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Since 2019 when the Canadian Women's Hockey League folded, professional women players have had two choices, play in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) or join the Professional Women's Hockey Player Association's (PWHPA) Dream Gap Tour.
The PHF had seven teams, five in the USA and two north of the border each regrouping around 22 players. Their players were paid to play hockey, but the installation and support system in the American federation left a lot to be desired and the salaries were nowhere near good enough to allow female players to choose this option as a long-term career path with no benefits and no pension plan to speak of. Which is why some of the best players refused to join the Federation when the CWHL folded and decided to form the PWHPA which included 4 teams which played several showcases a year in Canada and the USA. The PWHPA now counts over 100 members on its website and includes the majority of the Canadian National Team and over half of the American National Team including Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schoefield.
On Thursday night, the players of the PHF were told that their league was being bought out and that essentially, contracts which had been signed for the upcoming season were voided. The players had been kept completely in the dark up to that point and the news came as quite a surprise to them, much like the folding of the CWHL did for its players back in 2019. This morning, it was announced that a new professional women’s league which should launch in 2024.
Doing things the right way takes longer. Has extra steps, means more when the job is done. My heart breaks for all the veteran, rookie, and aspiring talent that was blindsided by this acquisition. I, a PHF builder, always wanted one league 1/2…
— Shannon Turner (Doyle) (@SDoyle_6) June 30, 2023
But this wasn’t done the right way. So many dreams and lives are now in tatters because of the lack of communication or effort to respect those in the PHF. In time, this one league will feel right. For now, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Sending extra love to my whaleâ¤ï¸
— Shannon Turner (Doyle) (@SDoyle_6) June 30, 2023
The new league will be financially backed by Mark and Kimbra Walter while tennis legend Billie Jean King, sports executive Ilana Kloss and Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten will act as board members. Walter – who on top of controlling the Dodgers is also a controlling owner of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, a co-general partner in the Chelsea Football Club and hold a significant interest in the NBA’s Lakers – said that the new league will have the backing and resources necessary to represent the vey best of women’s hockey.
The NHL has yet to comment on the news but for years, Gary Bettman has said that having two competing entities was far from ideal, but that if they ever came together to form a single league the NHL would be more than supportive. It looks like Bettman will soon have to put his money where his mouth is.
4-time Olympic gold medalist and PWHPA leader Jayna Hefford commented the news on Twitter and says that she’s incredibly proud of the PWHPA players who stuck together throughout 4 years of uncertainty to achieve their goal of establishing a sustainable and viable Women’s professional hockey league in North America.
This has been an inspirational and powerful movement to be a part of. I could not be more proud of the @PWHPA players who have remained united for four years to make their vision a reality. The legacy of these women has now been cemented, beyond all their great on-ice accolades https://t.co/BcjhwRA966
— Jayna Hefford (@J16H) June 30, 2023
For now, we know very little about how the new league will be structured, how many teams there will be, where they’ll be based and how the teams will be formed, but we know that this is a new dawn for Women’s hockey and that much better days are just around the corner. Get ready North America, Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schoefield will soon be competing on a regular basis in an arena near you.
Edit: Apparently, the new league will have 6 teams, 3 in the USA and 3 in Canada. Considering the PHF had 7 teams and the PWHPA had 4, it's easy to work out the numbers and realize that there won't be room for everyone. In other words, the talent level in the league should be higher, but some players will be left on the outside looking in.