Toronto’s professional women’s hockey team to play home games at the Mattamy Athletic Centre
Once home to the Maple Leafs, now home to the TMU Bold, the Mattamy Athletic Centre will also be home to the Toronto franchise of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
TMU’s Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) is the new home ice for the Toronto franchise of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
The highly anticipated league will launch the new year with the first home game for the Toronto team taking place on Jan. 1 at 12:30 p.m. against visiting New York.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the Toronto Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise to the TMU campus as they make the Mattamy Athletic Centre their home ice for the inaugural season,” said Mohamed Lachemi, TMU president and vice-chancellor. “This partnership is important to the university and aligns well with our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive campus culture for all.”
The Toronto team, yet to announce its official team name, consists of 14 elite players from across Canada and the U.S., including superstar Sarah Nurse of Hamilton, Ont. There are six teams in the league. Toronto will host teams from Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, New York and Minnesota at the MAC.
The league was created to grow women’s hockey and elevate the world class players by offering more opportunities to make professional hockey a career.
“It is essential that we show our continued support for the amplification of women’s sports and we hope that this wonderful community partnership will inspire others to join in, participate and cheer on not just the Toronto PWHL team, but our TMU Bold teams as well,” said Lachemi.
The right venue for elite sports
The MAC is well-suited to host these professional teams as they begin competition. Not only was it once the hallowed home ice for the Toronto Maple Leafs when it was Maple Leaf Gardens, but it also hosted the Toronto Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association showcase in 2020 and the Premier Hockey Federation All-Star Game earlier this year.
There is also strong representation from TMU Bold alumni, including athletes and staff, across the league. Alana Goulden, former manager of sport operations at TMU, is now a hockey operations manager for the Toronto PWHL team. Haley Irwin, a former lead assistant coach for the TMU Bold women's hockey team, is now the assistant coach for the Ottawa PWHL team. Kori Cheverie, who was once the lead assistant coach for TMU’s men’s hockey team is now the head coach for the Montreal PWHL team. Olivia Giardetti, a former player for TMU Bold women’s hockey, is joining Irwin in Ottawa as a hockey operations manager.
TMU’s Athletics and Recreation worked closely with the PWHL and its Toronto team to develop a schedule that will not interfere or conflict with university events.