TORONTO — The Professional Women’s Hockey League unveiled its championship trophy, The Walter Cup, on Thursday, designed by the luxury brand Tiffany & Co.
In its inaugural season, the six-team league named the trophy after the Walter family in honour of their philanthropic efforts.
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, the PWHL’s primary financial backer, launched the league by buying out the rival Premier Hockey Federation in June 2023.
“It is a tremendous achievement to become the best team in the world's best women's hockey league," Walter said Thursday in a statement issued by the PWHL.
"This trophy reflects the level of excellence required to win in the PWHL, and we hope it will inspire championship dreams in young players everywhere.”
The sterling silver trophy features an angular design inspired by ice, weighing about 35 pounds, standing 24 inches tall and over 13 inches wide, with a removable base for the engraved name of each year's winning team.
"It's pretty cool to see what we're fighting for this year, and kind of the history that's going to come along with the trophy like that," said PWHL Toronto defender Renata Fast in Utica, N.Y., where she is playing for Canada in the women's world championship.
PWHL board member and tennis icon Billie Jean King, who is a Dodgers minority owner and a champion of women's hockey, proposed naming the cup after the Walter family, the PWHL said.
"This is a massive investment that they're putting into our game, and they should be honoured for that because we wouldn't be where we are without what they've done," Fast said.
The PWHL features teams in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Boston, and Minnesota.
All but four players on Canada's team at the world championship play in the PWHL. The 10-country tournament features almost 40 players from the league across several rosters.
The PWHL's inaugural regular season began Jan. 1 and will conclude May 5 with the top four teams in the standings advancing to the playoffs. The league is on an international break for the world championship and will resume April 18.
Both the semifinals and the championship final will be best-of-five series.
— With files from Donna Spencer in Utica, N.Y.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2024.
The Canadian Press
