The NHL Network will broadcast the first annual Canadian Women’s Hockey League All Star Game on Saturday, Dec. 13, CWHL Insider has reported. The American broadcast will expose even more fans to women’s hockey and is a big step for the league in the States.

The broadcast will start at 12:30 p.m. Saturday from Toronto’s Air Canada Center. Sportsnet will broadcast the game in Canada as part of their recent broadcast deal with the CWHL.

The All-Star Game, which will feature a skills competition and two periods of hockey, will begin at 1 p.m. The CWHL invited 42 players from all five of its teams to participate, including 19 Olympians and national team players. Fans can vote for each team’s captain until tomorrow. After that a private draft will take place to determine teams.

The event is free to attend, though tickets are now required due to the high demand. Fans can get tickets here. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite jersey to the game. The event may also feature surprise guest appearances from CWHL alumni.

The All Star Game was announced last month and is another step forward for the sport, which is growing, but remains part of a niche.

“The Inaugural CWHL ALL-Star Game presents an incredible opportunity for the league to showcase its top talent, both in person at the Air Canada and through our broadcast deal with Sportsnet,” said CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress. “As we grow the league and its fan base, it seems only natural to add an event like this to our annual calendar of exceptional sporting entertainment.”

Currently the CWHL consists of five teams: the Toronto Furies, Boston Blades, Brampton Thunder, Calgary Inferno and Montreal Stars. 

For more information about the game, visit mapleleafs.com/cwhlallstar.

A college hockey fan and hockey player, Krista Patronick decided to pursue a career in sports management after earning a degree in English from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in 2009 and spending three years in journalism. She received her Master's of Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2013. After realizing she was meant to work in the hockey world, Krista went to work in any press box she could get into. She kept statistics, wrote shot charts, tweeted and live-blogged her way to a job as an operations coordinator and marketing director at The Hockey Academy in Hudson, N.H. She works with the company's two junior teams, adult hockey players, and youth teams. Krista is a goalie and enjoys playing hockey in her spare time. She is a die-hard Bruins and River Hawks hockey fan. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @KristaPatronick

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