The Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) is the governing body of women's ice hockey in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The OWHA is a member of the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), the Ontario branch of

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

. The Association was formed in 1975 by

Cookie Cartwright A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nut ...

to generate interest in women's ice hockey. Roughly ten years later,

Fran Rider Fran Rider is a Canadian who has made a substantial impact on the growth and development of the modern game of female ice hockey and is one of the founders of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. Rider has been both an ice hockey player and org ...

became the association's executive director. In 1976, Rhonda Leeman Taylor took on a volunteer position with the OWHA and helped the Association grow the number of registered female teams from 101 to 203, within three years. She became the first employee hired by Hockey Ontario to assist in the development of the OWHA, then in 1980 became its first salaried female employee.

Jurisdiction

The OWHA operates independently from the OHF's other member associations that govern the various levels of men's hockey. It governs all levels of women's hockey in the province, including

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

, junior, and senior, at a provincial level.

Leagues

''Senior'' *

Golden Blades Junior Hockey League Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

* Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) *

Windsor Essex Women's Hockey League Windsor may refer to: Places Australia *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area *Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wind ...

''Intermediate AA/Junior'' *

Provincial Women's Hockey League The Provincial Women's Hockey League (or PWHL) is a Junior women's ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada that was founded in 2004. It is considered to be the highest level of junior women's amateur ice hockey in Ontario, and is sanctioned by Hocke ...

(PWHL) - founded in 2004 ''Minor'' * Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) * Western Ontario Athletic Association ''Associated Groups'' *

Ottawa District Women's Hockey Association Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of ...

Thunder Bay Women's Hockey Association Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

* Western Ontario Athletic Association

References

External links

* Ice hockey governing bodies in Ontario Women's ice hockey governing bodies in Canada Youth ice hockey in Canada Women in Ontario {{Ontario-icehockey-team-stub