Boston Pride forward Tori Sullivan (9) makes a play for the puck ahead of Toronto Six defender Emma Greco (25) during the first period of a WNHL hockey playoff game, in Boston, Saturday, March 13, 2021. The Professional Hockey Federation and the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association announced a merger Friday, with an intention of starting a new league in January 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Schwalm
A new women’s hockey league is coming to North America.
The Professional Hockey Federation and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association announced a merger Friday, with an intention of starting a new league in January 2024.
The PWHPA has almost 100 members listed on its website, including the majority of the Canadian women’s hockey team.
Half the U.S. women’s roster at this year’s world championship, including stars Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield, are also PWHPA members.
The new league will be financially supported by Mark and Kimbra Walter, with sports icon Billie Jean King, sports executive Ilana Kloss and Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten serving as board members.
Mark Walter – who is the controlling owner of the Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, co-general partner of the ownership group of the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club and holder of a significant interest in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers – says the league will have the backing and resources it needs to represent the very best of women’s hockey.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2023.
