We have our first stop of the ‘Dream Gap Tour’ in 2020. The PWHPA announced earlier this morning that the “Secret Women’s Hockey Showcase” will take place in Toronto on January 11th and 12th, 2020. The event is being billed by the PWHPA as the largest event to date.
In 2019, the tour made three stops, starting in Toronto and then heading to Hudson, New Hampshire and Chicago. This event will feature six teams and, as of the moment, six games.
Games 1-4 will be played at the Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Centre in North York, Ontario. Game five will be held at the Al Palladini Community Centre in Vaughan, ON, while the sixth game’s location is still TBD.
The six teams will be captained by Jocelyne Larocque, Amanda Kessel, Kacey Bellamy, Melodie Daoust, Natalie Spooner and Kendall Coyne Schofield.
The event starts on Saturday with a triple-header in North York. Game one features Team Larocque Vs. Team Kessel at 12:30 pm, which will be followed by Team Bellamy Vs. Team Daoust at 3:30 pm. The final game of Saturday’s slate goes at 6:30 pm, as Team Spooner takes on Team Coyne. On Sunday, the action starts bright and early with Team Kessel and Team Bellamy battling at 9:30 am in North York.
Team Coyne faces Team Larocque at 10:30 am in Vaughan, while Team Daoust and Team Spooner finish the weekend off. The time and location is still yet to be announced for the final game of the weekend.
Full roster and event details can be read here on the PWHPA website.
Both Secret, the title sponsor, and Jayna Hefford spoke about the event on Wednesday. “Since 1956 Secret has been committed to supporting women, standing behind those who challenge the status quo and shining a spotlight where there is a gap on equal pay and equal opportunities. Today, we stand proudly with the PWHPA and the women who are fighting for an equal chance to play the sport they love,” said Lisa Reid, Brand Director, Secret Canada.
“Secret believes equal sweat deserves equal opportunity. We hope all Canadians will join us to push for a more equal future in hockey.”
“We are honored to join forces with Secret,” said Jayna Hefford, Operations Consultant, PWHPA. “Supporting women in our fight for equality isn’t just what they do, it’s WHO they are and have always been. They will be a great ally, both on and off the ice, as we continue to push for a better tomorrow.”
The January event in Toronto is the first event planned by the PWHPA for 2020. The expectation is that more events will soon be planned, with other cities getting in on the action. Among the rumored stops is Philadelphia. The PWHPA took to Twitter a few weeks back asking fans what cities they wanted to see added to the tour. Although no official announcement on more events appears imminent, expectations are that one will come soon.
No media details were released for the Toronto event. The previous three events were streamed live on CBC Sports and on the PWHPA YouTube page.
