Women in Sports panel

Women in the fields of sports, medicine and business are familiar with the feeling of being one of the few females in the room, but that wasn’t the case on Tuesday. Ahead of the New York Islanders game vs the St. Blues at UBS Arena, a sea of women and girls were in attendance for a Women in Sports pregame panel and networking event, presented by Northwell Health, led by female doctors, athletes and leaders in business.

“It’s a privilege to be one of few in a male-dominated industry,” said Dr. Amy West, Sports Medicine PM&R Physician at Northwell Health. “We can see that as an opportunity to lead and pushed through a closed door - and hold the door open for women behind us.”

Hundreds attended the fourth annual panel hosted by the Islanders and Northwell and moderated by MSG Networks Islanders Host Shannon Hogan. This year’s panel featured players from Professional Women’s Hockey League, currently in its inaugural season, who were both showcasing the growth of women’s professional hockey and serving as role models for the girls’ youth hockey teams in attendance.

"This has been my passion since I was a little kid," said Lindsey Post, a goaltender for PWHL New York. "Being part of this league is something I couldn't even dream of. So, it's a dream come true."

A unified league where women can pursue hockey full-time has been a long time coming, offering opportunities that weren’t previously available to talented female athletes.

"I've been playing professionally for seven years now and in the past, I had to have another job outside of being a professional athlete," said Alexa Gruschow, forward for PWHL New York. "There were many women that came before us to try to build a league that's at this professional standard that we deserve as women.”

The professional standard served as the backdrop for Tuesday’s panel, as UBS Arena is one of the two home rinks for PWHL New York, in addition to Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, CT. As women’s hockey in New York becomes more established, it’s important for young fans to be exposed to the growth of the game.

"It's important for young girls to be immersed in women's sporting events," Gruschow said. "Like coming to a PWHL New York game, or a Gotham FC or New York Liberty game. Now, women's sports are being put on such a big platform that I think it's important for girls to be able to see it in real time."

The development of women and girls in hockey is a priority for the Islanders organization. Leading the charge is Alexis Moed, President of the Islanders Elite Hockey & NY Metros, who grew the number of young female athletes from 25 to 150 over the span of eight years. Moed founded the organization with the vision that girls can have the resources they need to achieve their dreams.

"I grew up on Long Island, I started out playing with boys as well and I ended up playing D1 hockey," Moed said. "That was my personal path and what I chose to do, but I had limited resources. So with the Islanders Elite Program, we provide all the resources that girls can take advantage of."

Confidence, the importance of preparation, backed by self-belief was an over-arching theme in the discussion. Janet Duch, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications UBS Arena & New York Islanders, began her career as the only woman or one of two women in business meetings. With a resume of 18+ years at Madison Square Garden and pioneering several startups in the sports industry, Duch said her work ethic was a driving force in her executive career.

"For me, it was really about taking the risk, owning a project and stepping up," Duch said. "There's a lot of conversations that are happening about subjective things, but I took the lens of showing up to meetings with the information and the data and did my homework to have my voice heard.”

A resounding message from every panelist was the encouragement for women to understand their belonging and purpose in any setting. 

"Every woman should have a seat at the table," said Pattie Falch, Marketing Director, Partnership & Consumer Experiences at Heineken USA. "I had a boss very early in my career who told me that, who encouraged me to use my voice. Don't be afraid. You have the right to be here just as all the men at the table."

While climbing the corporate ladder at Heineken, Falch has also had to overcome some personal health struggles. As a breast cancer survivor, she got emotional at the scene of the panel and the sea of women and girls inspired by it.  

"I got a little choked up because it reminds you of how important it is for women to support women,” Falch said. 

Women’s health is vital to success both on and off the ice. The Katz Institute of Women’s Health at Northwell is actively working to eliminate disparities in healthcare and improve the health of women, and they see a natural tie-in to women in sports. 

"For us at Northwell at the Katz Institute, we perceive women in sports to be very similar to women in health," said Dr. Stacey Rosen, Executive Director, Katz Institute for Women’s Health, SVP, Women’s Health, Northwell Health. "In sports, sports broadcasting and healthcare, it's all empowering and filled with women who are trailblazers and game-changers."

What brought the panel of medical experts, athletes and businesswomen - along with the girls and women in the audience inspired by their stories – together was a shared passion for sports, which unified and empowered the group at large. 

“Girls who play sports become women who lead,” Dr. West said. “That’s really important to keep in mind, it's not just the actual physical playing of the sport, but the values that you gain from interacting with other people, leading and being part of a team.”