History
Following the 2018–19 season, the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and its teams—including the Toronto Furies—ceased operations, citing the fragmentation of corporate sponsors between the CWHL and National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which caused their league to be financially infeasible.[4] The NWHL then announced it was pursuing adding two CWHL markets to the league, Montreal and Toronto, for the 2019–20 season if the NWHL found financial backers for the teams.[5] The league was not able to set up the new teams before the start of the season, partially due to a player strike that resulted in the creation of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.[6]
On April 22, 2020, the new Toronto NWHL franchise was officially announced as the league's sixth team and first original expansion team (the Minnesota Whitecaps joined the league's original four teams after being an independent team).[7] The team's ownership was announced as a group of Boston-based investors headed by Johanna Neilson Boynton, a former competitor with the Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey program. Margaret "Digit" Murphy, former head coach of the Brown Bears, Boston Blades, and Kunlun Red Star WIH, became team president, while sports executive Tyler Tumminia was announced as the team's chairman. The team simultaneously announced its first five signed players as Kristen Barbara, Elaine Chuli, Shiann Darkangelo, Emma Greco, and Taylor Woods.[8] All five were former players in the CWHL. The team held the first overall pick in the 2020 NWHL Draft, but traded the pick to the Boston Pride. It was also the first trade in franchise history.[9] The first player drafted by Toronto was Jaycee Gebhard, an alumna of the Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey program, with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NWHL Draft. The team announced Mandy Cronin, CWHL co-founder and former goaltender of the Buffalo Beauts, as general manager on May 11, 2020.[10]
The team name, colours, and logo were announced by the NWHL on May 19, 2020.[11] The name was chosen from over 300 entries submitted in an online poll and was chosen because the team is the sixth NWHL team founded for the sixth NWHL season, as well as there being six players on the ice. The Six is also a nickname for the city of Toronto, referring to the city's 416 area code, as well as the current municipality's original cities of Old Toronto, North York, Scarborough, York and Etobicoke plus the borough of East York.[12] The team colours were revealed as red and gold, the former representing the country of Canada and the latter representing the Golden Horseshoe. The logo is a combination of the letter "T", "O" and the number 6, with a maple leaf in the middle.[13]
On October 1, 2020, the team announced that they had agreed to a partnership with Canlan Ice Sports for the team to play their inaugural season at Canlan Ice Sports – York.[14] On October 13, Tyler Tumminia stepped down as club chairperson to become interim NWHL commissioner.[15] On October 20, the club announced team president Digit Murphy would also be the inaugural head coach.[16]
In January 2021, the team announced a partnership with the ECHL's Brampton Beast with the expectation of holding joint camps, practices, fan events, and double headers together, with Beast general manager Cary Kaplan stating that "We feel that we have a lot in common, as many people have still not appreciated or experienced both the exceptional level of hockey in the ECHL, or the equally strong fan experience that the Beast provide."[17] The Beast's head coach Spiros Anastas then joined the Six during the 2020–21 season as an assistant coach while the Beast were inactive due to the pandemic.[18] However, the Beast ceased operations entirely in February 2021.[19]
Inaugural season
Due to the ongoing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Six started their inaugural season in a bubble with the rest of the league in Lake Placid, New York, in January 2021. The leadership for the inaugural season included Shiann Darkangelo appointed as the first team captain in franchise history, while Emma Woods and Emma Greco served as alternate captains.[20] The Six played their first game on January 23 against the Metropolitan Riveters, losing by 3–0.[21] The following day, Lindsay Eastwood scored the first goal in franchise history via a power play in an eventual 6–5 shootout loss to the Minnesota Whitecaps with assists credited to Emma Woods and Shiann Darkangelo. Breanne Wilson-Bennett scored twice in the game, recording the first multi-goal game by a player for the team. Other Six players to score versus Minnesota included Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Taylor Woods.[22] The Six earned their first win on January 26, 2021, with a 2–1 victory over the Boston Pride. The Six came back from a 1–0 deficit with a pair of third period goals by Brooke Boquist and Mikyla Grant-Mentis, whose goal stood as the game-winner. Boquist was named the First Star of the game, while Elaine Chuli recorded 24 saves in the win.[23]
The Six went on to win their three remaining games to clinch the top seed for the Isobel Cup playoffs. On February 3, 2021, the season was suspended due to positive cases of COVID-19 within the bubble.[24] On March 8, 2021, the league announced that the Isobel Cup playoffs would be held March 26–27 at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Massachusetts.[25] The Six lost their semifinal game to the fourth-seed and eventual champion Boston Pride 6–2.
Following their inaugural season, assistant coach Lisa Haley, who had also coached in Toronto as head coach for the Ryerson Rams women's ice hockey program, was appointed as the league's senior vice president of hockey operations.[26][27] Six forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis became the most decorated player in a single NWHL season, Grant-Mentis earned a record four accolades.[28] She won the NWHL's Most Valuable Player award, the first Black player to win the league's MVP,[29] tied as the leading scorer in the league, and captured the league's Newcomer of the Year award.
Transition in second season
In May 2021, the owners of the Six also bought the Metropolitan Riveters as part of the league's push to have all teams be independently owned.[30] In September 2021, the league rebranded as the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) to promote inclusivity.[31][32]
On June 7, 2021, Mark Joslin, previously head coach of the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Toronto Patriots,[33] was hired to replace Digit Murphy as head coach, becoming the first black head coach in NWHL history. Murphy retained her position as team president. The Six added Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James to their coaching staff on June 24.[34] At the end of June, Krysti Clarke, previously the manager of operations with York United FC of Canadian Premier League soccer, replaced Mandy Cronin as general manager.[35] With five picks among the top ten in the 2021 NWHL Draft, three of the picks were in the first round. Picking third overall, the Six selected Maegan Beres from Boston College, followed by Tatum Skaggs fourth overall, and York Lions skater Taylor Davison with the fifth pick, marking the second straight season that the Six have drafted a player from a U Sports women's ice hockey program. In addition, Davison made U Sports history, becoming the highest drafted player from the league.[36]
Towards the end of the 2021–22 season, the team was sold to a new ownership group including Anthony Stewart, Angela James, Bernice Carnegie, and Ted Nolan.[37][38]
Third season
On May 31, 2022, co-owner Angela James was promoted from assistant coach to general manager of the Six.[39] Additionally, Digit Murphy would be leaving her post as the Six's team president and director of player personnel to join the Metropolitan Riveters as their new team president, but would "maintain involvement, advising on the logistics of the team" while "transitioning from her role as President."[39][40] On June 14, 2022, the Six announced the hiring of Geraldine Heaney as their third head coach in franchise history.[41] On September 27, 2022, Sportsnet reported that Sami Jo Small joined the leadership as team president.[42]
On March 26, 2023, the team won the Isobel Cup Championship, defeating the Minnesota Whitecaps 4-3 in overtime at the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona.[43]
Ceasing operations
After the season, it was announced that the PHF had been purchased as part of a bid to create a new, unified professional women's league.[44] This resulted in the folding of the PHF and its teams.[45] The new league—the Professional Women's Hockey League—debuted in 2024 with the new Toronto franchise hosting the inaugural game on New Year's Day.[46] 10 former Six players were selected in the 2023 PWHL draft, the most of any former PHF team.[45]
