Isobel Cup
The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup, often shortened to Isobel Cup, was the championship trophy awarded annually to the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) playoff winner.[2] It is named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, one of the first known women to play the game and daughter of Lord Stanley (the namesake of the Stanley Cup, and former Governor-General of Canada).[3]
Sport | Ice hockey |
---|---|
Awarded for | Playoff champion of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) |
History | |
First award | 2016[1] |
First winner | Boston Pride |
Most wins | Boston Pride (3) |
Most recent | Toronto Six |
The front of the trophy is engraved with "The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup 1875–1963. This Cup, shall be awarded annually to the greatest professional women's hockey team in North America. All who pursue this Cup, pursue a dream; a dream born with Isobel, that shall never die. EST. 2016."[4]
The first Cup was awarded in 2016[1] at the end of the inaugural season of the NWHL, the first professional women's hockey league in the United States.[5] The league is now known as the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and includes teams from both the United States and Canada who compete for the trophy.[6]
Champions
Year | Champion | Coach | Score | Runner-up | Coach | City |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Boston Pride | Bobby Jay | 2–0 | Buffalo Beauts | Ric Seiling | Newark, New Jersey |
2017 | Buffalo Beauts | Ric Seiling | 3–2 | Boston Pride | Bobby Jay | Lowell, Massachusetts |
2018 | Metropolitan Riveters | Chad Wiseman | 1–0 | Buffalo Beauts | Ric Seiling | Newark, New Jersey |
2019 | Minnesota Whitecaps | Jack Brodt Ronda Engelhardt | 2–1 (OT) | Buffalo Beauts | Cody McCormick | St. Paul, Minnesota |
2020 | Not awarded[lower-alpha 1] | |||||
2021 | Boston Pride | Paul Mara | 4–3 | Minnesota Whitecaps | Jack Brodt Ronda Engelhardt | Brighton, Massachusetts |
2022 | Boston Pride | Paul Mara | 4–2 | Connecticut Whale | Colton Orr | Wesley Chapel, Florida |
2023 | Toronto Six | Geraldine Heaney | 4–3 (OT) | Minnesota Whitecaps | Ronda Engelhardt | Tempe, Arizona |
- Semi-finals held March 8, Minnesota Whitecaps vs. Boston Pride March 13 championship game initially postponed, eventually (May 15) cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See also
References
- "The Isobel Cup". Premier Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- "NWHL's top two teams ready to face off for the Isobel Cup". espnW. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- Fink, James (April 16, 2015). "Buffalo Beauts to play at HarborCenter". Buffalo Business First. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015.
- "Isobel Cup". National Women's Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- Schram, Carol (October 10, 2017). "NWHL Partnership With NHL's New Jersey Devils Aims To Boost Profile Of Women's Hockey". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- "NWHL rebrands to Premier Hockey Federation". The Associated Press. TSN. September 7, 2021. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.