: Fans are following the games — and the WAGs
It's NHL playoff season — which means plenty of eyes are on the wives and girlfriends of the professional hockey players, like Caitlin Suzuki in Montreal and Lauren Kyle McDavid in Edmonton."I love [Kyle McDavid] posting things about her life, like her dog," said Paulina Denholm, an Edmonton resident and a big Oilers fan. "There's just certain stuff that makes her seem like a normal person who lives here in Edmonton, and I think that's a neat thing to see as a fan."In Edmonton, the most notable Oilers wives and partners include Kyle McDavid, Celeste Draisaitl and, before her husband Evander Kane was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, Mara Teigen. They all boast hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. "We love the WAGs and we love to talk about them," said Denholm, who also co-hosts a local women-centred sports podcast. "They create so much buzz around the team and the games, and people love to follow what they're doing."Interest in wives and girlfriends of professional athletes — known as "WAGs" — transcends Edmonton and professional hockey; it's a global phenomenon, across sports from soccer to F1 racing. The term WAG is ethically fraught. Experts note that the term risks upholding outdated gender norms, may create a narrow view of what it means for women to engage with sport, and can be sexist towards the WAGs themselves by associating them exclusively with their partners. But, they say, social media has created opportunities for them to build their own brands and expand their influence — and thus, create names for themselves in their own right.WATCH | Oilers fans talk NHL playoffs:CBC News speaks to fans entering the Fan Park at Edmonton's Ice District ahead of Game 1 of the Oilers' opening round series in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.And while many WAGs are celebrities — Kim Kardashian is F1 driver Lewis Hamilton's rumoured new girlfriend, and Taylor Swift is arguably the world's most famous WAG — many aren't. "Ten years ago, we only covered wives that were also really famous, but right now you can see the girlfriend or wife, and they don't have to be someone who is already a celebrity," said Judy Liao, a University of Alberta associate professor in sports sociology who focuses on gender. "They gain popularity just because of their status as girlfriend and wife."Social media has also helped them build their own careers and brands, separate from those of their partners, Liao said. Aspirational media personalitiesNovelist Alison Kervin, who has written books with WAGs as protagonists, said the concept first landed on her radar when England's national soccer team was based in Baden-Baden, Germany, for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. At the time, famous wives and girlfriends, including Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole, made headlines for their fashion choices, shopping trips and bar outings during the tournament."The England team wasn't doing very well on the pitch, so that became a story: you'd know what the WAGs were wearing, but you wouldn't know the score of the game," Kervin said. According to Kervin, the interest in athletes' partners is somewhat tied to fantasy and aspiration."You or I couldn't reach the skill level of Wayne Rooney [a legendary British soccer player] or reach the level of hockey players… But you could bump into one of these guys at the bar and be his girlfriend and live that life," she said."The girls' lives seem much more reachable and identifiable with." That's something Sarah Dharshi, a bartender in Edmonton, has noticed in her city, too. "Seeing these women live their own lives and pursue their dreams, aside from their husbands' hockey careers … It feels aspirational," Dharshi said. "And the fact that they live here in Edmonton makes it tangible."WATCH | Interest for women and girls in hockey climbing in B.C.:B.C. Hockey says it's seeing an increase in demand from women and girls who want to play the sport, thanks in part to the excitement around Vancouver's new PWHL team. Brianna Davey from B.C. Hockey told The Early Edition she's ecstatic over the growing interest. "Connor McDavid is literally basically the mayor of our city," Dharshi said, with a laugh. "What I think is really cool about Lauren is even though she is, like, Mrs. McDavid, she really is building her own empire and she's investing in Edmonton, which excites me." Kyle McDavid recently opened a bar in Edmonton, and she has a clothing line that sells trendy pieces, including several that are Oilers-themed. "Like many people in Edmonton, I'm very passionate about where I live, so I value people who genuinely invest in our community," Denholm said. "That's why I originally followed her. It feels like she's invested, and as a proud Edmontonian I really respect that."Term can be 'very sexist'Still, experts warn that people should exercise caution when talking about WAGs, because the term can be misogynistic; it centres a woman's identity around her husband, after all."In a way it's a very sexist term," said Kervin.Liao said that the growing popularity of athletes' partners has coincided with a rising demand for female representation in sport. In fact, women's sports are more popular than ever, so it's not surprising that women are engaging with sports and the culture around them. WATCH | Para women's hockey demands end to double standard:On Day 7 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics, Paralympic digital studio host Allison Lang is joined by senior sports contributor Shireen Ahmed and Canadian Para ice hockey player Claire Buchanan to discuss Canada’s para ice hockey team’s semifinal win, plus a conversation on the double-standard for men and women in para ice hockey at the Paralympic-level.
But Liao warns increased visibility of wives and girlfriends could represent "a subtle pushback to the popularity of women's sports" by mainstream media.According to Liao, sports coverage has at times prioritized WAGs over female athletes because WAGs are typically portrayed as more feminine.It's a "more palatable women's image" than muscular, strong athletic women, Liao said.That's also why there's considerably less media coverage about husbands and boyfriends of professional athletes, Liao said. "We already have the very conventional image of men, which are male athletes." For Denholm, the term WAG has evolved to represent women who are "entrepreneurial, creative and women-centred." "It's sometimes almost feels strange to use the term WAG because it feels a little outdated," she said. "The term has really evolved. We see it as more nuanced. There is such real influence that WAGs carry online and elsewhere."She says WAGs, like those in Edmonton, have helped make the world of sports more accessible and relatable for female fans."I see posts all over online like, 'Oh, the WAGs are wearing their playoff jackets.' It's nice to see WAGs represent female fans, and the different roles women have with their careers, as mothers, and as fans themselves."
