The new pro women's hockey league allows more hitting. Players say they like showing those skills

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy With an early-season PWHL game between Montreal and Boston winding down, the speakers blared the Olivia Newton-John classic, “Let’s Get Physical.” And that's just what the players did. I think if they’re able to get the game to a point where players are still protected and we’re avoiding injuries of head contact, it’s going to be great for the game and the entertainment value.” Checking — and even fighting — have been a part of men’s hockey for more than a century, with players using their bodies to dislodge an opponent from the puck and their fists to send a message about messing with a star skater or a defenseless goalie. “I feel like that always kind of has been something people said about the women’s game: ‘Oh, they can’t hit,'" said Montreal forward Jillian Dempsey, a former Harvard captain who was the all-time leading scorer in the Premier Hockey Federation, a PWHL predecessor. “It just kind of gives us that freedom to go out there and display the strength and the power that that many players have.” PWHL Rule 52, “Body Checking,” allows for contact “when there is a clear intention of playing the puck or attempting to ‘gain possession’ of the puck.” Two players chasing a puck are “reasonably allowed to push and lean into each other provided that ‘possession of the puck’ remains the sole object."