PWHL Player Safety: Taylor Girard Suspended Four Games for Leaving Bench

New York’s Taylor Girard Suspended Four Games NEW YORK AND TORONTO (January 19, 2026) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) today announced that New York Sirens forward Taylor Girard has been suspended for four games. The incident occurred at the conclusion of Sunday’s game against the Montréal Victoire where Girard left the players’ bench to join an altercation on the ice. Per Rule 72.10 of the PWHL Rulebook, the first player to leave the players’ bench illegally during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both Teams shall be suspended automatically for the next four (4) regular season games. Girard will be permitted to resume play on Thursday, March 5, 2026. The PWHL Player Safety Committee monitors all games and is responsible for providing independent review and recommendations on supplementary discipline. Chaired by Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, the committee also includes Vice Chair Chris Burkett, PWHL Vice President of Labour Relations and Player Safety; Cassie Campbell-Pascall, PWHL Special Advisor; Meghan Duggan, Special Consultant to PWHL Hockey Operations; Mike Murphy, a long-time NHL executive and former VP of Hockey Operations; Matt McMahon, a member of the NHL’s Player Safety department.