Canadian Women's Hockey League
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The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; ) was a women's ice hockey league. Established in 2007 as a Canadian women's senior league in the
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,
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, and
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, the league expanded into
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
(2011) and internationally in the
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(2010) and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(2017) throughout its tenure. The league discontinued operations on May 1, 2019, after 12 seasons. For most of its existence, the CWHL was registered as an amateur association but was considered the top women's hockey league in North America. The National Women's Hockey League, later re-branded the
Premier Hockey Federation The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a women's professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from March 2015 until June 2023. The league was established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), com ...
, launched in the US in 2015 and was the first women's league to pay salaries. The CWHL began paying players a stipend during its last two seasons before it folded, citing financial difficulties. The collapse of the league resulted in the establishment of the
Professional Women's Hockey Players Association The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the promotion of professional women's ice hockey. It was founded in May 2019 following the dissolution of the Canadian Women's Ho ...
(PWHPA), a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to the professionalization of women's hockey.


History


Formation and early years (2007–2010)

The CWHL was an initiative spearheaded by players including Jennifer Botterill, Lisa-Marie Breton, Allyson Fox, Kathleen Kauth, Kim McCullough, and Sami Jo Small, all of whom played in the original
National Women's Hockey League The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a women's professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from March 2015 until June 2023. The league was established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), com ...
, which disbanded in 2007. The players worked with a group of volunteer business people to form the CWHL. The league, which would operate as a non-profit business, would be responsible for all travel, ice rentals, uniforms, and some equipment costs, but would not pay salaries. Unlike the NWHL, in which teams were independently owned and operated, the CWHL was to be centrally run, and teams formed affiliations with local youth hockey associations. In addition to top Canadian players, the league ultimately attracted American and international players. In 2007,
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 ...
announced that it would revamp the Esso Women's Nationals, with the
Western Women's Hockey League The Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) was a women's hockey league in Canada. The league was established in 2004, and consisted of teams in Canada (some former National Women's Hockey League teams) and one from the United States. The league offi ...
(WWHL) finalists meeting the CWHL finalists in a playoff. Beginning in 2009, teams from the two leagues competed for the Clarkson Cup at the end of the season. The Brampton Thunder won the first CWHL championship in 2008, winning 4–3 over the Mississauga Chiefs in the final. In 2008–09, the Montreal Stars won 25 of 30 games and the CWHL Championship before going on to win the first Clarkson Cup over the
Minnesota Whitecaps The Minnesota Whitecaps were a professional ice hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Richfield, Minnesota, part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, at the Richfield Ice Arena. Established in 2004, the ...
. The Stars would take a third straight regular season championship the following season. The CWHL did not have an individual playoff champion in 2010 but instead had a Clarkson Cup qualifying playoff. The Stars and Chiefs qualified for the Cup tournament from their regular season records and the Thunder qualified through the playoff. The Thunder then played into the Clarkson Cup final but lost to the Whitecaps.


Restructuring and stabilization (2010–2017)

Prior to the 2010–11 season, the league underwent a structural reorganization, which it considered a relaunch. Changes included the Chiefs,
Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...
, and Vaughan Flames ceasing operations; the addition of a new Toronto team; and expansion into the United States with a team in Boston. This left the league with five teams: Montreal, Brampton, and the Burlington Barracudas, along with the Boston Blades and the Toronto Furies (who were referred to simply as Toronto CWHL during their inaugural season). The league also held its first draft in
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, although it was limited the three
Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
teams as the league decided that without paying salaries, it was infeasible to force players to relocate. The league announced on April 19, 2011, that it would expand to Alberta ahead of the 2011–12 season, welcoming a single team combining the former Edmonton Chimos and Strathmore Rockies of the WWHL. The move effectively marked the end of the WWHL, and controversially left its remaining teams—the Whitecaps and the Manitoba Maple Leafs—as independent teams without a league to play in. The new CWHL team was initially called Team Alberta; it adopted the unofficial Alberta Honeybadgers moniker for its second season, before settling on becoming the Calgary Inferno in 2013. These developments also led to the Clarkson Cup becoming the playoff championship trophy solely for the CWHL. Changes continued in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
with Burlington folding and the league creating a new draft system whereby players in Boston, Alberta, and Montreal could choose which team they would play on, while players in the GTA could be drafted to play for either of the two GTA teams—Brampton or Toronto. A player's pre-draft declaration of the regional area in which they wished to play could be altered after the draft. As a result of these rules, players wishing to leave GTA teams to play in Boston, Alberta, or Montreal could do so as desired, without compensation to the GTA team that they left. Players who wished to leave one GTA team to go to the other GTA team could only be moved upon a trade between the teams. In November 2012, the CWHL announced partnerships between the Furies and Inferno with their local
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) counterparts, the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
and
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
. The announcement marked a reversal from the position that sponsorships could not be directed to particular teams but only to the league, with the partnerships providing funding for coaches, equipment, and travel expenses, and greater opportunities for marketing and promotion. The Leafs partnership also led to the first CWHL All-Star Game in 2014, hosted by the Leafs at Air Canada Centre. In 2015, the league announced a similar arrangement between the Stars and the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
, which led to the Stars re-branding as
Les Canadiennes de Montréal Les Canadiennes de Montréal were a professional Women's ice hockey, women's ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2007 as the Montreal Stars (Stars de Montréal), they competed in the Canadian Women's Hockey League ( ...
. In 2012, the CWHL also announced a partnership with You Can Play, an LGTBQ organization, to promote inclusiveness—it was the first league to partner with the organization. In early 2015, the CWHL began working with entrepreneur Dani Rylan to establish an expansion team in New York. However, Rylan ultimately changed plans and instead announced the establishment of a new
National Women's Hockey League The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a women's professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from March 2015 until June 2023. The league was established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), com ...
(NWHL) with four teams in the Northeastern United States. The new league claimed to be the first true professional women's hockey league, offering player salaries ranging from $10,000 to $26,000 per year. However, in 2017 the NWHL cut salaries in half, calling its stability into question.


Chinese expansion and player stipends (2017–2019)

The CWHL announced on June 5, 2017, that it would expand to
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, adding Kunlun Red Star WIH, a team controlled by the
Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...
's Kunlun Red Star, and the Vanke Rays, both based in
Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
. The expansion plan was designed to help Chinese hockey development in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, while bringing significant partnership revenue to the CWHL. In order to minimize travel, each North American team made one trip to China to play a four-game series, while the Chinese teams likewise had road games in North America grouped into sets. Kunlun Red Star's debut season was a success, with the team advancing to the Clarkson Cup final, losing 2–1 in overtime to the Thunder. Alongside the expansion, the league announced it would also begin paying its players for the first time. Player stipends were set to a minimum of $2,000 per season and a maximum of $10,000, with a $100,000 salary cap for teams. This made the CWHL the second North American women's hockey league to pay its players after the NWHL. The CWHL's move came shortly after the NWHL cut player salaries in half. Alongside the introduction of stipends, the CWHL also boosted prize money and salaries for coaches and managers. Despite the move to pay stipends, the CWHL remained registered as an amateur league with the
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. In January 2018, the Furies' Jessica Platt came out as a transgender woman, making her the first transgender woman to come out in North American professional hockey, and second transgender professional player after Harrison Browne came out as a transgender man in the NWHL in 2016. On July 19, 2018, league commissioner Brenda Andress announced she would be stepping down, and Jayna Hefford was named interim commissioner. The league consolidated its Chinese teams ahead of the 2018–19 season by merging Vanke and Kunlun, rebranding the team as
Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays HC Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star (), abbreviated Shenzhen KRS, is an ice hockey team in the Chinese Women's Ice Hockey League (WCIHL). They play in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China at Shenzhen Dayun Arena. The Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star were founded in 201 ...
. Before the end of the year, the league also restructured its board after losing its largest financial backer amid alleged economic challenges.


Collapse (2019)

On March 31, 2019, it was announced by the CWHL board of directors that the league would discontinue operations effective May 1. The league cited financial instability due in part to the fragmentation of corporate sponsors between the CWHL and NWHL, noting that the Chinese partnership had kept the league operating during the previous two seasons. The board of directors stated that it owed its players more than the league could continue to provide, suggested that there may only be room for one women's league, and encouraged the players to push any successor leagues to pay a livable wage. Players were not consulted prior to the decision, and tended to express shock and anger at the abrupt closure of the league. The Furies, Les Canadiennes, and the Inferno all released statements that their organizations intended to continue supporting women's hockey and pursuing professional opportunities. However, The Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays proved to be the only former CWHL team to participate in a 2019–20 season by joining the Russian Zhenskaya Hockey League.


CWHL/NWHL relations

Relations between the CWHL and the NWHL remained strained in the years after the latter was established. While the NWHL offered salaries, the league was persistently criticized for a lack of professionalism and its approach to growing the women's game. Over the years there were talks about merging the entities, with some women's hockey leaders emphasizing the need for a unified league and others stating that two or more could coexist. The relationship was further strained by a refusal by the NHL to fully back either entity, and suggesting that it had interest in starting its own women's league from scratch. As late as January 2019, NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan was pursuing the CWHL about a merger. On April 2, 2019, just days after the CWHL board announced its decision to dissolve the league, the NWHL announced plans to expand into Canada with franchises in Toronto and Montreal. The Toronto Six became the league's first Canadian franchise in 2020, and the Montreal Force were added in 2022.


PWHPA

After the collapse of the CWHL, more than 200 prominent women's players launched a boycott of North American leagues and founded the
Professional Women's Hockey Players Association The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the promotion of professional women's ice hockey. It was founded in May 2019 following the dissolution of the Canadian Women's Ho ...
(PWHPA) to work towards the establishment of a unified, financially stable women's professional league. The PWHPA itself had a tumultuous relationship with the NWHL—which was rebranded as the
Premier Hockey Federation The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) was a women's professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from March 2015 until June 2023. The league was established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), com ...
(PHF) in 2021—rejecting overtures at merging and holding out for the construction of a new league with greater financial backing. For several years, players with the PWHPA courted corporate, media, and NHL partnerships, and organized a "Dream Gap" tour to showcase top-level women's hockey. In 2022, the PWHPA entered a partnership with
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and
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, whose business enterprises went on to purchase the PHF in 2023. The PWHPA then organized a formal union and negotiated a collective bargaining agreement as part of the establishment of the
Professional Women's Hockey League The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL; , LPHF) is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league comprises eight teams, four each from the United States and Canada. The teams play a Season (sports), regular season ...
(PWHL), which began play in January 2024 with six teams in Canada and the US.


Teams


Final season (2018–19)


Former teams


Championships

Numbers in parentheses denotes number of titles won to that point.


Notes

In 2009 and 2010, the Clarkson Cup was awarded in a playoff between teams from the CWHL and the WWHL; Minnesota was the 2010 WWHL champion and defeated Brampton in the 2010 Clarkson Cup finals.


Drafts

The first league draft was held on August 12, 2010, at the
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
; Olympic gold medalist Tessa Bonhomme was the first overall selection.


First overall picks


All-time leaderboard


All-time leading scorers (2007–08 to 2018–19)

The annual CWHL scoring champion was awarded the Angela James Bowl. In 2011–12, rookie Meghan Agosta set a CWHL single-season record with 80 points.


All-time leaders in shutouts (2007–08 to 2014–15)

Kim St-Pierre (2008–09) and Sami Jo Small (2009–10) hold the single-season record with five shutouts.


Television coverage

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...
aired the CWHL playoffs and the league's All-Star Game from 2014–15 through 2018–19. The most watched game was the 2019 Clarkson Cup Final on March 24, 2019, with 175,000 viewers. Sportsnet was ultimately criticized for its limited coverage, broadcasting just three games per season, and its lack of licensing fees paid to the league, a problem common to women's sports.


References

* {{Major women's sport leagues in North America 1 2 2007 establishments in Canada Sports leagues established in 2007 2019 disestablishments in Canada Sports leagues disestablished in 2019 Professional sports leagues in Canada Multi-national professional sports leagues