Billie Jean King Enterprises and the Mark Walter Group have acquired the Premier Hockey Federation, the women’s professional hockey league that includes the Boston Pride, the PHF announced Friday. Both groups have financial interests in the opposing Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association.
A new league is expected to launch in January, the PHF said, and a collective bargaining agreement is in place. It is not known what will happen to the franchises and players in the PHF, but the new ownership group now owns all of the PHF’s assets.
Players from the PWHPA and PHF were told the news in two separate meetings Thursday. According to both Sportsnet in Canada and The Athletic, the move voids the contracts of PHF players.
“I have always believed that professional sports should bring the highest levels of performance and organization, and this new league will have the backing and resources it needs to represent the very best of women’s hockey,” said Walter in a news release sent by the PHF.
Walter is the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, co-general partner of the ownership group of the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club, and holder of a significant interest in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.
The acquisition took many by surprise, as the PHF seemed to be making strides in luring players from the PWHPA because of its more consistent playing opportunities and a substantial increase in salaries. The PHF’s structure was more traditional: a fall to early spring league year and seven teams located in both the United States and Canada.
The PWHPA was formed in 2019 by players who claimed the PHF (then known as the NWHL) was an unreliable entity in terms of player salaries, team organization, and facilities. The association formed several “hubs” for practice purposes (including one in New Hampshire) and played showcase-style events, with teams named after sponsors playing weekend tournaments in various cities, mostly in Canada.
For the last year, the PWHPA’s leadership claimed they were on the verge of forming a more traditional-style league, and they hoped to begin play with a 2023-24 season.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to advance women’s sports,” King said. “I have no doubt that this league can capture the imagination of fans and a new generation of players. I want to thank Mark and Kimbra Walter for their vision and commitment to investing in women’s sports.”
Since the PHF’s March title game, the league steadily announced signings, including player movement both from and to the Pride. The team’s highest profile signings included recently graduated Northeastern superstars Alina Mueller and Chloe Aurard.
Despite Boston’s semifinal series loss this season, the three-time league champions were considered one of the league’s best franchises and a coveted destination. This past season, Pride players captured the league’s major honors, with Loren Gabel earning Most Valuable Player and Newcomer of the Year, and Corinne Schroeder winning Goaltender of the Year.
It is believed the acquisition of the PHF will reduce the number of opportunities women have to play professional hockey. The PWHPA’s existing players include North Reading and Boston College product Alex Carpenter, Northeastern’s recent Patty Kazmaier Award winner Aerin Frankel, and Boston University Hall of Famer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Marie-Philip Poulin.
Alex Sinatra, briefly the executive director of the PHF’s Players Association in 2022, turned to Twitter Thursday night to explain how the PHF contracts were able to be voided in the acquisition.
“The termination provisions I saw in previous iterations of the PHF contracts were unilateral and allowed the league to terminate for any reason,” tweeted Sinatra.
In subsequent posts, she encouraged players to speak to their agents, financial advisers to see if they had guaranteed money that had been promised to them.
While several players are going to find themselves on the outside looking in within this new landscape, others within the sport think the organizations coming together speaks of a bright future for the sport.
Madison Packer, a longtime member of the PHF’s Metropolitan Riveters and one of the league’s most popular players, tweeted late Thursday night, “What an exciting time for women’s hockey! Can’t wait to show the world what we can accomplish together!”
Anthony Baldini, CEO of Athlete Strategies, a sports PR agency that has consulted for PHF teams, players and executives, thinks the move opens the league to better and wider media attention and business dealings.
“In the long term, having everything housed under one roof is going to facilitate higher-value league sponsorship and group licensing deals that are necessary for women’s hockey to go mainstream,” said Baldini. “Today’s acquisition is a growing pain that will hurt today but accelerate the sport’s trajectory across North America.”