Inside the CWHL: 2010-11 season opens with optimism of NHL partnership

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League kicked off its 2010-11 on Saturday. One of its opening day games featured four members of Team Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Brampton captain Jayna Hefford led her team with a pair of goals on the way to a 7-3 win over the visiting team from Toronto. The veteran of the national women’s team displayed her potent shot and knack for scoring in clutch situations, firing home the eventual game-winning goal with just over 21 seconds left in the second period.

The four-goal margin of victory was not a true measure of the game’s level of play as Brampton’s final two goals – both by Brooke Beazer – were scored with Toronto goalie Kendra Fisher on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.

Toronto trailed 3-0 before rallying to tie the game.

“We had to more disciplined, and we need to stay out of the box,” said Hefford about her opponents’ mid-game comeback. Two of Toronto’s three markers were power-play goals.

Hefford’s national teammate Cherie Piper chipped in with a goal, while Gillian Apps was whistled for an interference penalty that likely wouldn’t have been called against a player smaller than Apps’ six-foot stature, in a similar circumstance.

On the Toronto side, first-overall CWHL draft pick Tessa Bonhomme had a rough outing, registering three minor penalties to go along with one assist. One of those infractions came as a last resort after the blueliner was beaten to the puck by Brampton veteran Lori Dupuis.

Bonhomme traveled to Argentina earlier to this month to compete in an all-athletes episode of “Wipeout Canada”. The cross-hemisphere journey may have exacted a slight toll.

“I definitely had a week off; don’t know if it was good or bad,” said the Sudbury native. “But I definitely had a blast in Argentina and made a lot of good new friends.”

Toronto was missing Bonhomme’s 2010 Olympic teammate Jennifer Botterill.

CWHL Executive Director Brenda Andress is continuing to engage NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in forming a partnership between the two leagues. “We’re working with them to try to facilitate a plan that will work for everyone, but it’s certainly – from my point of view – the NHL has said many times that they support women’s hockey and I think that they will continue to do that,” said Andress.

450 fans attended the Brampton-Toronto game at Cassie Campbell Community Centre, which left Andress enthused. “I think tonight was a great opportunity, the rink was completely filled, which is awesome.”

No timetable has been set for future meetings with the NHL. Meanwhile, Andress remains steadfast in her confidence towards the formation of a pro women’s league. The Toronto Star reported that the cost of running the five-team league is about $1.7 million.

“I think the measurement of success right now is two things: the players themselves and the fans,” offered Andress. “I think finances are necessary to run something. But do you consider that success? Not in my book. Success isn’t built on money, success is built on those two things, and then money comes. I think that the money will be there.

“I’ve always stated that this league is going to the stock market, and we’re the best stock that anybody can put their money into right now, because it’s going definitely double.”

YouTube: Brampton captain Jayna Hefford.

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Rob Del Mundo is the author of Inside the CWHL, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca.

Follow TMLfans.ca on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tmlfansrob

Inaugural draft makes women’s hockey history

It was fitting that the first ever Canadian Women’s Hockey League draft was held in a venue next to a replica of the Montreal Canadiens dressing room.

Forty-seven years after the Habs made Garry Monahan the top pick at the first-ever NHL Entry Draft, the world’s elite women’s hockey players gathered at the Molson Theatre of the Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday as three club teams – Toronto, Mississauga, and Burlington – decided their playing futures.

The honour of becoming the first ever CWHL draftee went to Sudbury native Tessa Bonhomme, six months removed from winning a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. “I’m really excited and very honoured to have been chosen first overall,” said the 25-year-old offensive defenceman who joins a Toronto team that includes her Olympic teammate Jennifer Botterill (forward) and 2002 gold medal winner Sami Jo Small (goalie).

Botterill and Small were on Toronto’s protected list that was established prior to the start of the draft. All three GTA teams were allowed to protect a maximum of five players, however Toronto elected to exercise the option for three women only – Martine Garland from Switzerland being the other member. As a result the club was awarded the first draft pick, which it used to select Bonhomme.

Now entering its fourth season after rising from the ashes of the defunct National Women’s Hockey League, the CWHL has embarked on its next step to becoming a full-fledged professional league. The often-painstaking process under which the league has continued to evolve has been largely under the direction of Small, the Vice Chairperson and Player Director of the CWHL. The Stanford graduate who served in the backup role to Canada’s gold medal-winning effort in Salt Lake City eight years ago was greeted with a standing ovation when she received her ceremonial Toronto club sweater as one of the team’s protected players.

“I wasn’t expecting (the applause). To get that kind of support from my peers is absolutely incredible,” said a humble Small. “But, it really wasn’t just me that started this league. There were so many people that lent a hand, and so many players that faced all the challenges with me. It’s been a long road, but it’s so great that so many people appreciate what we’ve done behind the scenes.”

With five member clubs, the league has one fewer team than last year. Both Ottawa and Vaughan folded shop, while an expansion team was added in Boston.

Brampton, Burlington, Montreal and Toronto (nee Mississauga) remain as holdovers.

Neither Boston nor Montreal participated in the draft, as the league felt that the timing wasn’t right to uproot players from their current hometowns to potentially play in those cities. Instead, both those clubs held open tryouts. Montreal will have the benefit of Olympic heroes Caroline Ouellette and Kim St. Pierre on their roster, while Boston’s club boasts no fewer than six players from the United States national team that captured the silver medal in Vancouver.

“I went to school in Boston for four years, and it’s a great hockey city. There are a lot of great talented players that play in the U.S.,” said Botterill, a Harvard alumnus. “In terms of exposure of the game, it just adds a new element to the league, and the exposure of women’s hockey.”

Without a television contract for broadcasting regular season league games, and with sparse attendance at the rinks, the CWHL still faces many challenges, particularly in the prevailing attitude of indifference to the women’s game outside of the Olympics.

But players like Botterill remain undeterred.

“It’s about making the game the best calibre that we possibly can, so that when people come to watch, they respect that and want to see more names.”

For the CWHL’s protect players list, click here.

For a complete CWHL draft listing, click here.

Video: Tessa Bonhomme is thrilled to be the CWHL’s first ever draftee.

Video: Ashley Riggs was selected second overall, and will play for Burlington.

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Rob Del Mundo is the author of Inside the CWHL, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca.

Follow TMLfans.ca on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tmlfansrob