Latest news with #expansionteam
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Portland working to rekindle Fire brand for WNBA franchise
June 20 - The Portland Fire is set to burn bright in the WNBA again as the identity of the expansion team ready to debut in 2026 begins to take shape. According to Front Office Sports, multiple trademark applications have been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with the Portland Fire name. The Fire originally made their debut in the Rose City in 2000, but folded after the 2022 season despite strong support. Portland's WNBA entry went 37-59 in its three seasons with its best campaign resulting in a 16-16 record just before folding. "It was such a great franchise that was supported so well by the community," former Fire head coach Linda Hargrove told Front Office Sports. Hargrove was the only head coach the Fire had in their three seasons. The Golden State Valkyries are making their WNBA debut this season, while the Fire are set to return to the league, technically as an expansion team, alongside the new Toronto Tempo next season. That will give the league 15 teams, one shy of commissioner Cathy Engelbert's stated goal of 16 teams by 2028. --Field Level Media
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
PWHL Seattle taps Steve O'Rourke as the expansion team's first coach
Steve O'Rourke was named coach of the PWHL Seattle expansion team on Friday. The move brings in a newcomer to women's hockey, but someone who is very familiar to the Pacific Northwest having played at Washington State. 'This is something I've thought about since the league was first announced,' O'Rourke said in a statement. 'To now be given the opportunity to work with the best players in the world and be part of a professional league that is thriving both on and off the ice is truly amazing. Being from the West and having played hockey in Washington State, I've seen first-hand how much the game has grown in this region. The passion and support for hockey here is real, and I'm proud to now be part of it in a new way.'
National Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Vancouver PWHL team names Princeton coach Cara Gardner Morey as GM
Cara Gardner Morey has been named the first general manager of Vancouver's Professional Women's Hockey League expansion team, adding to a resume that also includes eight years as the head coach at Princeton University and starring as a player with both the ice and field hockey teams at Princeton's Ivy League rival Brown University. Article content The Vancouver squad starts play in the PWHL next fall and will be based out of the Pacific Coliseum. Gardner Morey, 46, who is from Hensall, Ont., will be in charge of finding a head coach and other support staff. There is also an expansion draft June 9 for Vancouver and Seattle, the league's other new team. Article content Each of the existing six clubs can protect only three players initially, so Vancouver and Seattle should have stronger lineups than fans traditionally see from expansion teams. Article content The protected lists for the draft are due June 3. Vancouver and Seattle then each have a five-day window during which they can sign up to five players, which includes both free agents and players left off any protected list. The idea is that the signing period gives players more power to decide on their destination if they think they might be chosen in the expansion draft. Article content Existing teams can protect a fourth player once they have lost two players through either the signing window or the expansion draft. The league hasn't announced whether Seattle or Vancouver will pick first in the draft, but the teams will alternate selections until they both have 12-player rosters. Article content The league is currently wrapping up its second season, with the Minnesota Frost and Ottawa Charge meeting up in the best-of-five championship for the Walter Cup. Article content The league currently owns and operates all the teams. Mark Walter, who is the primary owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, also owns the PWHL. Teams played 30-game regular seasons that began on Nov. 30. Article content Article content Gardner Morey's hiring follows Meghan Turner, who had been been the assistant general manager with the Boston Fleet, being named GM of Seattle. Article content Princeton is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, N.J., and players during Gardner Morey's time there included forward Sarah Fillier and defender Claire Thompson, both members of the Canadian team that won gold at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and were the No. 1 and No. 3 selections in the 2024 PWHL entry draft by the New York Sirens and Minnesota, respectively.
