REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson/File PhotoJune 30 (Reuters) - A new professional women's ice hockey league will launch in January 2024, bringing together the world's best players in a unified league, it was announced on Friday.
News of the league ends a long-running divide between the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and the seven-team Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).
Established in 2015 as the National Women's Hockey League, the NWHL rebranded to become the PHF in 2021 and its teams competed each year for the Isobel Cup.
The deal has also grabbed the attention of the National Hockey League (NHL), which has long said it would not provide fiscal support so long as there were two competing leagues.
"The National Hockey League congratulates the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association and the Premier Hockey Federation on their agreement," the NHL said in a statement.
Persons:
Billie Jean King, Biden, Narendra Modi, Julia Nikhinson, Mark Walter, Kemba, Walter, King, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Frank Pingue, Ken Ferris
Organizations:
India's, White, REUTERS, Professional, Hockey Players, Premier Hockey Federation, Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, National Women's Hockey League, Canadian, Women's Hockey League, National Hockey League, Players, Association, NHL, Thomson
Locations:
Washington , U.S, Toronto