89-490: The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup , often shortened to Isobel Cup , is the championship trophy that was awarded annually to the now defunct Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) playoff winner. The trophy is named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy , the daughter of Lord Stanley —former Governor-General of Canada and namesake of the Stanley Cup —and one of the first women known to play the game of ice hockey. The Isobel Cup
178-528: A "breakthrough" that represented the first "substantial gains" players had made since the formation of the league. In September 2019, the Boston Pride were purchased by a group of investors led by Miles Arnone. On 22 April 2020, the NWHL announced the awaited expansion team for Toronto, bringing the league to Canada for the first time. The Toronto Six began play in the 2020–21 season. Johanna Neilson Boynton
267-532: A 2–1 overtime victory, with Lee Stecklein scoring the title-winning goal. The 2020 championship was slated to be played between Boston and Minnesota. However, it was initially delayed due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic , before it was cancelled outright in May 2020. League play resumed in 2021, with a shortened " bubble " season taking place at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York . The final featured
356-471: A 3–2 win to secure their first title. The Beauts advanced to their third consecutive final in 2018, defeating Boston 3–2 in overtime in the semi-final before losing 1–0 against the Metropolitan Riveters and MVP goaltender Katie Fitzgerald . The Beauts extended their streak of finals appearances to four in 2019; however, the expansion Minnesota Whitecaps secured their first championship with
445-511: A 50 percent split of revenue on league sponsorship and media deals. On 20 May 2019, the boycotting players formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) to organize towards a unified league providing financial and infrastructure resources to players, health insurance, and support to training programs for young female players. On 8 May 2019, Pegula Sports and Entertainment relinquished ownership and operations of
534-700: A dream; a dream born with Isobel, that shall never die. EST. 2016." The Cup was unveiled to serve as the league's championship trophy, awarded at the conclusion of the PHF playoffs in March. The Isobel Cup was first awarded in 2016, with the Boston Pride winning the inaugural title by defeating the Buffalo Beauts 2–0 in a best-of-three championship series; the Pride won the first game in overtime, before securing
623-733: A formal partnership with Mark Walter , owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers , and Billie Jean King with the intent to launch their new professional league. In February 2023, the PWHPA organized a formal labour union—the Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association (PWHLPA)—to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the new league. The eight-year agreement was finalized in June and ratified by 3 July, making it effective from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2031. The CBA establishes an average salary target of $ 55,000 for teams in
712-536: A livable salary. They stated their intent to work towards the establishment of a unified, financially sustainable professional league. On 20 May, the players formed a non-profit called the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) to advance their mission. Initially, PWHPA members hoped that the boycott would last for only one year. The NWHL responded to the boycott announcement by stating that they were pursuing increased sponsorships with
801-531: A match-up of the cancelled 2020 final between Boston and Minnesota, with the Pride emerging victorious with a 4–3 win. This made the Pride the first team to win the championship twice. In 2022, the Pride won unprecedented back-to-back championships, defeating the Connecticut Whale in the title game by a score of 4–2. In 2023, the Toronto Six became the first and to date only Canadian team to win
890-479: A media organization which had previously been accused of promoting racist and misogynistic views. In response, the NWHL distanced itself from the outlet, after Barstool's CEO Erika Nardini posted a video allegedly encouraging the harassment of journalists who criticized the partnership. On 20 October 2021, the PHF announced it would exclusively stream its seventh season on ESPN+ in the United States, with
979-496: A new league in the United States instead. The league's inaugural season in 2015–16 ran on a salary cap of US$ 270,000, with a $ 10,000 minimum per player. Players also earned 15% of profits from NWHL jerseys sold with their name on them. The league placed its four original teams in markets with high levels of female youth participation in ice hockey: the New York City area, Buffalo, and New England. Rylan did not disclosed
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#17327800496091068-527: A new, unified women's professional league. The buyout voided all PHF player contracts, with PHF players receiving severance payments; PHF players would be required to renegotiate their contracts with the new league. PHF players would also not be parties to negotiations toward a collective bargaining agreement between the PWHPA's new labour union, the PWHL Players Association , and the new league before its ratification. Players who reviewed
1157-576: A number of partnerships directly with NHL teams. The PWHPA launched a "Dream Gap" tour, meant to highlight the disparity in support between men's and women's hockey and to increase support for the latter. As the PWHPA boycott stretched beyond a single season, the Dream Gap tour became an annual "season" of exhibition tournaments. The final Dream Gap season saw four teams competing for the Secret Cup, with Team Harvey's prevailing over Team Scotiabank in
1246-590: A partnership with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in May 2022, with the intent to create a new, unified professional women's ice hockey league in North America. On 29 August 2023, the partners announced the formation of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which began play in January 2024. The National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) was formed by Dani Rylan in March 2015 with an estimated $ 2.5 million operating budget. It
1335-431: A six-figure contract with the Metropolitan Riveters of the then-rebranded Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). However, the PWHPA consistently criticized the PHF and its business model, and rejected overtures to merge. PWHPA players raised concerns over a perceived lack of professionalism and sub-standard conditions within the NWHL. American Olympian Hilary Knight stated that the NWHL was "a glorified beer league" offering
1424-416: A view to increasing player salaries—which had reportedly decreased to as low as $ 2,000 in some cases—and an offer to give players a 50 percent split of revenue on league sponsorship and media deals. However, with a large number of North American players boycotting the NWHL, more than half of the signed players on opening rosters for the 2019–20 NWHL season were new to the league. Over the next four years,
1513-672: The 2016 NHL Winter Classic and at the same site, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts . It was the first outdoor professional women's hockey game and the first game between the NWHL and the CWHL. The 1st NWHL All-Star Game took place on 24 January 2016, in Buffalo. The game featured a 4-on-4 format with Hilary Knight of the Boston Pride and Emily Pfalzer of the Buffalo Beauts serving as team captains. On 12 March 2016,
1602-405: The 2022–23 PHF season . During the inaugural season, some games were shown on ESPN3 . The Boston Pride became the first women's hockey team to enter a regular broadcasting agreement with a regional sports network , with 8 of its 18 games presented on either NESN or NESNplus during the league's inaugural season. In 2016, third-party broadcasts moved from ESPN3 to Cheddar. On 16 March 2017,
1691-596: The Arizona Coyotes for their sixth Dream Gap tour stop in Tempe, Arizona . The New York Rangers became the first NHL team to host a PWHPA game on 28 February 2021, at Madison Square Garden . The PWHPA announced it would also be partnering with the Toronto Maple Leafs with the team hosting a game and providing marketing assistance and sponsorship consultation services. In 2022, the PWHPA entered
1780-453: The Boston Pride , Buffalo Beauts , Connecticut Whale , Metropolitan Riveters , Minnesota Whitecaps , Montreal Force , and Toronto Six . The Isobel Cup was awarded annually to the league playoff champion. The PHF ceased operations on 29 June 2023, after the league and its intellectual properties were purchased by Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises, led by Mark Walter and Billie Jean King , respectively. Both businesses had entered
1869-654: The Buffalo Beauts were acquired by Pegula Sports and Entertainment , owners of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres , the Rochester Americans , and the Beauts' arena, the HarborCenter . The Beauts thus became the second NWHL team to become affiliated with an NHL franchise—and the first professional women's team to be owned by an NHL team owner—as well as the first NWHL franchise outside league ownership. On 15 May 2018,
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#17327800496091958-415: The "illusion of professionalism", while retired Canadian legend Hayley Wickenheiser called it a "so-called pro league". PWHPA players stated that they disagreed with the NWHL's approach to growing women's hockey, calling for a less incremental approach. NWHL founder and commissioner Dani Rylan was sometimes cited as a point of contention; Rylan ultimately resigned in 2020. Another significant issue
2047-554: The 2018–19 season, commissioner Rylan stated that the Minnesota Whitecaps were the first NWHL team to turn a profit. On 31 March 2019, it was announced that the Canadian Women's Hockey League board of directors had decided to discontinue operations effective 1 May 2019. Early in 2019, NWHL commissioner Rylan had been in talks with the CWHL about the possibility of merging. In response to the abrupt folding of
2136-482: The 2022 Isobel Cup final airing on ESPN2 . Professional Women%27s 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 Hockey League . PWHPA members expressed dissatisfaction with
2225-540: The Beauts back to the NWHL. On 17 May, it was reported that the New Jersey Devils were ending their partnership with the Riveters. With the partnerships dissolved, both teams changed their home venues. In a league update on 30 May 2019, the NWHL announced that due to no additional investment, the league would not be able to increase to full-time salaries or provide players with health insurance outside of
2314-530: The Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps was originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and was later canceled outright. The league announced that no champion would be named for the season. Boston was the only team to win the Isobel Cup in consecutive seasons, achieving the feat in 2020–21 and 2021–22. The Toronto Six were the final Isobel Cup champions with the league ceasing operations following
2403-406: The Boston Pride became the first Isobel Cup champions with a 3–1 win over the Buffalo Beauts to secure a 2–0 series win. On 4 August 2016, the league announced that each team would introduce new uniform designs voted upon by fans. Two days prior to this announcement, the league announced a partnership with You Can Play , an organization dedicated to eradicating homophobia in sport. Each team in
2492-460: The CWHL, The Athletic reported that the NWHL was exploring Canadian expansion to fill the markets left by the CWHL, targeting Toronto, Montreal, and potentially Calgary. On 2 April 2019, the NWHL announced plans for two expansion franchises in Montreal and Toronto and increased support from the NHL, making it one of the NWHL's biggest financial sponsors. However, in the wake of the collapse of
2581-476: The CWHL, it became clear that players from both leagues were dissatisfied in the operation of both leagues and a lack of livable salaries, health insurance, and other benefits. On 2 May, over 200 players released a joint statement announcing their intent to boycott all North American professional hockey for the 2019–20 season. The NWHL responded that it was pursuing more sponsors than in previous years and hoped to increase player salaries, and agreed to give players
2670-535: The CWHL, such as Hilary Knight and former Team USA captain Meghan Duggan , top graduating players from the NCAA , and international players. In December 2015, the league signed its first league-wide sponsorship deal, a multi-year deal with Dunkin' Donuts . On 31 December 2015, the Boston Pride played the CWHL's Les Canadiennes de Montréal to a 1–1 tie in the first Women's Winter Classic , one day before
2759-662: The Devils' digital radio station as well. The Riveters changed their name from the New York to the Metropolitan Riveters and adopted the Devils' colors. As part of the new affiliation, the Riveters and Devils held a doubleheader at the Prudential Center for the Riveters' 2017–18 season opener against the Boston Pride , followed by the Devils' game against the Arizona Coyotes . On 21 December 2017,
Isobel Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue
2848-439: The Isobel Cup championship. The Isobel Cup , the league's championship trophy, was awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season . The trophy was named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy , the daughter of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby , the namesake of the Stanley Cup . The front of the trophy is engraved: "The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup 1875–1963. This Cup, shall be awarded annually to
2937-486: The Isobel Cup, securing a 4–3 overtime victory over Minnesota in the final with Tereza Vanišová scoring the title-winning goal. From 2016 to 2019, the Isobel Cup was awarded roughly concurrently with the Clarkson Cup , the championship trophy for the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). The CWHL abruptly ceased operations in 2019, leaving the NWHL as the only top-level women's league in North America. However, in
3026-484: The NHL was credited with helping to expedite the launch of the PWHL. As the PWHPA worked towards its goal of establishing a new professional league, it organized Dream Gap tour "seasons" featuring exhibition matches between select PWHPA players competing for sponsorship and prize money. Seasons also frequently featured exhibition matches between PWHPA members and other teams, including games against NHL alumni. In 2019,
3115-546: The NHL's Minnesota Wild , with whom the Whitecaps had already cooperated as an independent, in the 2018 off-season. The Whitecaps were the second privately-operated franchise in the NWHL. In August 2018, the NWHL also began an affiliation program with youth hockey organizations, called the Jr. NWHL, to promote growth in girl's and women's hockey. After a call for more transparency, the league announced they would reveal some of
3204-658: The NHL's Declaration of Principles, with the goal of advancing teaching, policies, and programs to strengthen hockey communities around the world. In October 2017, the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) partnered with the Riveters, becoming the first NHL team to partner with an NWHL team. The three-year partnership provided facilities for Riveters games and practices, and assisted with sponsorships, marketing, and tickets; some Riveters games were broadcast on The One Jersey Network,
3293-450: The NWHL informed its players that they would receive up to a 50% pay cut. This decreased the league minimum salary to $ 5,000. Five weeks later, in an attempt to partially compensate for the salary rollback, the league introduced an incentive program where players split revenue generated by tickets sold in excess of 500 after each game. In September 2017, the league joined with 16 other international hockey organizations in formally adopting
3382-515: The NWHL—which had earlier in 2019 approached the CWHL to propose a merger—as the only top-level option for women's players. On 2 May 2019, over 200 players from both the CWHL and NWHL released a joint statement, underlined by the hashtag #ForTheGame, announcing their intent to boycott any North American professional league for the 2019–20 season, citing their dissatisfaction in the operations of both leagues in that neither provided health insurance or
3471-538: The PWHPA organized a formal players union in 2023 and negotiated a collective bargaining agreement . Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises then purchased the Premier Hockey Federation and wound down its operations before announcing the launch of the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The PWHL began play in 2024 with six teams in Canada and the United States, marking a major victory for
3560-664: The PWHPA set up regional training hubs in Montreal, Mississauga, Markham, Calgary, Boston, Buffalo, Minnesota, and the Northeast United States, where players could practice multiple times a week. The PWHPA's first season, which lasted from September 2019 to March 2020, comprised a tour of showcase exhibition games; at each tour stop, teams were formed and named after team captains—e.g. the first showcase in Toronto featured teams captained by Rebecca Johnston , Brianne Jenner, Liz Knox, and Marie-Philip Poulin . The season
3649-641: The PWHPA. Beginning in the late 1990s, several high-level amateur and semi-professional women's ice hockey leagues appeared in Canada and the United States. The National Women's Hockey League was founded in 1999, mainly comprising teams in Eastern Canada in Ontario and Quebec, before folding in 2007. A western counterpart, the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) launched in 2004 and lasted until 2011. The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)
Isobel Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue
3738-481: The Riveters 4–2. The Whitecaps won the Isobel Cup over the Beauts in their first season in the league. All five teams returned. Many former players boycotted the NWHL and formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), leading to large roster turnover in the offseason. The season was expanded from 16 to 24 games. On 26 January 2020, Jillian Dempsey became the first player in league history to reach 100 career points, including playoffs. She reached
3827-688: The United States—were established, a PWHL draft was held in September 2023, and training and evaluation camps were held in November and December. League play began on 1 January 2024. Ballard Spahr, LLP provided pro bono support to help create the PWHPA. Nine players made up the founding board: Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson , Alyssa Gagliardi , Brianne Jenner, Hilary Knight, Liz Knox, Noora Räty, Kimberly Sass , Kendall Coyne-Schofield, and Shannon Szabados . On 2 September 2020, Knox resigned from
3916-466: The Whale. Manon Rhéaume dropped the puck in the ceremonial face-off before the game. The first goal in league history was scored by Jessica Koizumi of the Whale; Connecticut went on to a 4–1 win. The Boston Pride secured the first Isobel Cup championship on 12 March 2016, defeating the Buffalo Beauts to secure a 2–0 series win. All four teams returned for the second season. Prior to the first game of
4005-506: The board to allow Sarah Nurse, one of only a few black players in the PWHPA, to take her place. Former CWHL interim commissioner Jayna Hefford was hired as the PWHPA operations consultant in August 2019. In May 2023, Räty resigned from the board to sign a PHF contract. By then, the PWHPA board had eight members, seven of whom were founders: Lamoureux-Davidson, Gagliardi, Jenner, Knight, Knox, Nurse, Sass, and Coyne-Schofield. Support from
4094-415: The century mark with an assist in a win versus Minnesota. Prior to the championship game between the Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps, the closure of public events during the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement and eventual cancellation of the championship—the 2020 Isobel Cup was thus not awarded. The five teams from the previous season returned and the expansion Toronto Six were added. Due to
4183-422: The ensuing three seasons. The announced cap signified a 900 percent growth over the 2021 salary cap. On 29 June 2023, the Premier Hockey Federation announced that the league had been sold to Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises, respectively led by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and American tennis legend Billie Jean King , who had since 2022 been working with the PWHPA with the intention of launching
4272-540: The final. The PWHPA formed an early advisory partnership with American tennis legend Billie Jean King , an early advocate for women's equality in sports and the founder of the Women's Tennis Association . In December 2019, the PWHPA partnered with the ECHL and chose four members to participate in the 2020 ECHL All-Star Game , with Dani Cameranesi , Kali Flanagan , Gigi Marvin , and Annie Pankowski each assigned to one of
4361-418: The four teams. The 2020 NHL All-Star Game also expanded its inclusion of female skaters from previous seasons to a full three-on-three exhibition game between teams composed of American and Canadian women's players. Eighteen of the 20 players were active PWHPA members and the event was supported by the PWHPA, but it was not directly in partnership with the association. In March 2020, the PWHPA partnered with
4450-419: The greatest professional women's hockey team in North America. All who pursue this Cup, pursue a dream; a dream born with Isobel, that shall never die. EST. 2016." The Boston Pride won the inaugural championship in 2016. The Buffalo Beauts earned the most appearances in the Isobel Cup championship with four straight appearances from 2016 to 2019, winning once in 2017. The 2020 Isobel Cup championship between
4539-598: The league announced that ABC News ' website would provide live streaming coverage of the 2017 Isobel Cup Playoffs. On 20 June 2017, it was announced that the NWHL had made a deal with Twitter to live stream 16 regular season games, one game a week billed as the "Twitter NWHL Game of the Week", plus the All Star Game and the NWHL/Team Russia Summit Series for the 2017–18 season. As part of
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#17327800496094628-544: The league announced that 2022–23 salary cap would increase to $ 750,000, and that players would receive full healthcare benefits and an equity stake in its teams. Additionally, the league announced an expansion team for Montreal, and opened the possibility of additional expansion in the United States. On 12 July, the league officially introduced the Montreal team, the Force, owned by BTM Partners, and Kevin Raphael would serve as
4717-486: The league announced that it was planning to double the salary cap of every franchise to $ 300,000, based on projections of financial stability for the seventh season. The Pride won their second consecutive and third overall Isobel Cup. The 2022–23 season saw the debut of a seventh franchise, the Montreal Force. The Toronto Six defeated the Minnesota Whitecaps 4–3 in overtime to become the first Canadian team to win
4806-540: The league announced that its first expansion franchise, the Minnesota Whitecaps , would join the league for the 2018–19 season . The Whitecaps had played in the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) from 2004 to 2011. Following the WWHL's closure, the team played independently, including exhibition games against NWHL teams during the inaugural 2015–16 season. The Whitecaps signed a partnership agreement with
4895-457: The league hosted a You Can Play athlete-ambassador, and would begin to develop a policy with regards to transgender players. This initiative took place in response to the October 2016, announcement that Buffalo Beauts player Harrison Browne was transgender—the first openly transgender athlete in professional American team sports. On 17 November 2016, part way into the league's second season ,
4984-493: The league investors and their stories over the 2018–19 season. The first league investor to be revealed was Neil Leibman, co-owner of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball . The second was announced as Lee Heffernan, a marketing executive. In January 2019, the Boston Pride and the NHL's Boston Bruins officially became promotional partners, making the Pride the fourth NWHL team associated with an NHL team. During
5073-466: The league officially rebranded as the Premier Hockey Federation, reflecting its many recent structural changes and deliberately adopting a gender-neutral name. The 2021–22 season, the league's first season under the PHF title, began in November 2021. PHF players were required to follow testing and quarantine protocols due the outbreak of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. On January 18, 2022,
5162-581: The league to oversee the Beauts, Whale, Riveters, and Whitecaps, while searching for independent ownership of the league operated teams. Rylan left that role in March 2021. Ahead of the 2021–22 season , Tumminia announced that the salary cap would be doubled to $ 300,000. On 10 May 2021, the league announced it had sold the Connecticut Whale to a new independent ownership group called Shared Hockey Enterprises (SHE), LLC, led by Tobin Kelly, reducing
5251-517: The league worked with the Hockey Hall of Fame in designing the trophy, and that when she learned about the story of Lady Isobel—her early love for hockey and direct connection to Lord Stanley—the name was obvious. The front of the trophy features the following inscription: "The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup 1875–1963. This Cup shall be awarded annually to the greatest professional women's hockey team in North America. All who pursue this Cup, pursue
5340-625: The league's initial investors or how much had been invested. Canadian Joel Leonoff, CEO of Paysafe Group and father of Connecticut Whale goaltender Jaimie Leonoff , later spoke about his investment in the league but declined to reveal the size of his investment. The inaugural NWHL Draft took place in Boston in June 2015 with each team selecting five collegiate athletes. The league held tryout camps in various locales in Canada, along with an international player camp in Boston. The league attracted many top level United States national team stars from
5429-417: The new CBA reported that it included minimum salaries of $ 35,000, medical benefits, compensation for housing and relocation, retirement benefits, parental and maternity leave, and other incentives. The new league was expected to have six 23-player teams, one fewer than the PHF and five fewer than the PHF and PWHPA combined, meaning that many players from both organizations would not be drafted or signed during
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#17327800496095518-552: The new league's free-agency period. Players not playing in a professional league for the 2023–24 season would be eligible for an additional compensatory payment of at least $ 10,000. On 29 August 2023, the new league was announced as the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with six teams: Boston , Minnesota , Montreal , New York , Ottawa , and Toronto . The new league began play in January 2024. The inaugural NWHL Draft took place in Boston on 20 June 2015, with each team selecting five collegiate players. The draft order
5607-578: The new league, with each team required to sign at least six players to a minimum salary of $ 80,000 and no more than nine players to a league minimum $ 35,000, with the minimum and average salaries slated to increase 3% per year of the agreement. The agreement, which included health and other employment benefits, marked a major victory for the PWHPA. On 29 August 2023, the union hired Brian Burke to serve as its executive director. Its executive committee comprises Brianne Jenner , Sarah Nurse , Hilary Knight , Liz Knox , and Kendall Coyne Schofield . During
5696-455: The number of league-operated teams to three. On 26 May, the league announced that the Riveters had been sold to BTM Partners, owners of the Boston Pride and Toronto Six, with John Boynton named the team's chairman. The NWHL finished selling its league-operated teams to independent ownership with the sale of the Buffalo Beauts and Minnesota Whitecaps to a joint partnership of NLTT Ventures, LLC, and Top Tier Sports on 28 June. In September 2021,
5785-427: The on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to November 2020 and was to last until mid-March 2021 with 60 regular season games before the Isobel Cup playoffs. The start date was postponed again to January 2021, with each team playing five games, one against each team, before starting the Isobel Cup playoffs. All games were held at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York . During
5874-551: The ongoing pandemic, with three Canadian-based teams playing games in Calgary and two American-based teams making stops in three US cities. The third season occurred at the same time as national team players were centralized ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics , meaning that many of the top PWHPA players were not available on tour; however, a team of PHWPA all-stars played a series of games against national teams, including Team Canada , Team USA , and Team Japan. The PWHPA also hosted
5963-554: The operations of the existing professional National Women's Hockey League (renamed the Premier Hockey Federation in 2021) and vowed to boycott existing women's leagues and to work towards the establishment of a unified, financially sustainable professional league. From 2019 to 2023, the PWHPA organized a series of exhibition seasons, known as the Dream Gap tours, to generate support towards its goal. After partnering with Mark Walter and Billie Jean King in 2022,
6052-463: The partnership with the New Jersey Devils in October 2017, some Riveters games were broadcast on The One Jersey Network, the Devils' digital radio station. The league also streamed and archived some games on its YouTube channel for free through a service dubbed The Cross-Ice Pass . Some archived matches are also available. On 5 September 2019, the NWHL announced a three-year deal with Twitch streaming service to stream all games and league events on
6141-426: The platform. It marked the first NWHL broadcast deal to include a rights fee, with revenue to be shared with players. The NWHL also reached an agreement with NBCSN to carry the 2021 Isobel Cup semifinals and final, which would mark the first NWHL games to be broadcast nationally on a linear television channel. In 2020 and 2021, the NWHL was criticized for producing content in association with Barstool Sports ,
6230-440: The ratification vote for the new CBA, it was announced on 30 June 2023, that Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises had purchased the PHF, opening the way for the establishment of a new, unified league. The PHF was ultimately wound down and in late August, the partners announced the foundation of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), with the intent of beginning play in January 2024. Six teams—three each based in Canada and
6319-400: The relationship between the PWHPA and the NWHL was strained. While a significant number of players defected from the NWHL in 2019 to help form the PWHPA, dozens would return to the league in the following years, citing improving conditions—the league markedly increased its salary cap after 2019—and a desire to play in a league. Notably, in 2023 Noora Räty resigned from the PWHPA board to sign
6408-443: The season as the league's top scorer and was named NWHL Most Valuable Player (MVP). The Beauts, who finished in third place in the shortened season, upset the league-leading Pride to win the Isobel Cup. The Beauts were honored at a Buffalo Sabres game later that month. All four teams returned for the third season, all with a primary home arena for the first time. Buffalo played their home opener at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex in
6497-577: The season, the Beauts' Harrison Browne announced that he was a transgender athlete. The 2nd NWHL All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a rumored expansion market. Amanda Kessel and Kelley Steadman were named as All-Star captains. Kessel scored the first hat trick in NWHL All-Star history and was named Star of the Night by ESPN 's SportsCenter . Brianna Decker finished
6586-620: The suburbs of Rochester . There was also one neutral-site game in Pittsburgh. The Metropolitan Riveters won the Isobel Cup, defeating the Buffalo Beauts. The league expanded to five teams with the inclusion of the formerly independent Minnesota Whitecaps. The Champions Cup was played between the NWHL's 2018 Isobel Cup champion Metropolitan Riveters and the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) 2018 champion Luleå HF at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink in Princeton, New Jersey ; Luleå defeated
6675-535: The team's president. In February 2022, the league announced that Tumminia would step down as commissioner at the end of the 2021–22 season. In April, Tumminia was succeeded by Reagan Carey, the former director of USA Hockey 's women's program. In December 2022, the salary cap for the 2023–24 PHF season was set at $ 1.5 million. The increase aligned with the Board of Governors' pledge, made in 2021, to invest $ 25 million directly in pay and benefits to PHF players over
6764-486: The title with a 3–1 victory in the second. Boston forward Brianna Decker was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). After the win, Decker stated, "It felt like the Stanley Cup. That's exactly what we were going for with women's hockey. It's fantastic." 2017 brought a re-match in the championship between Boston and Buffalo. This time, it was a winner-take-all match instead of a series, and the Beauts emerged victorious with
6853-527: The two-week season, the Riveters had to withdraw from participation after several members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19. Several days later, the Whale forfeited their final game and withdrew before the playoffs. The league suspended play one day before the playoffs were to begin. The league rescheduled the Isobel Cup playoffs for March 26 and 27 in Brighton, Massachusetts . On 27 March, Boston won its second Isobel Cup title. On 28 April 2021,
6942-399: The typical worker's compensation for injuries, but had come to an agreement to a 50 percent revenue split on all league-wide sponsorship and media deals. In addition, the league stated it would not add teams in Montreal and Toronto for the 2019–20 season. The league announced a longer 2019–20 season, increasing from 16 to 24 games. The NWHL Players Association called the negotiated agreement
7031-405: The wake of the collapse of the CWHL , more than 200 female players formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) to advocate for the creation of a stable, unified North American professional league. In 2023, the PWHPA's business partners bought out the PHF before launching the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The closure of the PHF left the Isobel Cup in limbo. It
7120-528: 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), comprising four league-owned teams. Over time, some teams gained independent ownership and the number of teams grew to seven; teams during the league's final season in 2022–23 included
7209-410: Was announced as the owner of the team, Tyler Tumminia as the team chairman, and Digit Murphy as team president. On 12 October 2020, Rylan stepped down as commissioner and was replaced by Tyler Tumminia as interim commissioner. In addition, the league changed its governing model to an incorporated association overseen by a board of governors with one representative from each team. Rylan remained with
7298-554: Was decided by lottery: the New York Riveters to pick first, followed by the Connecticut Whale, the Boston Pride, and the Buffalo Beauts. The first overall pick was Boston College graduate Alex Carpenter , the 2015 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award , and the daughter of NHL All-Star Bobby Carpenter . The first game in league history occurred on 11 October 2015, a sold-out match between the Riveters and
7387-438: Was founded to replace the NWHL in 2007, and it strove to become a professional league while placing a greater emphasis on player involvement. However, the league could typically pay only for travel, ice time, uniforms, and some equipment, and did not pay players a salary. From 2011 to 2015, the CWHL was the only organized top-level women's hockey league in North America. In 2015, a second National Women's Hockey League (NWHL)
7476-476: Was last awarded in 2023. After the 2022–23 season concluded, the PHF was bought out as part of the process of establishing the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), leaving the Isobel Cup's status in limbo. The Isobel Cup was first unveiled in 2016 during the playoffs of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which rebranded as the PHF in 2021. League commissioner Dani Rylan stated that
7565-492: Was launched in the United States, and was the first women's hockey league to pay its players. In 2017, the CWHL followed suit and began paying its players a stipend. Following the 2018–19 season , the CWHL abruptly ceased operations , citing the fragmentation of corporate sponsors between the CWHL and NWHL, a lack of viewership, and reduced revenue from a partnership in China as eroding the league's financial stability. This left
7654-517: Was meant to include a stop in Japan with PWHPA players facing the Japanese national team ; however, the tour was cancelled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic . Subsequent seasons featured more stable rosters based out of five training hubs and on teams named after sponsors. The second season was buoyed by a $ 1 million sponsorship agreement with Secret . It was played in regional hubs due to
7743-642: Was suggested that the new league could seek to incorporate both the Clarkson and Isobel Cups, with both having important legacies in women's hockey. 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. Isobel Cup winning years denoted in bold. Premier Hockey Federation The Premier Hockey Federation ( PHF )
7832-426: Was the first professional women's hockey league to pay its players salaries. Prior to the league's formation, the top level of women's hockey in North America was the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), a non-profit league that covered team costs and offered bonuses and incentives but not salaries. Rylan had been in discussions with the CWHL about founding a New York-based expansion franchise before opting to build
7921-470: Was the role of the National Hockey League (NHL). While the PWHPA hoped to receive support from the NHL in establishing a new professional league, a number of NHL teams had previously established ties with PHF teams, and the NHL stated that it would not put its support fully behind one effort or the other, encouraging the sides to merge. After its formation, the PWHPA focused its efforts on courting corporate and media sponsorships, while also managing to form
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