National Women's Hockey League (2015-)
Current season, competition or edition: 2018–19 NWHL season
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 2015 |
| Commissioner | Dani Rylan |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Countries | United States |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Metropolitan Riveters (1st title) |
| Most titles |
Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Metropolitan Riveters |
| TV partner(s) |
Cheddar |
| Official website | nwhl |
The National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) is an American women's professional ice hockey league, established in 2015 with four teams. The league has grown to five teams: the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps. It is the first women's professional hockey league to pay its players.
The Isobel Cup, the league's championship trophy, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. It is named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, the daughter of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, donor of the Stanley Cup.
The NWHL was formed by Dani Rylan in March 2015 with an estimated $2.5 million operating budget. It was the first women's professional hockey league to pay its players. Prior to the league's formation, the only choice for top level women's hockey in North America was the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), which paid bonuses but not salaries. The league's inaugural season ran on a salary cap of US$270,000 maximum per team and a $10,000 minimum per player. The players also earn 15% of profits from any NWHL jersey sold with their name on it. The league placed its four original teams in markets where many young girls play ice hockey: the New York City area, Buffalo, and New England.
Commissioner Dani Rylan had not disclosed 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, has spoken about his investment in the league, although he declined to reveal the size of his investment.
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