Best in women's hockey vie for Clarkson Cup
It's the "Stanley Cup" of their game. The ultimate prize in women's club hockey — named after a former governor general and awarded to the best team in North America.
And this weekend four teams loaded with Olympians will vie for the honour of lifting the Clarkson Cup over their heads.
Donated by and named for former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, the Clarkson Cup is awarded each year to the top team from the Canadian Women's Hockey League and the Western Women's Hockey League.
The final four face off in semifinal action Saturday at the Elgin Barrow Arena in Richmond Hill, Ont., just north of Toronto, starting at 12 p.m. ET.
The championship game goes Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.
Many players from the U.S. and Canadian Olympic teams will be in the tournament, vying to take a victory lap in hockey history.
"The Clarkson Cup is the highlight of our season. It is something that the players look to play for — it's the ultimate," says Brenda Andress, executive director of the CWHL.
Over the weekend, around 2,000 fans are expected to watch the semifinals and championship game.
"What they will find is a different type of a hockey game. Our game is built on speed, finesse and skill," says Andress. "They'll see the game in a different light. The boys have great things to offer, but the girls have something very unique and different offer."
Stars look to defend title
This year the Minnesota Whitecaps are the lone WWHL team playing for the Clarkson Cup. The Montreal Stars, Mississauga Chiefs and Brampton Canadette Thunder represent the CWHL.
The Montreal Stars, defending Clarkson Cup champs, led the CWHL with 48 points this season, guided by forward Caroline Ouellette and goaltender Kim St-Pierre, both members of Canada's gold-medal team at the 2010 Olympics.
Stars forward Marie-Phillipe Poulin was also a member of Team Canada in Vancouver.
Montreal will take on Brampton in the first semifinal match at noon Saturday.
The Thunder finished fourth in the CWHL this season, with 27 points. They won a playoff match with the third place Burlington Barracudas to earn their spot at the Clarkson Cup.
Canadian Olympic team members Jayna Hefford and Gillian Apps will lead the Thunder in their underdog bid for the championship title.
The Minnesota Whitecaps finished with 20 points on the season, two ahead of the second-place Edmonton Chimos in the WWHL.
The Whitecaps are led by rookie forward Sam Nixon. The 23-year-old from Blaine, Minn., notched 20 points this season, with nine goals and seven assists. They also bring U.S. Olympians Jenny Potter and Julie Chu in their second straight bid for the Clarkson Cup.
The Whitecaps will take on the Mississauga Chiefs, who were second behind Montreal in the CWHL this season. The Chiefs bring Canadian Olympic gold-medallists Cherie Piper, Jennifer Botterill and netminder Sami Jo Small.
'We can share the dream'
The first Clarkson Cup was given to Team Canada in 2006 after its gold medal win at the Turin Olympics. Due to licensing disputes, it wasn't awarded again until 2009, when the Montreal Stars beat the Minnesota Whitecaps.
Clarkson has long been a champion of women's hockey. During the 2004 NHL lockout, she suggested that women should play for the Stanley Cup if the men did not.
Clarkson later agreed to donate a cup to honour the best team in women's hockey each year — much like former governor general Lord Stanley did for the men's game in 1892.
Clarkson recently wrote an open letter in the Globe and Mail to IOC president Jacques Rogge, in response to his criticism of the talent balance in women's hockey at the Winter Olympics.
"Rather than think there aren't enough good players in the world to warrant a place in the Olympics, should we not be thinking about encouraging and sustaining players in countries that want to participate?" she wrote.
Later, on the dominance of Canadian women in the sport, Clarkson added:
"We invented hockey; we can share the dream. And we're not worried about continuing to win."