Can women played in the NHL?

Answer 1

Yes, there is absolutely nothing stopping women from playing in the NHL rules-wise. Manon Rhéaume played a preseason game for the Tampa Bay Lightning, allowing 2 goals on 9 shots, and Hayley Wickenheiser, widely regarded as the best woman ever to play hockey, was invited to the rookie camps for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1998 and 1999, but failed to make the 50+ player training camp roster.

The main reason that women don't play in the NHL is that the level of physicality in the game as it is today is much to high for women as their bodies are just not made for that kind of punishment.

However, those who say that women could play in men's leagues if hitting was removed are either trolls or just kidding themselves. The Canadian women's Olympic team, which has dominated internationally at the Olympics played against Alberta Midget AAA teams (16, 17, 18 year olds) to warm up for the Olympics and lost most of their games (9-11-1 record), including a 9-0 loss in their first game http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/story/?id=292068.

It should also be noted that Midget AAA is not the highest level of hockey in Canada for 16-18 year old boys, as the CHL leagues are a higher amateur level available to those aged 16-20(in rare cases 14 and 15). On top of that, only 8.3% of CHL players go on to play a single game in the NHL. Thus, it is a seemingly an impossibility for a woman to play in the NHL in the near future as the best of the best struggle to compete in a Boys league that is not even top-tier.

Answer 2

Nope.