Canadian Women's Hockey League
Sport | Ice hockey |
---|---|
Founded | 2007 |
Commissioner | Brenda Andress |
No. of teams | 5 |
Countries | Canada, United States |
Headquarters | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Calgary Inferno |
TV partner(s) | Rogers Sportsnet |
Official website | CWHL.ca |
The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) is the highest women's ice hockey league in Canada. The CWHL was founded in 2007. The league currently has five teams: two in Ontario, one in Quebec, one in Alberta and one in Boston, Massachusetts.
History
The CWHL was an initiative spearheaded by players such as Lisa-Marie Breton, Allyson Fox, Kathleen Kauth, Kim McCullough, Sami Jo Small and Jennifer Botterill, all of whom played in the recently disbanded (in 2007) National Women's Hockey League. The players worked with a group of volunteer business people to form the CWHL by following the example of the National Lacrosse League. The league would be responsible for all travel, ice rental and uniform costs, plus some equipment,[1] but does not pay players.[2]
Seasons
2007–2008 season
The Brampton Canadettes Thunder won the first CWHL championship on 22 March 2008, winning 4–3 over the Mississauga Chiefs in the final.[3] Molly Engstrom scored the overtime-winning goal while Lori Dupuis won the Championship Game MVP honours. At end of the 2007–08 season, Jayna Hefford was voted the league's regular-season Most Valuable Player. Jennifer Botterill won the Angela James Bowl as the league's top scorer and was voted the CWHL Top Forward. Becky Kellar was voted the CWHL Top Defender, Kim St-Pierre was voted the CWHL Top Goaltender, and Marie-Philip Poulin was voted the CWHL Outstanding Rookie.[4]
Also in 2007, Hockey Canada announced it would revamp the Esso Women's Nationals, with the Western Women's Hockey League champion and finalist meeting the Canadian Women's Hockey League champion and finalist.[5] Since 2009, teams from the two leagues instead compete for the Clarkson Cup at the end of the season.
2008–2009 season
In 2008–09, the Montreal Stars repeated as regular season champions, winning a league record 25 games. At the season's end, Caroline Ouellette was voted the league's regular-season Most Valuable Player. Jayna Hefford won the Angela James Bowl with a new record of 69 points and was also voted the CWHL Top Forward. Becky Kellar was voted the CWHL Top Defender, Kim St-Pierre was voted the CWHL Top Goaltender, and Laura Hosier was voted the CWHL Outstanding Rookie.
2009–2010 season
In 2009–10, Sabrina Harbec won the Angela James Bowl as the top scorer as the Stars repeated as regular-season champions. She was also voted the league's most valuable player, the CWHL Top Forward and a CWHL First Team All-Star. Teammate Annie Guay was voted CWHL Top Defender while Laura Hosier was voted CWHL Top Goaltender. Danielle Blanchard was voted CWHL Outstanding Rookie.
2010–2011 season
2011–2012 season
The league announced on April 19, 2011, that it would merge with the Western Women's Hockey League for the 2011-12 CWHL season. The merger will feature one team based in Edmonton and Calgary and is a combination of the former WWHL franchises the Edmonton Chimos and Strathmore Rockies. The team will play their games in various locations around Alberta.[6] The WWHL announced that there was in fact no merger and that the WWHL would continue for the 2011–12 season with two new teams joining the league. Strathmore and Edmonton were welcome to depart the WWHL but the league would not disband as initially reported by the CWHL through various media outlets.
2012–2013 season
In the summer of 2012, the league announced that it would fold its Burlington club in order to strengthen the league. The league also created a draft system whereby players in Boston, Alberta and Montreal could choose which team they would play on, but players in the Toronto area could be forced to play for one of the two remaining GTA teams, Brampton or Toronto. Further, 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-area teams to play in Boston, Alberta or Montreal could do so as desired, without compensation to the GTA-area team that they left. Players who wished to leave one GTA-area team to go to the other GTA-area team could only be moved upon a trade between the teams.
On November 13, 2012, in a reversal from its previous position that sponsorships could not be directed to a particular team, the CWHL announced that the Toronto Furies would be partnering with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL in a multi-year deal by which the Maple Leafs would provide funding for coaches, equipment and travel expenses. The CWHL announced a similar partnership between the Alberta CWHL entry and the Calgary Flames.
2013–2014 season
2014–2015 season
The league held its 1st Canadian Women's Hockey League All-Star Game on December 13, 2014 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.
Teams
Current teams
Team | City | Primary Arena | Championships | Clarkson Cups | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Blades | Boston | New England Sports Center | 2 | 2 | |
Brampton Thunder | Brampton | Memorial Arena | 1 | 0 | |
Calgary Inferno | Calgary | WinSport Canada | 0 | 1 | Formerly Team Alberta Honeybadgers (2011–12) |
Les Canadiennes | Montreal | Centre Étienne Desmarteau | 2 | 3 | Formerly Montreal Stars (2007–15) |
Toronto Furies | Toronto | MasterCard Centre | 1 | 1 |
Former teams
Team | City | Primary Arena | Championships | Clarkson Cups | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burlington Barracudas | Burlington, Ontario | Appleby Ice Center | 0 | 0 | |
Mississauga Chiefs | Mississauga, Ontario | Hershey Centre | 0 | 0 | |
Ottawa Senators | Ottawa, Ontario | Bell Sensplex | 0 | 0 | Previously CWHL Capital Canucks |
Phénix du Québec | Quebec City, Quebec | 0 | 0 | ||
Toronto Aeros | Toronto, Ontario | Iceland Mississauga and MasterCard Centre | 0 | 0 | |
Vaughan Flames | Vaughan, Ontario | Vaughan Sports Village | 0 | 0 |
Championships
Season | Champion | Points leader (team) | Points leader (player) |
---|---|---|---|
2007–2008 | Brampton Thunder | Montreal Stars (47) | Jennifer Botterill (61) |
2008–2009 | Montreal Stars | Montreal Stars (49) | |
2009–2010 | N/A[NB 1] | Montreal Stars (48) | Sabrina Harbec (55) |
2010–2011 | Montreal Stars | Montreal Stars (46) | Caroline Ouellette (69) |
2011–2012 | Montreal Stars | Montreal Stars (51) | Meghan Agosta (80) |
2012–2013 | Boston Blades | Boston Blades (39) | Meghan Agosta-Marciano (46) |
2013–2014 | Toronto Furies | Montreal Stars (42) | Ann-Sophie Bettez (40) |
2014–2015 | Boston Blades | Boston Blades (35) | Rebecca Johnston (37) |
2015–2016 | Calgary Inferno | Les Canadiennes (42) | Marie-Philip Poulin (46) |
2007–2008 Championship
No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brampton Thunder | 30 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 111 | 59 |
2 | Mississauga Chiefs | 30 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 115 | 61 |
3 | Vaughan Flames | 30 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 69 | 101 |
4 | Burlington Barracudas | 30 | 11 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 76 | 98 |
No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal Stars | 30 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 115 | 55 |
2 | Ottawa Capital Canucks | 30 | 8 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 58 | 104 |
3 | Quebec Phenix | 30 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 56 | 122 |
Playoffs
Brampton Thunder won the first Championship of the CWHL.
2008–2009 Championship
No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal Stars | 30 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 135 | 66 |
2 | Brampton Thunder | 30 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 136 | 65 |
3 | Mississauga Chiefs | 30 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 101 | 69 |
4 | Burlington Barracudas | 30 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 82 | 99 |
5 | Vaughan Flames | 30 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 82 | 127 |
6 | Ottawa Senators | 30 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 57 | 167 |
Playoffs
Montreal Stars won the Championship of the CWHL
2009–2010 Championship
No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal Stars | 30 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 122 | 70 |
2 | Mississauga Chiefs | 30 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 94 | 57 |
3 | Burlington Barracudas | 30 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 94 | 80 |
4 | Brampton Thunder | 30 | 12 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 80 | 82 |
5 | Vaughan Flames | 30 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 78 | 115 |
6 | Ottawa Senators | 30 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 61 | 125 |
Playoffs
Montreal Stars won the Championship of the CWHL.
2010–2011 Championship
The 2010–11 CWHL season is the fourth in the history of the League. There is an addition of one expansion's team: Boston Blades. A request was made for an endorsement of the National Hockey League as an official NHL women's league.[10][11] However, the CWHL has yet to receive a decision from the NHL.[12]
No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal | 26 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 125 | 70 |
2 | Brampton | 26 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 111 | 69 |
3 | Boston | 26 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 73 | 101 |
4 | Toronto | 26 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 83 | 98 |
5 | Burlington | 26 | 6 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 54 | 108 |
Playoffs
Montreal Stars won the Championship of the CWHL.[14] Montreal, Brampton and Toronto will compete for the 2011 Clarkson Cup. The Montreal Stars also won the 2011 Clarkson Cup champions after defeating Toronto 5–0 in the tournament's final game.
2011–2012 Championship
Season standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points.
No. | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Montreal Stars | 27 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 160 | 66 | 51 |
2 | Boston Blades | 27 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 107 | 61 | 46 |
3 | Brampton Thunder | 27 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 102 | 80 | 40 |
4 | Toronto Furies | 27 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 75 | 105 | 26 |
5 | Alberta CWHL | 15 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 38 | 66 | 20 |
6 | Burlington Barracudas | 27 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 46 | 150 | 2 |
Team Alberta CWHL plays fewer regular-season games than the other CWHL teams because of travel expenses. Points are consequently adjusted with another teams.
2012–2013 Championship
2013–2014 Championship
Drafts
The first ever league draft was held on August 12, 2010 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. In the 2010 CWHL Draft, Olympic gold medallist Tessa Bonhomme was the first overall selection.[16]
First overall picks
Draft year | Player | Team | College |
2010 | Tessa Bonhomme | Toronto Aeros | Ohio State Buckeyes |
2011 | Meghan Agosta | Montreal Stars | Mercyhurst Lakers |
2012 | Hillary Pattenden | Alberta Honeybadgers | Mercyhurst Lakers |
2013 | Jessica Wong | Alberta Honeybadgers | Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs |
2014 | Laura Fortino | Brampton Thunder | Cornell Big Red |
2015 | Sarah Edney | Brampton Thunder | Harvard Crimson |
All-time leaderboard
All-time leading scorers (2007–08 to 2014–15)
The annual CWHL scoring champion wins the Angela James Bowl. In 2011–12, rookie Meghan Agosta set a CWHL single-season record with 80 points.
Player | Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
Caroline Ouellette | Montréal | 124 | 100 | 146 | 246 |
Jayna Hefford | Brampton | 128 | 130 | 104 | 234 |
Noémie Marin | Montréal | 134 | 101 | 96 | 197 |
Jennifer Botterill | Mississauga, Toronto | 76 | 62 | 92 | 154 |
Lori Dupuis | Brampton | 153 | 63 | 86 | 149 |
Sommer West | Mississauga, Burlington, Toronto | 126 | 60 | 89 | 149 |
Sabrina Harbec | Montréal | 85 | 49 | 90 | 139 |
Gillian Apps | Brampton | 126 | 68 | 66 | 134 |
Jana (Harrigan) Head | Burlington, Brampton | 140 | 64 | 70 | 134 |
Meghan Agosta | Montréal | 50 | 57 | 69 | 126 |
All-time leaders in shutouts (2007–08 to 2014–15)
Most shutouts during the CWHL regular season. Kim St-Pierre (2008–09) and Sami Jo Small (2009–10) hold the single-season record with five shutouts.
Player | Team | Shutouts |
Sami Jo Small | Mississauga, Toronto | 15 |
Jenny Lavigne | Montréal | 8 |
Kim St-Pierre | Montréal | 8 |
Mandy Cronin | Brampton, Burlington, Boston | 6 |
NCAA exhibition
Date | CWHL team | NCAA school | Score | CWHL goal scorers |
Oct. 25, 2011 | Brampton Thunder | Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey | Cornell, 6–0[18] | None |
Nov. 2, 2011 | Brampton Thunder | Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey | Brampton, 3–1 | Jayna Hefford, Jesse Scanzano, Vicki Bendus[19] |
- On November 2, 2011, Scanzano was on loan from the Toronto Furies, as she appeared in one game for the Brampton Thunder. The game was an exhibition contest versus her alma mater, the Mercyhurst Lakers.[20] In the second period of said contest, Scanzano scored the game-winning goal as the Thunder defeated the Lakers by a 3–1 tally.[21]
See also
- Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL), another major women's ice hockey league in Canada.
- National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) was in service between 1998 and 2007.
- Clarkson Cup
- 2010 Clarkson Cup
- 2011 Clarkson Cup
- Angela James Bowl
Notes
- ↑ Champion not determined, played for Clarkson Cup without determining one first
References
- ↑ Martin Cleary (2007-09-30). "Dreaming of a league of her own". Canada.com. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
- ↑ Longman, Jeré (2013-11-18). "Crashing the Boards and Cracking the Books". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ↑ "Brampton Claims Inaugural CWHL Title". The Brampton News. March 25, 2008.
- ↑ Year-end statistics can be reviewed in the 2007–08 CWHL Year in Review document at http://www.hockeymedia.ca/Womens_2009_pdf.pdf.
- ↑ "Players form new Canadian Women's Hockey League". The Star. Toronto. September 27, 2007.
- ↑ "Chimos Part of Merger With CWHL". EdmontonChimos.com. April 25, 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
- ↑ Angela James Bowl Scoring Champions, p. 6, hockeyMedia Richard Scott, Up North Productions, 2013, ISBN 978-0-9918671-0-3
- ↑ Angela James Bowl Scoring Champions, p. 12, hockeyMedia Richard Scott, Up North Productions, 2013, ISBN 978-0-9918671-0-3
- ↑ Angela James Bowl Scoring Champions, p. 18, hockeyMedia, Richard Scott, Up North Productions, 2013, ISBN 978-0-9918671-0-3
- ↑ Mike Burse (2010-07-17). "Possible NHL and CWHL Partnership in the Works". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
- ↑ "NHL talks raise hopes of pro women's league". TheStar.com. October 13, 2010.
- ↑ (French) report of Radio-Canada Anonymat quasi complet
- ↑ Angela James Bowl Scoring Champions, p. 24, hockeyMedia Richard Scott, Up North Productions, 2013, ISBN 978-0-9918671-0-3
- ↑ Montreal reigns supreme in women’s hockey, http://cwhl.ca/news.asp?id=72
- ↑ CWHL Standings
- ↑ "Inside the CWHL: Inaugural draft makes women's hockey history". TMLfans.ca. August 14, 2010. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010.
- ↑ Richard Scott. "Women's Hockey Review" (PDF). Up North Productions. ISBN 9780991867158.
- ↑ "Hockey Game Box Score, Brampton vs. Cornell University" (PDF). CornellBigRed.com. 14 October 2011.
- ↑ "Mercyhurst Athletics – Women's Hockey Falls Short As Bendus And Scanzano Return". Hurstathletics.com. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
- ↑ "Mercyhurst Athletics – Women's Hockey Falls Short As Bendus And Scanzano Return". Hurstathletics.com. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
- ↑ "Brampton Thunder vs Mercyhurst College (Nov 02, 2011)". Hurstathletics.com. 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
League Website
External news story
- Canadian Women's Hockey League launches CBCsports, September 27, 2007
- Rob Duffy, The case for a women's professional hockey league in Eyeweekly.com, February 22, 2010.
- Neate Sager, Women's hockey league eyes partnering with NHL February 26, 2010.
- Meg Hewings, Women's pro league could help grow hockey in Hour.ca, September 16, 2010.
- Stephanie Myles, Women’s hockey in need of more promotion, sponsors in Calgary Herald, March 23, 2011.