The Mississauga Chiefs were a professional women's ice hockey team that played in the Canadian
National Women's Hockey League
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), formerly the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), is a women's professional ice hockey league located in the United States and Canada. The league was established in 2015 with four league-owned teams and ha ...
(NWHL) and the
Canadian Women's Hockey League
The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey féminin ‒ LCHF) was a women's ice hockey league. Established in 2007 as a Canadian women's senior league in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, and Ottawa, the league ...
(CWHL). They played in
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
at the
Hershey Centre and the Iceland Mississauga in the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
. Founded as the Mississauga Chiefs in 1993, the team was known as the Mississauga Ice Bears during 2000 to 2003 and as the Oakville Ice during 2003 to 2007.
History
The Mississauga Chiefs were founded in 1993 in the
Central Ontario Women's Hockey League
The Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (COWHL) is a defunct hockey league in Ontario, Canada. During the 1998-99 season, the COWHL was renamed the National Women's Hockey League as the teams from the former league began to compete against teams ...
(COWHL) where they played for five seasons. In 1998, the COWHL was reorganized and became the
National Women's Hockey League
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), formerly the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), is a women's professional ice hockey league located in the United States and Canada. The league was established in 2015 with four league-owned teams and ha ...
(NWHL). The team changed their name to Mississauga Ice Bears from 2000 to 2003 and the Oakville Ice from 2003 to 2007. In 2007–08, the NWHL disbanded and the clubs were re-organized to join the
Canadian Women's Hockey League
The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey féminin ‒ LCHF) was a women's ice hockey league. Established in 2007 as a Canadian women's senior league in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, and Ottawa, the league ...
(CWHL). As part of the new league, the Oakville Ice merged with the
Mississauga Aeros
The Toronto Aeros, often called Beatrice Aeros after their primary sponsor, the North York Aeros, and the Mississauga Aeros were a semi-professional women's ice hockey team that played in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. The team played its home ...
to re-affiliate with the Chiefs' hockey organization to become the Mississauga Chiefs again. In 2008, they were the CWHL championship runner-up to the
Brampton Thunder
The Markham Thunder was a professional women's ice hockey team in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). From 1998 through 2017, the franchise was known as the Brampton Thunder and Brampton Canadettes-Thunder before relocating from Brampton, O ...
. The Chiefs participated in the
2010 Clarkson Cup The 2010 Clarkson Cup was contested at the Elgin Barrow Arena in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. The four competing teams included the Brampton Thunder, Minnesota Whitecaps, Mississauga Chiefs, and Montreal Stars.
Quali ...
. In 2010–11, the CWHL was restructured and reduced the number of its teams to five, eliminating the Mississauga Chiefs and two other teams, and created a new
Toronto team that acquired several former Chiefs players including
Jennifer Botterill
Jennifer Botterill, (born May 1, 1979) is a Canadian former women's hockey player and current hockey broadcast television analyst who played for Harvard University, the Canadian national team, the Mississauga Chiefs, and the Toronto Aeros. Sh ...
and
Sami Jo Small
Sami Jo Small (born March 25, 1976) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender. As a member of the Canadian national team, she was a three-time Olympic medallist and four-time World Championship medallist. One of the founders of the now defun ...
.
The Chiefs' name continued to be used by the organization for their
Mississauga Jr. Chiefs and youth girls' programs.
Season-by-season
Source:
Clarkson Cup 2010
*
2010 Clarkson Cup The 2010 Clarkson Cup was contested at the Elgin Barrow Arena in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. The four competing teams included the Brampton Thunder, Minnesota Whitecaps, Mississauga Chiefs, and Montreal Stars.
Quali ...
semifinals
Former staff
*General manager: Jim Holman
*Assistant general manager: Lori Friesen
*Head coach: Rick Osborne
*Assistant coaches: Bruce Rose and Bill Campbell
Notable players
*
Jennifer Botterill
Jennifer Botterill, (born May 1, 1979) is a Canadian former women's hockey player and current hockey broadcast television analyst who played for Harvard University, the Canadian national team, the Mississauga Chiefs, and the Toronto Aeros. Sh ...
*
Cherie Piper
*
Cheryl Pounder
Cheryl Pounder (born June 21, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec) is a women's ice hockey player. She played defence for the Canadian Women's Hockey League's Mississauga Chiefs, and competed in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics.
Pounder attended hig ...
*
Sami Jo Small
Sami Jo Small (born March 25, 1976) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender. As a member of the Canadian national team, she was a three-time Olympic medallist and four-time World Championship medallist. One of the founders of the now defun ...
Awards and honours
*Jennifer Botterill,
Angela James Bowl
The Angela James Bowl was a women's ice hockey trophy introduced in 2007-08 to recognize the top points scorer in the newly formed Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). The trophy was donated in order to help preserve the statistical history of th ...
(2008)
*Jennifer Botterill, Central Division All-Star (2008)
*Jennifer Botterill, CWHL Top Forward (2008)
References
External links
Mississauga Chiefs WebsiteOakville Ice website Oakville Ice Alumni
{{Professional Women's Hockey seasons
Women's ice hockey teams in Canada
Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada
Ice hockey teams in Ontario
Canadian Women's Hockey League teams
Women in Ontario