Latest news with #JaynaHefford
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
IIHF, PWHL not aligned over 2026 women's hockey worlds scheduling
The International Ice Hockey Federation has postponed announcing the host city of the 2026 women's world hockey championship. The IIHF introduced running a women's championship in the same year as an Olympic Games in 2022, but the arrival of the Professional Women's Hockey League has made scheduling the 2026 world championship thorny. The IIHF said in an email Monday the allocation of the 2026 women's championship was postponed until its semi-annual congress Oct. 3-4. The 2022 championship was held Aug. 25 to Sept. 4. In Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark, after February's Olympic Games in Beijing. International Ice Hockey Federation women's committee chair Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer said in April that March-early April for the women's championship is in the IIHF bylaws, and that Denmark's summer tournament was a one-off. "That was only for that year," Kolbenheyer said then. "We always wanted to put it back to the original dates." But the PWHL, entering its third season, does not want two long international breaks within weeks of each other. The Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, run Feb. 6-22. "We've had ongoing discussions with the IIHF," PWHL executive vice-president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said Friday during a conference call about league expansion. "We do not have a date for that event, location for that event. "We do know the Olympics are happening in February, but anything beyond that is not confirmed. So that's the information we have today, and we'll continue to work closely with the IIHF and various national federations." WATCH l U.S. dethrones Canada at 2025 women's hockey worlds: United States take down Canada in overtime to win women's hockey worlds gold 1 month ago Duration 2:13 Tessa Janecke was the benefactor of a bad turnover by the Canadians, as she buried a pass from Taylor Heise to clinch a 4-3 overtime victory against Canada. This gave the United States the win over their rivals for a third-consecutive women's world championships tournament. PWHL expanding by 2 teams Canada will host the 2027 women's championship. The PWHL's second season ran from Dec. 1, 2024 to May 26 when the Minnesota Frost defended the Walter Cup. Each team played 30 regular-season games. The league will expand by two clubs next season in Vancouver and Seattle. Kolbenheyer said during April's women's championship April 9-20 in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic that a survey was issued to the women's hockey community seeking opinions on world championship dates "but we decided at the council level that it would be too late to do any changes" to 2026. The international hockey calendar is crowded. It also includes the men's championship in May, the world under-20 men's championship in December-January, the women's under-18 championship in January and the men's under-18 championship in April. The IIHF also holds multiple lower-level divisional tournaments in those categories that promote and relegate countries. The NCAA's women's Frozen Four in mid-March also dictates the women's championship's timing.
Globe and Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
PWHL Vancouver general manager excited to build expansion team's inaugural roster
Cara Gardner Morey knows her life is about to get very busy. As the first general manager of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team, her schedule for the upcoming weeks rapidly filled as the league announced plans for its two expansion teams to build out their rosters. On Tuesday, an exclusive signing window will open. Then there's the expansion draft, followed by a leaguewide entry draft at the end of June. Gardner Morey isn't daunted – she's excited. 'It's such a cool opportunity,' she said Friday. 'And I'm kind of chomping at the bit for June 4 when I can start making these calls and kind of talking to the players we're interested in bringing to our franchise.' Building a professional women's hockey team is something Gardner Morey dreamt about when she was a player, first at Brown University, then in the National Women's Hockey League where she played with Jayna Hefford, now the PWHL's executive vice president of hockey operations. 'We were just excited to be part of something where we didn't have to pay for hockey,' Gardner Morey said. 'And we've watched it over the years, and we've watched kind of professional hockey for women come and go and waiver. 'Then when this league started, just the way that it was structured, the business model, the leadership in place, you could see very quickly that this was going to be a success. And I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of. I just feel so grateful that I can help be a part of this growth. It's awesome.' PWHL plans further expansion, eyes 2026 Olympics to broaden reach in Europe, advisory board member says More than 200 people applied to be the new general manager in Vancouver, Hefford said. Another 200 vied for the same job in Seattle, home of the league's other expansion franchise. Gardner Morey was picked because she's proven herself during the 14 years she spent with Princeton's women's hockey team, Hefford added. During her eight years as head coach, Princeton won an Ivy League championship, qualified for two NCAA quarter-finals and set a single-season record for wins (26). She's also worked as an assistant coach for the Canadian women's U-18 team in 2016-17, and for Canada during the Rivalry series against the United States in February 2019. 'She has built a program [at Princeton] that has competed at the highest level, proven herself to be a great recruiter in terms of some of the players she was able to bring into that program and the success they've had both there and coming out of that program,' Hefford said. 'And Cara just comes with such a passion and an energy for the game and the sport.' While at Princeton, Gardner Morey coached both current Minnesota Frost defender Claire Thompson, a finalist for this year's PWHL's top defender award, and New York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier, who's up for the top forward and rookie of the year awards. The decision to move from behind the bench to a front office was spurred by the 46-year-old Gardner Morey's passion for leadership and the feeling that the move made sense as the next step in her career. 'I did have to think about it, because I'm leaving the coaching realm,' she said. 'But on some level, I think it's going to be nice to be able to watch the games from up top and not necessarily feel the stress of it on the bench in the moment. So it's something I'm really looking forward to.' Now tasked with building a team from scratch, Gardner Morey is working to find players and staff who'll fit her vision for a speedy, skilled, physical team that has an amazing, competitive culture. There are ample candidates for the coaching staff, she said, and her mind long ago turned to plotting the perfect roster. 'That's what's exciting about this position, right? Building your own team and this fantasy that you could almost choose anybody you want, which we know that's not quite the way it goes,' Gardner Morey said. 'But I started thinking about it as soon as I started exploring this position and was watching all the games. You're just watching like, `Ooh, who would be great in this spot?' And building rosters and building puzzle pieces and creating the culture is something I'm really, really excited about.'
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
PWHL Vancouver general manager excited to build expansion team's inaugural roster
In this image provided by Princeton Athletics, Princeton women's hockey coach Cara Gardner Morey stands at the bench during a hockey game. (Shelley Szwast/Princeton Athletic via AP) VANCOUVER — Cara Gardner Morey knows her life is about to get very busy. As the first general manager of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team, her schedule for the upcoming weeks rapidly filled as the league announced plans for its two expansion teams to build out their rosters. On Tuesday, an exclusive signing window will open. Then there's the expansion draft, followed by a leaguewide entry draft at the end of June. Gardner Morey isn't daunted — she's excited. 'It's such a cool opportunity,' she said Friday. 'And I'm kind of chomping at the bit for June 4 when I can start making these calls and kind of talking to the players we're interested in bringing to our franchise.' Building a professional women's hockey team is something Gardner Morey dreamt about when she was a player, first at Brown University, then in the National Women's Hockey League where she played with Jayna Hefford, now the PWHL's executive vice president of hockey operations. 'We were just excited to be part of something where we didn't have to pay for hockey,' Gardner Morey said. 'And we've watched it over the years, and we've watched kind of professional hockey for women come and go and waiver. 'Then when this league started, just the way that it was structured, the business model, the leadership in place, you could see very quickly that this was going to be a success. And I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of. I just feel so grateful that I can help be a part of this growth. It's awesome.' More than 200 people applied to be the new general manager in Vancouver, Hefford said. Another 200 vied for the same job in Seattle, home of the league's other expansion franchise. Gardner Morey was picked because she's proven herself during the 14 years she spent with Princeton's women's hockey team, Hefford added. During her eight years as head coach, Princeton won an Ivy League championship, qualified for two NCAA quarterfinals and set a single-season record for wins (26). She's also worked as an assistant coach for the Canadian women's U-18 team in 2016-17, and for Canada during the Rivalry series against the United States in February 2019. 'She has built a program (at Princeton) that has competed at the highest level, proven herself to be a great recruiter in terms of some of the players she was able to bring into that program and the success they've had both there and coming out of that program,' Hefford said. 'And Cara just comes with such a passion and an energy for the game and the sport.' While at Princeton, Gardner Morey coached both current Minnesota Frost defender Claire Thompson, a finalist for this year's PWHL's top defender award, and New York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier, who's up for the top forward and rookie of the year awards. The decision to move from behind the bench to a front office was spurred by the 46-year-old Gardner Morey's passion for leadership and the feeling that the move made sense as the next step in her career. 'I did have to think about it, because I'm leaving the coaching realm,' she said. 'But on some level, I think it's going to be nice to be able to watch the games from up top and not necessarily feel the stress of it on the bench in the moment. So it's something I'm really looking forward to.' Now tasked with building a team from scratch, Gardner Morey is working to find players and staff who'll fit her vision for a speedy, skilled, physical team that has an amazing, competitive culture. There are ample candidates for the coaching staff, she said, and her mind long ago turned to plotting the perfect roster. 'That's what's exciting about this position, right? Building your own team and this fantasy that you could almost choose anybody you want, which we know that's not quite the way it goes,' Gardner Morey said. 'But I started thinking about it as soon as I started exploring this position and was watching all the games. You're just watching like, 'Ooh, who would be great in this spot?' And building rosters and building puzzle pieces and creating the culture is something I'm really, really excited about.' This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
CBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CBC
PWHL Vancouver general manager excited to build expansion team's inaugural roster
Cara Gardner Morey knows her life is about to get very busy. As the first general manager of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team, her schedule for the upcoming weeks rapidly filled as the league announced plans for its two expansion teams to build out their rosters. On Tuesday, an exclusive signing window will open. Then there's the expansion draft, followed by a league-wide entry draft at the end of June. Gardner Morey isn't daunted — she's excited. "It's such a cool opportunity," she said Friday. "And I'm kind of chomping at the bit for June 4 when I can start making these calls and kind of talking to the players we're interested in bringing to our franchise." Building a professional women's hockey team is something Gardner Morey dreamt about when she was a player, first at Brown University, then in the National Women's Hockey League where she played with Jayna Hefford, now the PWHL's executive vice president of hockey operations. "We were just excited to be part of something where we didn't have to pay for hockey," Gardner Morey said. "And we've watched it over the years, and we've watched kind of professional hockey for women come and go and waiver. "Then when this league started, just the way that it was structured, the business model, the leadership in place, you could see very quickly that this was going to be a success. And I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of. I just feel so grateful that I can help be a part of this growth. It's awesome." More than 200 people applied to be the new general manager in Vancouver, Hefford said. Another 200 vied for the same job in Seattle, home of the league's other expansion franchise. Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield hoists PWHL's Walter Cup 4 days ago Duration 1:21 Proven herself Gardner Morey was picked because she's proven herself during the 14 years she spent with Princeton's women's hockey team, Hefford added. During her eight years as head coach, Princeton won an Ivy League championship, qualified for two NCAA quarterfinals and set a single-season record for wins (26). She's also worked as an assistant coach for the Canadian women's U-18 team in 2016-17, and for Canada during the Rivalry series against the United States in February 2019. "She has built a program (at Princeton) that has competed at the highest level, proven herself to be a great recruiter in terms of some of the players she was able to bring into that program and the success they've had both there and coming out of that program," Hefford said. "And Cara just comes with such a passion and an energy for the game and the sport." While at Princeton, Gardner Morey coached both current Minnesota Frost defender Claire Thompson, a finalist for this year's PWHL's top defender award, and New York Sirens forward Sarah Fillier, who's up for the top forward and rookie of the year awards. The decision to move from behind the bench to a front office was spurred by the 46-year-old Gardner Morey's passion for leadership and the feeling that the move made sense as the next step in her career. "I did have to think about it, because I'm leaving the coaching realm," she said. "But on some level, I think it's going to be nice to be able to watch the games from up top and not necessarily feel the stress of it on the bench in the moment. So it's something I'm really looking forward to." Now tasked with building a team from scratch, Gardner Morey is working to find players and staff who'll fit her vision for a speedy, skilled, physical team that has an amazing, competitive culture. There are ample candidates for the coaching staff, she said, and her mind long ago turned to plotting the perfect roster. "That's what's exciting about this position, right? Building your own team and this fantasy that you could almost choose anybody you want, which we know that's not quite the way it goes," Gardner Morey said. "But I started thinking about it as soon as I started exploring this position and was watching all the games. You're just watching like, `Ooh, who would be great in this spot?' And building rosters and building puzzle pieces and creating the culture is something I'm really, really excited about."
National Post
6 days ago
- Business
- National Post
PWHL Vancouver general manager excited to build expansion team's inaugural roster
Article content Cara Gardner Morey knows her life is about to get very busy. Article content Article content As the first general manager of Vancouver's new Professional Women's Hockey League team, her schedule for the upcoming weeks rapidly filled as the league announced plans for its two expansion teams to build out their rosters. Article content On Tuesday, an exclusive signing window will open. Then there's the expansion draft, followed by a leaguewide entry draft at the end of June. Article content Article content Gardner Morey isn't daunted — she's excited. Article content 'It's such a cool opportunity,' she said Friday. 'And I'm kind of champing at the bit for June 4 when I can start making these calls and kind of talking to the players we're interested in bringing to our franchise.' Article content Building a professional women's hockey team is something Gardner Morey dreamed of when she was a player, first at Brown University, then in the National Women's Hockey League where she played with Jayna Hefford, now the PWHL's executive vice-president of hockey operations. Article content 'We were just excited to be part of something where we didn't have to pay for hockey,' Gardner Morey said. 'And we've watched it over the years, and we've watched kind of professional hockey for women come and go and waiver. Article content 'Then when this league started, just the way that it was structured, the business model, the leadership in place, you could see very quickly that this was going to be a success. And I knew it was something I really wanted to be a part of. I just feel so grateful that I can help be a part of this growth. It's awesome.' Article content More than 200 people applied to be the new general manager in Vancouver, Hefford said. Another 200 vied for the same job in Seattle, home of the league's other expansion franchise. Article content Gardner Morey was picked because she's proven herself during the 14 years she spent with Princeton's women's hockey team, Hefford added. Article content During her eight years as head coach, Princeton won an Ivy League championship, qualified for two NCAA quarterfinals and set a single-season record for wins (26). Article content She's also worked as an assistant coach for the Canadian women's U-18 team in 2016-17, and for Canada during the Rivalry series against the U.S. in February 2019. Article content 'She has built a program (at Princeton) that has competed at the highest level, proven herself to be a great recruiter in terms of some of the players she was able to bring into that program and the success they've had both there and coming out of that program,' Hefford said. 'And Cara just comes with such a passion and an energy for the game and the sport.'
