“If Brandon cheated on me, I would cut his balls off, cook them and make him eat them.” This is what would befall Montreal Canadiens right winger Brandon Prust if he ever cheated on his girlfriend, Marpier Morin.

Morin’s threat is just a sample of the various bon mots and personalities uncovered in the first episode of Hockey Wives, debuting Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network. The reality show follows 10 girlfriends and wives of NHL hockey players and coaches who are shown doing the everyday things that other married women do, like shop, take care of kids or carry on a career. Unlike most married women, however, these gals live in an environment where an injury to their partner can mean the end to a steady paycheque or a trade equals picking up their entire lives and moving somewhere else.

For someone like Noureen DeWulf—betrothed to Vancouver Canucks net minder Ryan Miller—it equals a couple of unknowns. Pregnant with their first child, DeWulf is unsure whether to move to Vancouver to be with her man or stay in Los Angeles and continue her acting career.

For Brijet Whitney—wife of recently retired player Ray—it means a wholesale upheaval in her life. The mother of three has her husband home for the first time in over two decades and worries they’ll become a statistic of hockey couples who divorce after the player hangs up his skates for good. Brijet is clearly the most grounded of all the wives featured in Episode 1; she’s been through the ups and downs of an NHL career and knows it can be taken away in a flash.

Hockey Wives isn’t my cup of television tea, but I certainly see the allure. The opportunity to tune in and see how these ladies get on with organizing the home and kids while their pro athlete partners are away is fascinating stuff. Even the group get-togethers—which I’m sure were set up by producers and fuelled with booze in hopes of fireworks going off—are entertaining, if not a little tame.

Hockey Wives airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.