Collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League

Collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League
DateMarch 31 – May 1, 2019 (2019-03-31 – 2019-05-01)
Also known asFrench: L'effondrement de la Ligue canadienne de hockey féminin
CauseOfficial:
  • Unsustainable league finances
  • Low attendance
  • Fragmentation of North American women's hockey market
Participants
Outcome
Casualties
150+ players and multiple league staff left without a job
Loss of 5 professional ice hockey teams

The collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League occurred in the spring of 2019. Previously one of the top women's ice hockey leagues in the world, the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; French: Ligue canadienne de hockey féminin; LCHF) announced on 31 March 2019, that it would be folding effective 1 May.

The collapse had a major influence on women's professional hockey, leading directly to the creation of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), and the subsequent establishment of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).