Women's analogue of the NHL. A new tournament has started in the USA and Canada

From January 1, a new tournament has commenced in the United States and Canada - the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

In essence, this marks the third attempt to establish a women's equivalent to the National Hockey League in the United States and Canada. Previous leagues included the Canadian Women's Hockey League (2007-2019) and the National Women's Hockey League (2015-2023), later renamed the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). In the summer of 2023, the rights to the PHF were acquired by American businessman Mark Walter, who is part of the ownership group of Chelsea Football Club and the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Shortly after, the merger of the PHF with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association was announced, leading to the creation of a new tournament. The opening match of the championship featured Toronto and New York.

The league consists of six teams from the United States and Canada: New York, Minnesota, Boston, Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. Each team will play 24 games in the regular season, with breaks in February and April due to the women's ice hockey world championship. The PWHL playoffs will commence on May 6, 2024, with the top four teams from the regular season determining the finalists in the semifinal series.

In the first match of the new tournament, New York secured a convincing 4-0 victory.