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83-818: The Clarkson Cup has not been awarded since 2019, when the CWHL abruptly folded . Les Canadiennes de Montréal are the club with the most Clarkson Cup titles, with four, while the Calgary Inferno are the most recent title holders, winning the Cup in 2019. When the 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled due to a lockout , the Stanley Cup was not awarded for the first time since 1919, when the Stanley Cup Finals were cancelled due an outbreak of Spanish flu . In February 2005, Adrienne Clarkson proposed that since

166-621: A Stanley Cup parallel as the first Stanley Cup championship was also won by a team from Montreal. In 2010, the Whitecaps avenged their 2009 loss and became what would prove to be the only WWHL team to win the Clarkson Cup with a 4–0 win over the Brampton Thunder in the final. The Stars returned to the top in 2011, defeating Toronto in the title match. The WWHL disbanded after the 2010–11 season, with an Albertan team joining

249-419: A bid to assume control of the league, offering to replace the entire CWHL board and to continue league operations into future seasons on his terms. His bid was also rejected. Multiple CWHL teams stated that they intended to try and continue to operate, and there were reports of an anonymous, Toronto-based group drawing up legal paperwork to launch a new league. Those plans, however, did not materialise. After

332-510: A big part of women's hockey history could be erased." After facing criticism for a lack of involvement in trying to preserve CWHL artifacts, the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) stated that their status as a charity prevented them from directly purchasing any artifacts and that their curation criteria were restricted to trophies and artifacts used in games. The HHOF did state that they would be able to provide tax receipts for any items donated to

415-462: A few dozen spectators. At 9:30 in the morning on 31 March, the league asked the heads of the CWHL Players' Association, as well as the league's general managers and coaches, to join a conference call. Half an hour later, the rest of the league's players and staff were asked to join. Most of those who were invited to the call were expecting positive news from the league, such as an expansion,

498-669: A game because you never knew what was going to happen." The National Hockey League received criticism for failing to do enough to support women's hockey, having invested only $ 50,000 per year to the CWHL and another $ 50,000 to the NWHL despite annual NHL revenues of several billion dollars, the NHL's stated goal of growing the game, and girls hockey being the fastest growing part of minor hockey in North America. A 2020 study from Saint Mary's University reported "little tangible benefit" from

581-625: A goal, providing her with seven points in the first five games of her CWHL career, a new franchise record for the Inferno. At the 3rd CWHL All-Star Game in 2017, Jillian Saulnier and Jess Jones both scored a hat trick, becoming the first competitors in CWHL All-Star Game history to achieve the feat. Updated August 8, 2018. In preparation of its first season, the Team Alberta CWHL selected several players during

664-424: A merger between the two leagues. According to the laws on non-profit organisations in the jurisdiction the CWHL was based in, the league was required to liquidate all its remaining assets to cover costs and pay off its debts. At the end of April 2019, the league began auctioning off assets, including league trophies. Despite the auction being legally necessary, it provoked deep unease among women's hockey fans, as

747-473: A minimum salary of $ 2,000 and a maximum of $ 10,000, with each team having a $ 100,000 salary cap. League commissioner Brenda Andress cited the Chinese expansion, as well as increased sponsorships and licensing rights, as making the move possible, adding that "we know this plan is sustainable." As the NWHL continued to grow and the CWHL began paying its players, discussions intensified about potentially merging

830-416: A new National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), after having been in talks to bring a New York expansion team to the CWHL. The league would pay all of its players a salary of at least $ 10,000, the first women's hockey league to do so. However, halfway through the NWHL's second season the league announced massive salary cuts of up to 50%, a move that the league cited as necessary for its sustainability. Despite

913-601: A shock to most of them, especially as many of the league's top players were preparing to play in the World Championships— Canadian national team captain Marie-Philip Poulin  told La Presse  that her plane had just touched down in Europe when she received the email inviting her to the call. Soon after the announcement, the CWHL Players' Association scrambled to take action, organizing

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996-427: A task force composed of players and coaches and releasing coordinated social media posts from players voicing their disappointment in the decision, stating that: "This morning we were informed the #CWHL is folding. As players, we will do our best to find a solution so this isn't our last season of hockey but it's hard to remain optimistic. #NoLeague" There were a handful of attempts from various parties to try and save

1079-474: A unified league, with uncertainty surrounding geographically close teams (such as the NWHL's Boston Pride and the CWHL's Worcester Blades ) and the CWHL's Chinese teams, as well as the respective trophies of each league, the Clarkson Cup and the Isobel Cup . In July 2018, CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress announced she would be stepping down and Jayna Hefford was named interim commissioner. That summer,

1162-437: Is that once society internalizes falsehood, it's not easy to correct it. I've been to NHL games that are boring. Someone is playing the trap or maybe they just don't have it that day. They do play 82 games in a season after all. People watch women's hockey and if it isn't on-the-edge-of-your-seat-exciting for 60 minutes, it's not just worth their while." The league's broadcast deal with Sportsnet also potentially contributed to

1245-459: Is why we come together, over 200 players strong, to say it is time to create a sustainable professional league for Women's Hockey. While we have all accomplished so much, there is no greater accomplishment than what we have the potential to do right here and right now -- not just for this generation of players, but for generations to come. With that purpose, we are coming together, not as individual players, but as one collective voice to help navigate

1328-635: The American national women's soccer team to improve their conditions. Prior to the start of the 2017–18 season , the CWHL expanded to China, adding the Vanke Rays and Kunlun Red Star . The expansion was part of a major deal with the Chinese government, which was seeking to develop its national women's hockey team ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In September 2017, the league announced that it would start paying all of its players, with

1411-606: The Canadian Football League asked the Canadian federal government for a $ 150 million bailout in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic , it was revealed that talks had taken place between the CWHL and the government for financial help to save the league. Despite asking for financial assistance only on the scale of a few hundred thousand dollars, and the government having previously identified insufficient funding as

1494-589: The Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) for the 2011–12 season. The merger featured one team based in Edmonton and Calgary as a combination of the former WWHL franchises the Edmonton Chimos and Strathmore Rockies . The team would play their games in various locations around Alberta. Strathmore Rockies founder, Samantha Holmes-Domagala , joined the sponsorship division of the CWHL to look after

1577-558: The 2006 Winter Olympics. However, it was meant to be presented as a club championship, and was awarded in this capacity for the first time in 2009. Clarkson Cup winning years denoted in bold. Collapse of the Canadian Women%27s Hockey League The collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League occurred in the spring of 2019. Previously one of the top women's ice hockey leagues in

1660-519: The 2018–19 season, the board believed that private internal documents, including an audit Hefford had been asked to perform before the season, proved that the league was economically unsustainable. Among the concerns raised were the reluctance of sponsors to renegotiate their sponsorships in line with the growth of the league and ticket sales, the average price of a ticket being around $ 15, and sales varying dramatically between teams with some regularly selling out and others rarely managing to attract more than

1743-421: The CWHL announced that it would be folding on May 1. At the time of the league's collapse, the CWHL had six teams in three countries, approximately 150 players, and an overall budget of over $ 3.5 million, with player salaries ranging from $ 2,000 to $ 10,000. The league did not release attendance figures. The decision appeared to have been made without consulting the league's players or coaching staff, and came as

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1826-561: The CWHL champions as the best women's hockey club in Canada. Throughout the first half of the 2010s, the league continued to grow and underwent a number of structural changes, including the dissolution of several teams, expansion into the United States, and the introduction of affiliations with a number of National Hockey League (NHL) teams. In 2015, former Northeastern University Huskies player and entrepreneur Dani Rylan founded

1909-421: The CWHL pay off its remaining debts and finish paying players their season salaries. The news of the collapse sparked widespread shock among players and the hockey community. Sami Jo Small, one the league's original co-founders, stated that the news came out of nowhere to her and that, as a general manager, "during this entire season I was never asked once to bring in more money or spend less money. That's why

1992-406: The CWHL, with the loss of major investors and one of two Chinese team during the 2018 off-season severely hurting the league's capacity to increase its revenue in line with expenses. Despite financial statements obtained by The Hockey News apparently showing a $ 200,000 surplus in the 2018 fiscal year, the league seemed to have incurred significantly increased expenses, potentially in part due to

2075-471: The CWHL. This made the Clarkson Cup the exclusive championship trophy of the CWHL. Montreal was the first team to win the Cup under this format, with the Stars securing a third title in four years and becoming the first and to date only team to win consecutive titles. Montreal would win the Cup just once more, in 2017, after the team had re-branded to become Les Canadiennes de Montréal. The Boston Blades became

2158-442: The Chinese expansion as a potential cause, with rumours that the partnership was heavily disorganized, or that the Chinese government's large financial contributions to the CWHL budget inspired a sense of overconfidence among league leadership. Other commentators have pointed towards a lack of vision in the league and a failure to consistently establish professional working conditions and structures for players, staff, and members of

2241-478: The Clarkson Cup final was played in an NHL arena for the first time; the Calgary Inferno secured their first title with a win at Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre . In a move that helped enable the CWHL to start paying player stipends, the league expanded to include two teams based in Shenzhen , China, in 2017; one of those teams, Kunlun Red Star , fell just short of becoming the first non-North American team to win

2324-463: The Clarkson Cup in continued limbo. The Clarkson Cup is made of silver and was designed by Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit . Clarkson commissioned Canadian silversmith Beth M. Biggs to make the trophy. She designed and built the sterling trophy and collaborated with three Inuit artists: Okpik Pitseolak, Therese Ukaliannuk, and Pootoogook Qiatsuk. The Inuit artists designed some of the decoration on

2407-482: The Clarkson Cup, losing the 2018 final in overtime to the Markham Thunder by a score of 2–1. In 2019, the Inferno won their second Clarkson Cup. This would prove to be the last Clarkson Cup victory in the CWHL; after the 2018–19 season , the league abruptly announced that it was ceasing operations. The announcement left the Clarkson Cup in limbo, with Clarkson insisting that the Cup "will always be there to be

2490-508: The HHOF and that they had held a conference call with the CWHL. A few days after the start of the auction, the league removed a few trophies from the listing, stating that they were in talks with bidders who would donate the trophies to the HHOF. Seven out of the ten trophies would end up being donated. Two women's hockey journalists, Kirsten Whelan and Jared Book, launched a GoFundMe campaign to try and preserve as many artifacts as possible from

2573-452: The NHL's minimal support of women's hockey and that "it is difficult to conceptualize the level at which women [in hockey] are viewed as commoditized tradable goods." Former WNBA president Val Ackerman , who had advised the NHL in 2011 not to launch a women's hockey league, stated that she now felt that the game had significantly grown and that "what's good for women's hockey is good for hockey and what's good for hockey would be good for

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2656-415: The NHL." The Institute for Research on Public Policy called the collapse of the CWHL part of a wider trend of struggles faced by non-profit organisations in Canada, describing the legal framework for non-profits as not allowing necessary investments which often result in non-profits failing to effectively retain key staff or incorporate new innovations into their practices. On 2 May 2019, one day after

2739-536: The NWHL to address deficits, notably cutting player salaries, believing that it was better for the league to fold than to move backwards. Calgary Inferno  general manager Kristen Hagg said that the lack of media coverage of the league as well as stereotypes about women's hockey contributed to the collapse of the league, stating that: "We live in a society where people do not value women's sport. Most of us have been socialized to accept men's sport as dominant and somehow automatically more interesting. The problem

2822-623: The Stanley Cup was to be awarded to the best professional ice hockey team of the year, it should be awarded to the best women's hockey team because they were still playing. That idea was brought to Susan Fennell , Commissioner of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Fennell suggested that the Governor General consider lending her name to the women's hockey championship trophy, as Lord Stanley had done years before for

2905-727: The US. Ahead of the launch of the new league, Clarkson stated that she wanted the Clarkson Cup to be awarded to the PWHL champion. Others agreed, and it was suggested that the league could possibly incorporate both the Clarkson and Isobel Cups. However, in April 2024, the PWHL unveiled the Walter Cup —named after the Walter family, the league's financial backers—as its new championship trophy, leaving

2988-647: The WWHL and the CWHL. The Clarkson Cup was first awarded officially in March 2009. The CWHL champion Montreal Stars defeated the Minnesota Whitecaps from the WWHL in the Clarkson Cup final by a score of 3–1. Adrienne Clarkson was on hand to present the trophy, and stated: "This is about encouraging excellence in women's hockey... It's a wonderful legacy to have—the Clarkson Cup for women's hockey. I'm absolutely thrilled about it." The Stars' victory also created

3071-401: The artifacts were valued pieces of hockey history and there was no way to ensure the proper preservation of the artifacts if they were purchased by private bidders. Queen's University professor Courtney Szto stated that, "the gut wrenching part about seeing these trophies go up for sale as if they are regular commodities and not historical and cultural artifacts is because it's possible that

3154-429: The auction, however, after the league stepped in to clarify that all teams would have to sell their assets as part of the league's liquidation process, and that since teams were owned by the league, team assets were property of the league. The money raised from the auctions would therefore go to the league instead of to players directly. A number of investors, including the NHL, also contributed some money towards helping

3237-583: The auction. They eventually raised around $ 6,700 before the auction, using it to save Caroline Ouellette 's jersey from her rookie season, to help other parties who would donate trophies to the HHOF, as well as inscribing the names of the 2018–19 award winners on the trophies and providing some funds directly to players. Soon after the announcement of the collapse, the Markham Thunder announced that they would be auctioning off team assets to help provide funds for their players. They were forced to reboot

3320-447: The collapse "demonstrates the challenges female sports continue to face in attracting much needed and much deserved financial support." Former Canadian Olympian Caroline Ouellette stated, "I think one hundred per cent the players know they are the ones holding the power. They know the game is going to take the direction that they want it to take." Some players expressed cautious optimism about new opportunities that could be launched in

3403-546: The confusion — it was just such a blow and a shock when we could have been doing a lot of different things along the way." Canadian senator and Olympic committee director  Marty Deacon called the collapse of the league "a tremendous loss." Multiple players expressed feelings that the collapse proved that it was time for players to be more outspoken and proactive in demanding support for women's hockey. CWHL Players' Association chair Liz Knox stated that: "I think it's kind of opened our eyes to something that we always knew

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3486-614: The creation of a stable, unified professional women's league. The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), a professional league founded in the United States in 2015, expanded into Canada in 2020, but had its own championship trophy in the Isobel Cup . In 2023, the PWHPA and its business partners bought out the PHF and launched a new league, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which comprises six teams, with three each in Canada and

3569-537: The cuts, the NWHL would continue to grow, adding the Minnesota Whitecaps to its roster of teams in 2018. However, the league's relationship with the CWHL was strained, and several players raised concerns about the working conditions players faced in the NWHL. In 2016, Riksserien, the top flight of women's hockey in Sweden , underwent a restructuring, becoming the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). In 2018,

3652-449: The first American CWHL team to win the Clarkson Cup in 2013, defeating Montreal in the final, and secured a second title in 2015. The Blades' run was interrupted by a 1–0 overtime loss in the 2014 final against Toronto. In 2016, ten years after unveiling the Cup, Clarkson stated that she was "really pleased with what has become of the Cup", but she joined women's players in lamenting the lack of salaries for top-level female players. That year,

3735-491: The first women to compete in the National Hockey League All-Star Game . Teams met their league-mandated $ 65,000 fundraising goals with success, with some teams managing to meet the goal through ticket sales alone. The 2019 Clarkson Cup final, won by the Calgary Inferno , drew a TV audience of 175,000. The day before the final, the league held a meeting with its general manager to debrief

3818-570: The formal dissolution of the CWHL, over 200 players, including almost all CWHL players, a large number of NWHL players, as well as some from other leagues such as the SDHL in Sweden, posted a statement on their social media feeds, using the hashtag #ForTheGame. The statement read: We are fortunate to be ambassadors of this game that we revere so deeply and yet, more than ever, we understand the responsibility that comes with that ambassadorship: To leave this game in better shape than when we entered it. That

3901-470: The future and protect the players needs. We cannot make a sustainable living playing in the current state of the professional game. Having no health insurance and making as low as two thousand dollars a season means that players can't adequately train and prepare to play at the highest level. Because of that, together as players, we will not play in ANY professional leagues in North America this season until we get

3984-425: The introduction of player salaries, which the league stated increased costs by around $ 600,000 per season. According to newspaper La Presse , the league had failed to increase revenues over the prior two years and had finished the 2018–19 season with a $ 300,000 deficit, its third in the last four seasons, and sixth since the creation of the league. Hefford also stated that she was unwilling to take similar actions as

4067-411: The league's issues as, despite good ratings, the network only broadcast three games per season and did not have to pay the league any licensing fees. Women's sport historian M. Ann Hall argued that the lack of coverage hampered the league's chances to capitalize on its successes, and that the league had failed to find its niche in the sports marketplace. Several commentators pointed to the split between

4150-654: The league's most successful club, Luleå HF/MSSK , announced that it would begin paying all of its players, the first team in the league to do so. In 2017, the Finnish Naisten-SM Sarja was restructured into the Naisten Liiga , with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association re-ranking the league as the second most important league in the country, having previously ranked it behind all of the senior men's leagues. In March 2017,

4233-497: The league's two Chinese teams were merged to form the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays . The league also underwent a restructuring, eliminating its board of governors and introducing an 11 member board of directors with more clearly-defined legal responsibilities. The restructuring raised concerns, with some expressing unease about the fact that seven of the eleven members were entirely new to the league's governance. After

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4316-466: The league, including their belief that it would take an annual budget of at least $ 5 million to run the league adequately and at least $ 10 million to run it professionally, as well as the board's support for the emerging #ForTheGame players' movement. The letter discussed the creation of the NWHL in 2015, believing that it had fragmented the women's hockey market in North America and that sponsors delayed necessary investments due to unrealistic expectations of

4399-509: The league. Talks occurred between the heads of the CWHL Players' Association and those of the NWHL Players' Association . Former governor general Adrienne Clarkson held discussions with the league to try and resurrect it. Vancouver-based producer Mark Bishop made a bid for the league, but was rejected as he did not present a business plan to the league and was unfamiliar to them. Former CWHL governor and investor W. Graeme Roustan made

4482-408: The main barrier to female sport participation in Canada, the talks were unsuccessful. On 2 July 2019, the league shut down its website and released a final public communication in the form of an open letter written by board chair Laurel Walzak  on behalf of the CWHL board addressed to fans, sponsors, donors, and the Canadian government. In the letter, the board detailed their reasons for folding

4565-523: The media alike. At a PWHPA event in January 2020, former Toronto Furies defender Renata Fast stated that: "I think we all wanted in the past our professional leagues to look professional to outsiders. But the truth is, it wasn't really behind the surface. We dealt with a lot of things that we were just like ‘OK, this is just normal. We have to make it look like this is OK.’ You couldn't have any structure when you played or any type of routine heading into

4648-468: The men's hockey championship, and Jeanne Sauvé had done for ringette's Jeanne Sauvé Memorial Cup . Clarkson later met with Fennell at Rideau Hall , where it was agreed that the women's hockey championship trophy would be named the Clarkson Cup. Clarkson commissioned Inuit artists to design the Cup. Clarkson awarded the trophy to the Canadian national team in a ceremony on July 10, 2006, in honour of

4731-576: The players of the United States women's national team announced their intention to strike ahead of the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship , after over a year of failed negotiations with USA Hockey concerning wages and playing conditions. The strike was ultimately successful, with the players reaching a four-year deal with USA Hockey, including increased pay and pay outside of the Olympic period. The strike came following similar actions taken by

4814-459: The potential professional roster spots in North America had disappeared overnight. Some Canadian commentators argued that the collapse of the CWHL proved that Canadian women's hockey was too reliant on the American university system to develop talent and called for the creation of better development circuits in Canada. Insufficient revenue has been cited as the major cause behind the collapse of

4897-403: The promotion of Hefford to full-time commissioner, or a merger with the NWHL. However, it quickly became apparent that the call was bringing bad news. A few minutes after the end of the second conference call, the league issued a press release to the public: just one week after the successful 2019 Clarkson Cup finals and just five days before the start of the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship ,

4980-592: The requirements of the expansion team. On July 21, 2011, philanthropist Joan Snyder donated $ 2 million to WinSport Canada with the goal of ensuring priority rink access to female hockey players at all levels and help expand the CWHL with the creation of Team Alberta. Part of the donation covered the new addition to the Athletic and Ice Complex at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary and serve as the future home to Hockey Canada . It also included four hockey rinks, one of which

5063-431: The resources that professional hockey demands and deserves. We may have represented different teams, leagues, and countries -- but this sport is one family. And the time is now for this family to unite. This is the moment we've been waiting for -- our moment to come together and say we deserve more. It's time for a long-term viable professional league that will showcase the greatest product of women's professional hockey in

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5146-433: The restructuring, the league's single largest sponsor, Graeme Roustan of Roustan Capital , announced that he was withdrawing his sponsorship from the league, citing a lack of transparency and a lack of faith in the league's leadership. Despite the initial turmoil, the 2018–19 season appeared to be a success for the league and for women's hockey. Brianna Decker , along with NWHLer Kendall Coyne Schofield , made history as

5229-474: The season and discuss plans for improving the next season. Chelsea Purcell , the Markham Thunder general manager, was due to leave the team and her full-time job outside of hockey to become the league's full-time head of strategic partnerships. On 29 March 2019, a week after the final, the CWHL's board of directors met secretly. The ten members present voted unanimously to dissolve the league. Despite having hit record broadcasting and social media metrics during

5312-523: The situation to the early days of men's professional leagues and the rivalry between the NHL and the World Hockey Association (WHA) in the 1970s, noting that similar events have often been catalysts for significant new developments in the sport. The NWHL released a statement responding to the collapse of the CWHL, stating that it was saddened by the CWHL's folding, but that the league was confident in its own growth and that it "respects

5395-468: The symbol and the trophy for the best women's hockey". She further stated that the trophies presence helped to "keep hockey Canadian". In the wake of the collapse of the CWHL , Canada was without top-level women's club hockey. More than 200 prominent women's players from Canada and the United States formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in May 2019 to advocate and build support for

5478-537: The team picked a moniker drawing from Calgary's National Hockey League franchise, the Calgary Flames , with whom they had a partnership. For the 2013-14 season, it was announced that all Inferno home-games would be streamed live by PCSN.tv. In 2019, the CWHL ceased operations, as well as all teams that it directly operated – including the Inferno. The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) announced on April 19, 2011, that it would merge with

5561-704: The team was announced as the Calgary Inferno at the Calgary Flames ' arena, Scotiabank Saddledome , prior to a pre-season game between the Flames and the New York Rangers . On March 13, 2016, the Calgary Inferno defeated Les Canadiennes de Montreal in an 8–3 final to capture its first Clarkson Cup. Contested at Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre , the first Clarkson Cup final held in an NHL arena, Blayre Turnbull, Brianne Jenner, Jessica Campbell and Rebecca Johnston each scored twice. Goaltender Delayne Brian

5644-417: The team's 2006 Olympic title ; but, the expectation was that Hockey Canada would take over the trophy and award it to the country's top club team, which at the time meant it would be awarded to the champion of the NWHL. However, the awarding of the Cup was delayed by the emergence of a rights dispute. The artists who decorated the trophy retained a degree of ownership rights over it, and a financial settlement

5727-650: The third overall pick in the 2011 CWHL Draft , Team Alberta selected Meaghan Mikkelson . With the first pick overall in the 2012 CWHL Draft , the team selected Hillary Pattenden . On October 28, 2011, Team Alberta played its first game in the CWHL versus the Burlington Barracudas . Laura Dostaler scored the first goal in Team Alberta history in a 4–2 victory. Other goals were scored by Meghan Hunter, Jenna Cunningham and Courtney Sawchuk. On September 23, 2013, after two years without an official name,

5810-460: The trophy. There are images of the goddess Sedna —one of the most powerful figures in Inuit tradition—Arctic animals, ancient masks and hockey masks, and the flowers of the provinces and territories of Canada. A loving cup comprises the top of the trophy. Names of winning teams are engraved onto the base of the trophy. The Clarkson Cup was first presented to Team Canada after their gold medal win at

5893-405: The two North American leagues as a cause of the CWHL's collapse. Ken Wong, marketing professor at Queen's University, stated that "this is a very limited, not just pool of talent but pool of fans. So to split them up two ways like that made no sense at all." Other commentators pointed towards the CWHL's lack of marketing and the unavailability of easily accessible viewing options. Others mentioned

5976-446: The two leagues to form a single, unified professional North American women's hockey league. In October 2018, NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan stated that "One league is inevitable," while CWHL's interim commissioner Jayna Hefford called a merger "a priority." Despite player support for a merger, and a stated willingness from the leadership of both leagues, negotiations between the leagues failed to produce results. One point of contention

6059-578: The wake of the league's collapse, with retired Canadian Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser tweeting: "One step back, two steps forward perhaps?" Inferno forward Dakota Woodworth stated that she was "fully confident and fully hopeful that something better is definitely coming just because it has to." Others in the hockey community also expressed optimism, with Adrienne Clarkson stating, "I think something will arise out of this, and maybe it just had to collapse like this for something to come out of it which will work." Brock University professor Julie Stevens compared

6142-533: The wishes of all players to consider their options." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated that, while he recognized the importance of professional women's hockey, the NHL would not get significantly involved as long as there were existing North American leagues. The news of the CWHL's collapse was met with widespread dismay in the junior hockey community. Rolland Cyr, head of the Kitchener Minor Hockey Association, stated that

6225-533: The world, the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; French : Ligue canadienne de hockey féminin; LCHF ) announced on 31 March 2019, that it would be folding effective 1 May. The collapse had a major influence on women's professional hockey, leading directly to the creation of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), and the subsequent establishment of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The Canadian Women's Hockey League

6308-474: The world. Calgary Inferno The Calgary Inferno (previously known as Team Alberta, nickname "Honeybadgers", during the 2011–12 season) was a women's ice hockey team that joined the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) for the 2011–12 season . The team played its home games at Joan Snyder Rink (Arena B) at WinSport Canada in Calgary , Alberta . After two seasons without an official name, in 2013

6391-510: The young girls in his league were hurt by the collapse and that "they would like the league back." Parents of young players also expressed fears over the collapse, with one parent telling the CBC: "What happens to my daughter when she finishes minor bantam? I don't know what that road is." Many graduating collegiate players expressed deep uncertainty over the collapse of the league and the effect it would have on their hockey careers, since around half

6474-497: Was called the Joan Snyder Rink. Team Alberta would benefit with the allocation of free practice time, a dressing room exclusive to the club. The Joan Snyder Rink give priority to women's hockey bookings, but it also served as the Team Alberta's home rink. The first general manager was Samantha Holmes , while the first head coach was Jason Schmidt. On July 21, 2011, the franchise participated in its first CWHL Draft. With

6557-451: Was differing visions of the potential role of the NHL in a unified league, and the NHL's refusal to get involved in negotiations, stating that it did not believe in either the NWHL's or the CWHL's models. The different structures between the leagues also proved hard to reconcile, with the CWHL structured as a not-for-profit and the NWHL structured as a for-profit association. Issues were also raised surrounding which teams would transition to

6640-461: Was established in 2007 as a Canadian women's amateur senior league . It was originally led by a group of players, notably Lisa-Marie Breton , Mandy Cronin , Allyson Fox, Kathleen Kauth , Kim McCullough, Sami Jo Small and Jennifer Botterill , all of whom played in the original National Women's Hockey League before it folded the same year. In 2009, the Clarkson Cup began to be awarded to

6723-404: Was not reached until March 2009. The status of the Cup was further complicated when the NWHL folded in 2007. The Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) survived the NWHL's dissolution, and the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) was launched in 2007 to replace the NWHL. When the Clarkson Cup finally became available in 2009, it was awarded to the winners of a tournament featuring the top teams from

6806-584: Was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the Clarkson Cup playoffs. On February 2, 2014, Danielle Stone broke two scoring records in Calgary Inferno franchise history. She began by topping Samantha Hunt's franchise record for most points in one season of 14 in a 2–1 shootout win against the Montreal Stars. In the same game, she set a new record for most points in one season by an Inferno rookie. In that same game, Jessica Wong logged

6889-495: Was there, and to seize the opportunity to really ask for more for our sport. I see more often, women, especially female athletes, being told to be grateful for opportunity. And certainly we are, but at some point that line of being grateful has to be broken to ask for more or to demand for more... There's got to be better out there for us." Fran Rider , president of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA), stated that

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