Ex-NHLer Jordan Schmaltz shoots his shot at WNBA star Rebecca Allen

Former NHL defenseman Jordan Schmaltz has taken a dig at WNBA standout Rebecca Allen on social media. Before the Phoenix Mercury clashed with the Connecticut Sun on Monday, Schmaltz took note of a photo of Allen's pre-game tunnel walk. She was in a denim skirt and a black tank top with heels and also had a jacket draped over her shoulder.

The Mercury's Twitter/X account posted the photo, suggesting that it should appear in Vogue. The game didn't play out as hoped for the Mercury, with the team losing 83-72 as they struggled to contain the Sun, who sit second in the WNBA.

Allen and team veteran Diana Taurasi were sidelined for the game, with Allen dealing with lower back pain following Sunday's clash with the Indiana Fever.

While Rebecca Allen didn't play the Mercury's game with the Sun on Monday, her pre-game arrival photo was enough to draw Jordan Schmaltz's attention. In response to the photo shared by the Mercury, he wrote:

"You up?"

Moreover, he also included two phone emojis, as seen below:

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How the NHL has been impacted by the rise in WNBA popularity

While WNBA standout Rebecca Allen caught the eye of former NHL defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, the two leagues wound up having a bit of a rivalry this year. During the 2023–24 NCAA women's college basketball season, Iowa standout Caitlin Clark captured national attention for her stellar plays.

Moreover, her 2023 NCAA March Madness championship game against LSU and Angel Reese turned both her and Angel Reese into national stars. Given that, when Clark announced that she was declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft, fans were eager to see the former Iowa Hawkeye compete at the professional level.

The Fever wound up being booked for 37 nationally televised games of a possible 40, with Clark's debut booked for May 14 on ESPN2. At the time the game was booked and scheduled for broadcast on ESPN, NHL fans were outraged that the game could conflict with NHL playoff coverage.

Of course, the NHL eventually figured things out, with Game 5 of the Bruins-Panthers series being broadcast on ESPN and Clark's debut being broadcast on ESPN2.

When the viewership numbers were released, Clark and the Fever drew in 2.12 million viewers, while the Bruins-Panthers series drew in slightly less, with 1.99 million.

Given the timing of the WNBA and the NHL's schedules, the start of the WNBA season could coincide with the Stanley Cup playoffs in the future. As to how the leagues will handle it in the future, only time will tell.