sign in sign up
<<
Home , Clarkson Cup, Gillian Apps, Hugh Weber, Metropolitan Riveters, Montreal Maroons, Toronto Furies

Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

The Concept This three-city* Canadian hockey championship would see women’s CWHL teams and men’s NHL teams from , , and Calgary visit each other for afternoon, evening doubleheaders to be played at the Air Centre, Bell Centre and Scotiabank Saddledome respectively. These games would take place during the on-going regular seasons of both leagues. Total points per city (men’s and women’s results would be combined) over the course of this 12-game series would decide the annual champion.

CALGARY TORONTO MONTREAL

vs. vs. vs. DOUBLEHEADER #1 vs. vs. vs.

vs. vs. vs. DOUBLEHEADER #2 vs. vs. vs.

*To make the proposal more palatable to Scotiabank for a potential Hockey Day in Canada tie-in: If, in addition to Calgary, Toronto & Montreal, a fourth team was added combining the CWHL’s & a Canadian NHL team with an interest in testing the market for a future CWHL franchise (, Winnipeg, Edmonton or ), 4 games (2 CWHL & 2 NHL) could be played on Hockey Day in Canada as the last leg of the Rhéaume Cup

Trophy Name? The Rhéaume Cup Canadian Olympic silver medal-winning Manon Rhéaume is the only woman to play an NHL game (a 1992 pre-season game with the ). Manon’s brother, Pascal (a champion in 2003), played 10 NHL seasons.

The Moore Cup Dickie Moore played 14 NHL seasons, winning the Stanley Cup 6 times with . Dickie’s sister, Dolly, played with the Montreal Maroons and won the 1936 Romeo Daoust Trophy (eastern Canada women’s hockey cham- pionship). Dolly taught Dickie to skate and Dickie called his sister his inspiration and “the real athlete in the family.”

The Apps Cup is a 3-time Olympic gold medalist. Her father, Syl Jr., played 700 games in the NHL. Her grandfather, Syl, is a Hockey Hall of Famer and was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in 2017.

The Payette Cup Both the NHL and CWHL championship trophies (Stanley Cup and , respectively) were donated by the Governor Gen- eral of Canada. It would only be fitting for this championship to have its trophy donated by current Governor General, Julie Payette.

Other Options: Fan Generated Name, Sponsor Generated Name, Donor Generated Name

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

Why Now?

1. A Championship Every Year for a Canadian NHL City The Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup (1992-93). A Canadian hockey championship would ensure one of three cities (to start) could celebrate a championship every season. (Canadian professional soccer franchises have been playing for a Canadian Championship every year for the last decade.) What franchise owner/management group could say no to those kinds of odds of hoisting a trophy every year?

2. Trophy/Championship Naming Rights The Stanley Cup has become an icon in professional sport. This is a chance for an authentic name to be created for a new championship (ie., selling naming rights and/or having the name be fan generated). In a country where millions of dollars are spent every season on hockey sponsorship deals, what company wouldn’t jump at the opportu- nity to be the title sponsor of a national championship?

3. Strengthening Canadian Rivalries Storied rivals, the Montreal Canadiens and , haven’t faced off in the since 1978–79. While being reunited in the same division in 1998-99 has improved the odds of the teams facing off in the playoffs, misaligned team fortunes have prevented them from truly reigniting their rivalry. The have never been considered rivals of either franchise. A Canadian championship with droves of traveling fans uniting for 12 doubleheaders would certainly add fuel to the fire (Flames pun absolutely intended) and add a level of gravity to regular season games usually reserved for playoff match-ups. How could the NHL say no to strengthening bonds between franchises and offering more impactful regular season games?

4. Relevant Precedents In 2017, Hugh Weber and the Devils committed to a multi-year partnership with the NWHL’s Metropolitan Riveters that included hosting a wildly successful afternoon/evening Riveters/Devils doublehead- er at the Prudential Centre. “They are marketing us like a real sister team — everything from the website, social media, to the broadcast and in arena,” said the league to The Associated Press. On January 27, 2018, Hilary Knight, and from the U.S. Women’s Olympic team demonstrated three skills competitions at the NHL All-Star Game. Their participation not only showcased their depth of skill as players, but their intrigue to fans in the stands, on social media, and watching the highlights broadcast on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA in Canada and NBCSN in the .

Historical Precedent: 1930- Bobbie Rosenfeld, star player for the Toronto Patterson Pats, leads her team to a 4-0 victory over Chalk River for the Ladies Hockey Association (LOHA) Championship at the just prior to a Stanley Cup final game between the and Montreal Canadiens.

Conclusion In proposing this Canadian championship, an attempt has been made to focus on the benefits to the NHL and NHL sponsors, the ones that in all likelihood would be the catalysts behind turning this idea into a reality. This championship would grow the game and cultivate fan bases by creating new and exciting opportunities for families to engage with both the men’s and women’s game in Canadian communities. Of course, there are count- less benefits to the women’s game that haven’t been touched upon: increased visibility, inevitably stronger ties to NHL partners for CWHL teams, and the potential for CWHL league growth to cities with NHL franchises but no CWHL team that would surely want to be involved in a Canadian championship… And that doesn’t even begin to explore the ways it would inspire girls and boys across Canada to take up the game!!

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

Partner Momentum

“I think you’re embarking upon a very inspiring journey... We will be undertaking a project in June to evaluate our portfolio and can definitely consider this – potentially as an extension of our involvement in the NHL.” - Visa Canada Consumer Credit & Sponsorship Marketing

“Thanks for sharing…it’s an interesting concept... If this event should come together at some point down the road, we would be happy to review any sponsorship opportunities that may be available.” - Canadian Tire Sports Partnership Group

“Thank you for sharing this well thought out and intriguing concept. You can clearly see you have a passion for this by how well this is thought out. If your concept does get to the next stage, we would be interested to see what would be available and if it would fit within our Sponsorship Strategy.” - Molson Coors Sports & Entertainment Partnerships

“As a partner of the NHL, we open to listening to any proposal that would help us continue to leverage that relationship. Please reach out to me when details are available.” - Honda Canada Sales & Marketing

“I have no doubt that your event is unique and would be a great success...” - Scotiabank Hockey Sponsorship

“Thanks for sharing... I am a big supporter of female hockey and would love to see their game grow.” - Rogers Communications Cable

“This is a really interesting idea strictly in terms of growing sports and highlighting oppor- tunities for women. I think the opportunity, particularly in the cities you mention, could provide a real boost to youth and women’s sports. You Can Play certainly would be supporting of the effort.” - You Can Play Project

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

Player Feedback

“Thank you for sharing this initiative! It’s a wonderful one and would be terrific for our game!... Would love to help if I can.” - , 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Forward, Montreal Canadiennes

“I like the timing of this with an Olympic year ahead. The visibility that the women’s game will get here shortly should be a good platform to build a sound business case off of. ” - Sydney Kidd, 2014-15 CIS champion (University of Western Ontario). ,

“Some good ideas...out of my hands but appreciate the passion!” - , 6-time Olympian, 4-time Olympic gold medalist. Member, International Olympic Committee (IOC)

“As a player, this sounds like so much fun. As a female hockey player, this sounds incredible! This is exactly the kind of visibility we need to show to people that our games are just as exciting as the men’s.” - Melanie Desrochers, 2016-17 Clarkson Cup champion. Defenceman, Montreal Canadiennes

“I think it’s a great proposal. I love the doubleheader concept. Very good for women’s hockey and getting use of media coverage.” - Katia Clément-Heydra, 2016-17 Clarkson Cup champion. Forward, Montreal Canadiennes

Conceptual Promo Videos

MONTREAL (EN) MONTREAL (FR) TORONTO CALGARY

Shared & Gaining Traction - This proposal has been directly shared with 275 people (via LinkedIn/email) to date - The concept was first shared as a 240 character tweet with a graphic. That tweet has recieved 21,000 impressions and 1,600 total engagements - A LinkedIn article followed the tweet, more comprehensively introducing the championship. The article has been read 500 times

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

Thank You To The Growing List Of Contributors & Supporters

Hockey Players Caroline Ouellette Sydney Kidd Cassie Campbell-Pascall Katia Clément-Heydra Hayley Wickenheiser Emily Fulton Caroline Prevost Melanie Desrochers Jenna Dingeldein

Hockey Coaches, Management & Staff

Brenda Andress Dean Jackson Meg Hewings Justin Caruana Dean Haig Dan Church Patrick Franey

Journalists, Broadcasters & Media Mary Ellen Carlyle Ramina Shlah Roy MacGregor Mark Staffieri Al Muir Steven Edwards Nathaniel Oliver Mika Malloch

Hockey Industry & Community Katrina Galas Brad McCabe Paul Moran Stephanie Carter Paul Jenkins Mike Verrelli Geoff King Paul Harbridge Steve Lacoste Corey Kling Maxence Hilleret Daniel Domitrovic Danielle Montgomery Chris Caslick

Comments, feedback & questions welcome!

Please feel free to share this proposal with anyone you think could help bring it to life!

#sponsorCDNchamp

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

APPENDIX 1. Scheduling of Final Games In a championship with three cities (Toronto, Montreal and Calgary), this is a proposed solution to the scheduling of the final games. In the following example, the home city would be Toronto: - Toronto hosts the championship finalCALGARY weekend at the Air CanadaTORONTO Centre MONTREAL - Toronto plays games on Saturday and Sunday - Montreal plays games on Saturday vs. vs. vs. - Calgary plays games on Sunday - Montreal’s teams would remain in Toronto on Sunday for the presentation of the championship trophy vs. vs. vs. CALGARY TORONTO MONTREAL - At the conclusion of Sunday’s games, the trophy would be awarded to the winning city with all sixCALGARY teams taking the ice for theTORONTO presentation ceremonyMONTREAL vs. vs. vs.

vs. SATURDAYvs. vs. vs. SUNDAYvs. vs. vs. vs. vs.

vs. GAME 1 vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. CALGARY TORONTO MONTREAL

vs.GAME 2 vs. vs. vs. vs. vs.

vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. Trophyvs. Presentationvs. featuring vs. Canadiennes, Canadiens, Furies, vs. vs. Maplevs. Leafs, Inferno & Flames

vs. vs. vs.

2. Trophy Design vs. vs. vs. A design that could be suitable for the championship trophy would be one based on the O’Brien Trophy (pictured, right), which was awarded by the NHL between 1928 and 1939 to “the Canadian team with the most points” at the end of the regular season. The design could be modified so that one player on the trophy is male and the other, female.

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist Joint NHL/CWHL Canadian Championship

APPENDIX 3. Jerseys A single jersey design per city (Toronto, Montreal and Calgary) for both the men’s and women’s teams would unite the squads under single flag and provide a cohesive brand for event merchandising.

Proposed jersey options: 1A. Base the designs on historic city hockey jerseys (see example below: In the 1930’s, Montreal was home to a men’s and women’s Maroons hockey team.) 1B. Ask Adidas to create new ‘city jersey’ designs for the championship (ie., Team North America in the 2017 ) - The NHL team logo could be placed on one shoulder and the CWHL team logo on the other - A championship crest could be placed on the shoulder (front) opposite the ’s letters

Isabel Ward

Dan Harbridge (@danharbridge): NHL Fan & Women’s Hockey Advocate | Katrina Galas (@katrinagalas): Sports Strategist