April 4, 2024
The PWHL has today unveiled the trophy teams will be competing for come play-off time
The PWHL has today unveiled the trophy teams will be competing for come play-off time – The Walter Cup; named after the PWHL’s primary financial backer, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, and his family, the league said on Thursday. The Walter family currently own the league as well as the original six teams.
The newly announced trophy will be made by Tiffany & Co. and is estimated to weight 35 pounds and will be made of sterling silver. Quite the prize.
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“The Walter Cup marks a monumental milestone in women’s hockey and for all women’s sports,” King said in a statement. “It recognizes the historic commitment by Mark and Kimbra Walter to make this dream come true for the PWHL players of today and tomorrow.”
“It is a tremendous achievement to become the best team in the world’s best women’s hockey league. 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,” said Mark Walter, who is also the owner for Chelsea F.C. of the English Premier League and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The news come while the league is currently on a break while its players compete at the Women’s world championships in Utica, New York. All six teams will have five games remaining in their regular season when they return to action, with the play-off race still very much up for grabs. As of right now, Toronto, Montreal, Minnesota and Ottawa are sitting in play-off spots, with Boston and New York trying to gatecrash the party.
The regular season comes to an end on March 5th and attention will then turn to the final four teams who will compete in a best of five series to advances to the Walter Cup finals.
“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,” Walter said, speaking on behalf of his wife, Kimbra, and daughter, Samantha.
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Also of note is an upcoming contest where Toronto takes on Montreal at the Bell Center, which sold out in less that four minutes and will become the largest crowd ever for a Women’s hockey game. Given that the Bell Center is the largest hockey arena in North America, seating 21, 273 spectators – the only way to better this attendance would be to host an outdoor game.
The inaugural season of the PWHL, surely, has surpassed even the wildest dreams of its creators – and the Walter Cup playoffs are still to come.
