Clarkson Cup
Caroline Ouellette with the Cup in 2011
SportIce hockey
Awarded forCanadian women's hockey championship:
National Canadian Women's Championship (2009–2011)
CWHL champion (2012–2019)
Local nameCoupe Clarkson (French)
CountryCanada
History
First award2006
Editions12
Final award2019
First winnerTeam Canada
Most winsLes Canadiennes de Montréal (4)
Most recentCalgary Inferno

The Clarkson Cup (French: La Coupe Clarkson) is an ice hockey trophy awarded to Canada's national women's champions. Commissioned by former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the trophy was first unveiled in July 2006 when Clarkson ceremoniously presented it to the Canadian national women's team. Owing to a rights dispute with the artists who designed the trophy, it was not officially awarded until 2009, when it became, as intended, the award for top women's club team. From 2012 to 2019, it was exclusively awarded to the winner of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). In Canada, it has been considered the women's equivalent of the Stanley Cup.[1][2]

The Clarkson Cup has not been awarded since 2019, when the CWHL abruptly folded. Les Canadiennes de Montréal are the club with the most Clarkson Cup titles, with four, while the Calgary Inferno are the most recent title holders, winning the Cup in 2019.

History

Origins and rights dispute (2006–09)

When the 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled due to a lockout, the Stanley Cup was not awarded for the first time since 1919, when the Stanley Cup Finals were cancelled due an outbreak of Spanish flu. In February 2005, Adrienne Clarkson proposed that since the Stanley Cup was to be awarded to the best professional ice hockey team of the year, it should be awarded to the best women's hockey team because they were still playing.[3] That idea was brought to Susan Fennell, Commissioner of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Fennell commented that while the women had great respect for the Stanley Cup, it belonged to men's hockey.[citation needed] Fennell suggested that the Governor General consider lending her name to the women's hockey championship trophy, as Lord Stanley had done years before for the men's hockey championship, and Jeanne Sauvé had done for ringette's Jeanne Sauvé Memorial Cup. Clarkson later met with Fennell at Rideau Hall, where it was agreed that the women's hockey championship trophy would be named the Clarkson Cup. Clarkson commissioned Inuit artists to design the Cup.[3][4]

Clarkson awarded the trophy to the Canadian national team in a ceremony on July 10, 2006, in honour of the team's 2006 Olympic title; but, the expectation was that Hockey Canada would take over the trophy and award it to the country's top club team, which at the time meant it would be awarded to the champion of the NWHL.[1][5] However, the awarding of the Cup was delayed by the emergence of a rights dispute.[6] The artists who decorated the trophy retained a degree of ownership rights over it, and a financial settlement was not reached until March 2009.[7] The status of the Cup was further complicated when the NWHL folded in 2007. The Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) survived the NWHL's dissolution, and the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) was launched in 2007 to replace the NWHL.[8] When the Clarkson Cup finally became available in 2009, it was awarded to the winners of a tournament featuring the top teams from the WWHL and the CWHL.[8]

National championship (2009–19)

Inter-league title (2009–11)

The Clarkson Cup was first awarded officially in March 2009. The CWHL champion Montreal Stars defeated the Minnesota Whitecaps from the WWHL in the Clarkson Cup final by a score of 3–1.[7][9] Adrienne Clarkson was on hand to present the trophy, and stated: "This is about encouraging excellence in women's hockey... It's a wonderful legacy to have—the Clarkson Cup for women's hockey. I'm absolutely thrilled about it."[7] The Stars' victory also created a Stanley Cup parallel as the first Stanley Cup championship was also won by a team from Montreal.[9]

In 2010, the Whitecaps avenged their 2009 loss and became what would prove to be the only WWHL team to win the Clarkson Cup with a 4–0 win over the Brampton Thunder in the final.[10] The Stars returned to the top in 2011, defeating Toronto in the title match.[11]

CWHL championship (2012–19)

The WWHL disbanded after the 2010–11 season, with an Albertan team joining the CWHL.[12] This made the Clarkson Cup the exclusive championship trophy of the CWHL. Montreal was the first team to win the Cup under this format, with the Stars securing a third title in four years and becoming the first and to date only team to win consecutive titles.[13] Montreal would win the Cup just once more, in 2017, after the team had re-branded to become Les Canadiennes de Montréal.[14]

The Boston Blades became the first American CWHL team to win the Clarkson Cup in 2013, defeating Montreal in the final, and secured a second title in 2015.[15][16] The Blades' run was interrupted by a 1–0 overtime loss in the 2014 final against Toronto.[17] In 2016, ten years after unveiling the Cup, Clarkson stated that she was "really pleased with what has become of the Cup", but she joined women's players in lamenting the lack of salaries for top-level female players.[18] That year, the Clarkson Cup final was played in an NHL arena for the first time; the Calgary Inferno secured their first title with a win at Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre.[19]

In a move that helped enable the CWHL to start paying player stipends, the league expanded to include two teams based in Shenzhen, China, in 2017;[20] one of those teams, Kunlun Red Star, fell just short of becoming the first non-North American team to win the Clarkson Cup, losing the 2018 final in overtime to the Markham Thunder by a score of 2–1.[21] In 2019, the Inferno won their second Clarkson Cup.[22] This would prove to be the last Clarkson Cup victory in the CWHL; after the 2018–19 season, the league abruptly announced that it was ceasing operations.[23][24] The announcement left the Clarkson Cup in limbo, with Clarkson insisting that the Cup "will always be there to be the symbol and the trophy for the best women's hockey".[25] She further stated that the trophies presence helped to "keep hockey Canadian".[26]

Since 2019

In the wake of the collapse of the CWHL, Canada was without top-level women's club hockey. More than 200 prominent women's players from Canada and the United States formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in May 2019 to advocate and build support for the creation of a stable, unified professional women's league.[27] The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), a professional league founded in the United States in 2015, expanded into Canada in 2020, but had its own championship trophy in the Isobel Cup.[28] In 2023, the PWHPA and its business partners bought out the PHF and launched a new league, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which comprises six teams, with three each in Canada and the US.[29] However, it is not yet clear what trophy the PWHL will award to its champion.

Clarkson herself has stated that she wants the Clarkson Cup to be awarded to the PWHL champion.[3] Others have agreed, and it has been suggested that the league could possibly incorporate both the Clarkson and Isobel Cups.[30]

Design

The Clarkson Cup is made of silver and was designed by Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit. Clarkson commissioned Canadian silversmith Beth M. Biggs to make the trophy. She designed and built the sterling trophy and collaborated with three Inuit artists: Okpik Pitseolak, Therese Ukaliannuk, and Pootoogook Qiatsuk. The Inuit artists designed some of the decoration on the trophy. There are images of the goddess Sedna—one of the most powerful figures in Inuit tradition—Arctic animals, ancient masks and hockey masks, and the flowers of the provinces and territories of Canada. A loving cup comprises the top of the trophy.[3][4] Names of winning teams are engraved onto the base of the trophy.

Champions

The Clarkson Cup was first presented to Team Canada after their gold medal win at the 2006 Winter Olympics.[1] However, it was meant to be presented as a club championship, and was awarded in this capacity for the first time in 2009.

Edition Date Winning team Losing team Score Location Notes
National Canadian Women's Championship
2009 21 March Montreal Stars Minnesota Whitecaps 3–1 Kingston, Ontario [9]
2010 28 March Minnesota Whitecaps Brampton Canadettes-Thunder 4–0 Richmond Hill, Ontario [10]
2011 27 March Montreal Stars Toronto CWHL 5–0 Barrie, Ontario [11]
Canadian Women's Hockey League
2012 25 March Montreal Stars Brampton Thunder 4–2 Niagara Falls, Ontario [13]
2013 23 March Boston Blades Montreal Stars 5–2 Markham, Ontario [15]
2014 22 March Toronto Furies Boston Blades 1–0 (OT) Markham, Ontario [17]
2015 7 March Boston Blades Montreal Stars 3–2 (OT) Markham, Ontario [16]
2016 13 March Calgary Inferno Les Canadiennes de Montréal 8–3 Ottawa, Ontario [19]
2017 5 March Les Canadiennes de Montréal Calgary Inferno 3–1 Ottawa, Ontario [14]
2018 25 March Markham Thunder Kunlun Red Star 2–1 (OT) Toronto, Ontario [21]
2019 24 March Calgary Inferno Les Canadiennes de Montréal 5–2 Toronto, Ontario [22]

Appearances

Clarkson Cup winning years denoted in bold.

Appearances Team Wins Losses Win % Clarkson Cup finals
8 Montreal Stars/Les Canadiennes de Montréal 4 4 .500 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
3 Boston/Worcester Blades 2 1 .667 2013, 2014, 2015
3 Calgary Inferno 2 1 .667 2016, 2017, 2019
3 Brampton/Markham Thunder 1 2 .333 2010, 2012, 2018
2 Minnesota Whitecaps 1 1 .500 2009, 2010
2 Toronto Furies [a] 1 1 .500 2011, 2014
1 Kunlun Red Star 0 1 .000 2018
  1. ^ Toronto adopted the Furies moniker after their 2011 appearance; at the time, they were known simply as Toronto CWHL.

All-time leaderboards

Skaters—scoring[31]
Player Team(s) GP G A Pts
Caroline Ouellette Montréal 23 12 20 32
Hilary Knight Boston, Montréal 17 14 12 26
Emmanuelle Blais Montréal 23 8 11 19
Ann-Sophie Bettez Montréal 19 9 7 16
Tessa Bonhomme Calgary, Toronto 18 4 12 16
Sabrina Harbec Montréal 12 5 10 15
Rebecca Johnston Toronto, Calgary 12 8 6 14
Dominique Thibault Montréal 15 7 7 14
Kelli Stack Boston, Kunlun Red Star 11 4 10 14
Julie Chu Montréal 21 3 11 14
Goaltenders—shutouts[31]
Player Team GP SO
Charline Labonté Montréal 12 4
Jennifer Lavigne Montréal 4 3
Geneviève Lacasse Boston 7 2
Emerance Maschmeyer Montréal 8 2

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Robson, Dan (2010-03-26). "Best in women's hockey vie for Clarkson Cup". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  2. ^ Spencer, Donna (2019-04-01). "Clarkson Cup 'will always be there,' former governor-general says as CWHL folds". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  3. ^ a b c d Clarkson, Adrienne (2023-12-09). "Women's hockey should have its own trophy gifted by a governor-general: The Clarkson Cup". The Globe and Mail (Op-ed). Archived from the original on 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  4. ^ a b "Historic Trophies — Clarkson Cup". hhof.com. Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  5. ^ Naylor, David (2006-07-14). "Leagues bury hatchet, merge". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  6. ^ "Clarkson Cup in limbo over ownership rights". Toronto Star. 2007-10-31. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  7. ^ a b c "Montreal Stars win women's national hockey championship". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. 2009-03-21. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  8. ^ a b "Canadian Women's Hockey League launches". CBC Sports. 2007-09-27. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  9. ^ a b c Podnieks, Andrew (2009-03-24). "Montreal wins first Clarkson Cup". iih.com. IIHF. Archived from the original on 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  10. ^ a b Robson, Dan (2010-03-28). "Minnesota Whitecaps capture Clarkson Cup". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2022-11-13. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  11. ^ a b Brady, Rachel (2011-03-27). "Montreal hopes Clarkson Cup win promotes women's hockey league". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  12. ^ "Canadian Elite Women's Hockey Moves West with League's Expansion to Alberta". CWHL. 2011-04-19. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  13. ^ a b Spiteri, Ray (2012-03-26). "Montreal Stars win second consecutive Clarkson Cup". Welland Tribune. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23 – via pressreader.com.
  14. ^ a b Pack, Joe (2017-03-05). "Les Canadiennes have nothing left to prove after Clarkson Cup win". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  15. ^ a b "Boston Blades ride power play to first-ever Clarkson Cup championship". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. 2013-03-23. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  16. ^ a b "Boston Blades Win Clarkson Cup". New York Times. Associated Press. 2015-03-07. Archived from the original on 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  17. ^ a b Karstens-Smith, Gemma (2014-03-22). "Clarkson Cup: Toronto Furies claim CWHL title with overtime victory". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  18. ^ MacGregor, Roy (2016-03-10). "Women's hockey has come so far, and has so much further to go". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  19. ^ a b MacGregor, Lisa (2016-03-13). "Mission accomplished for Calgary Inferno to win first Clarkson Cup". Global News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  20. ^ Brady, Rachel (2017-10-12). "After a busy summer, the CWHL is hoping for a big winter in 2017-18". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  21. ^ a b McGran, Kevin (2018-03-25). "Laura Stacey's overtime winner gives Markham its first Clarkson Cup". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  22. ^ a b Shulman, Mike (2019-03-24). "Inferno take down Canadiennes to win franchise's 2nd Clarkson Cup". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  23. ^ Rutherford, Kristina (2019-03-31). "Questions, frustration remain in wake of CWHL's decision to fold". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  24. ^ Wawrow, John (2019-04-18). "Players demand say in women's hockey future after CWHL folds". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  25. ^ Spencer, Donna (2019-04-01). "Clarkson Cup 'will always be there,' former governor-general says as CWHL folds". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  26. ^ Kelly, Cathal (2019-03-22). "Former governor-general likes that her Clarkson Cup keeps hockey Canadian". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  27. ^ Kaplan, Emily (2019-09-20). "Sorting out the current landscape of professional women's hockey". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  28. ^ Kaplan, Emily (2020-04-22). "NWHL adding first Canadian team, in Toronto". ESPN. Archived from the original on 2020-05-03. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  29. ^ Donkin, Karissa (2024-01-05). "Players beaming as physical play, new rules and historic moments highlight PWHL's 1st week". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  30. ^ Boswell, Randy (2023-11-21). "Revive the Clarkson Cup as the prize the Women's Professional Hockey League will compete for". Ottawa Citizen (Op-ed). Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23 – via MSN.
  31. ^ a b "CWHL (W) Stats—All-time totals". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2023-11-19.

External links

Clarkson Cup
Canadian Women's Hockey League
Professional women's hockey seasons
Members and events of Hockey Canada
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