| Founded | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Cookie Cartwright |
| Type | Sports governing body |
| Purpose | Organize and promote women's ice hockey in Ontario, Canada |
| Headquarters | 225 Watline Avenue Mississauga, Ontario |
| Location | |
| Field | Ice hockey |
Membership (2020) | 51,395 registered [1] |
Official language | English |
| Website | OWHA.on.ca |
The Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) is the governing body of women's ice hockey in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The OWHA is a member of the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF), the Ontario branch of Hockey Canada. The Association was formed in 1975 by Cookie Cartwright to generate interest in women's ice hockey.[ citation needed ] Roughly ten years later, Fran Rider became the association's executive director.
In 1976, Rhonda Leeman Taylor took on a volunteer position with the OWHA and helped the Association grow the number of registered female teams from 101 to 203, within three years. [2] She became the first employee hired by Hockey Ontario to assist in the development of the OWHA, then in 1980 became its first salaried female employee.
The OWHA operates independently from the OHF's other member associations that govern the various levels of men's hockey. It governs all levels of women's hockey in the province, including minor, junior, and senior, at a provincial level. [3]
Senior
Intermediate AA/Junior
Minor
Associated Groups
Hockey Canada is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority of organized ice hockey in Canada. There are some notable exceptions, such as the Canadian Hockey League, U Sports, and Canada's professional hockey clubs; the former two are partnered with Hockey Canada but are not member organizations. Hockey Canada is based in Calgary, with a secondary office in Ottawa and regional centres in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) is the governing body for the majority of junior and senior level ice hockey teams in the province of Ontario. Founded in 1890, the OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the OHF include the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Northwestern Ontario. The OHA controls three tiers of junior hockey; the "Tier 2 Junior "A", Junior "B", Junior "C", and one senior hockey league, Allan Cup Hockey.
Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur and operate within regions of each country.
Hockey Manitoba is the governing body of amateur ice hockey in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Hockey Manitoba was founded in 1914 as the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association and is a branch affiliate of Hockey Canada.
The Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) is the governing body of all sanctioned ice hockey in the province of Ontario in Canada, except for those portions governed by Hockey Northwestern Ontario and the Hockey Eastern Ontario. The federation is one of Hockey Canada's thirteen regional branches.
The Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) is an ice hockey governing body for minor, junior and senior ice hockey. The NOHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The major league run by the NOHA is the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNO) is the governing body of all ice hockey in Northern Ontario, Canada. Hockey Northwestern Ontario is a branch of Hockey Canada.
Hockey Saskatchewan is the governing body of all ice hockey in Saskatchewan. Hockey Saskatchewan is a branch of Hockey Canada. Hockey Saskatchewan was established as the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association in 1906, and was later known as the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.
Lori Dupuis is a Canadian women's ice hockey player.
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is the governing body of all intercollegiate sports in the Canadian province of Ontario. The OCAA is a part of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association. The OCAA, with Ontario University Athletics, governs post-secondary school educational sports in Ontario.
The first instances of organized women's ice hockey in Canada date back to the 1890s when it was played at the university level. The Women's Hockey Association claims that the city of Ottawa, Ontario hosted the first game in 1891. In 1920, Lady Meredith, an avid sportswoman and wife of Sir Vincent Meredith of Montreal donated the Lady Meredith Cup to the Quebec Ladies' Hockey Association, said to be the first women's ice hockey trophy created for a competition in Canada. At the time women competed in ankle-length skirts.
The Ontario Women's Hockey League U22 Elite (OWHL), formerly the Provincial Women's Hockey League, is a women's junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2004, it is considered to be the highest level of amateur women's ice hockey in Ontario, and is sanctioned by Hockey Canada and the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.
Fran Rider CM OOnt is a Canadian ice hockey executive, and former player. She began playing ice hockey in 1967, with the Brampton Canadettes, the predecessor to the Brampton Thunder. Rider is one of the founders of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association and played a significant role in expanding women's national and international competitions. Rider was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2015 in recognition of her substantial impact on the growth and development of the modern game of women's hockey.
Laura Michele Fortino is an Italian-Canadian ice hockey defenceman and coach, currently playing in the Italian Hockey League Women (IHLW) with the EV Bozen Eagles. A former member of the Canadian national team, she won two Olympic medals and six World Championship medals during 2011 to 2019.
The Toronto Jr. Aeros are a Junior women's ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Aeros are members of the Provincial Women's Hockey League of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. The Aeros are five-time PWHL regular season champions, six-time PWHL playoff champions, and four-time Ontario Intermediate AA champions. On two occasions the Aeros won all three titles in one season.
The Durham West Jr. Lightning are a Canadian Junior women's ice hockey team based in Ajax, Ontario. The Lightning are members of the Provincial Women's Hockey League of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. The Lighting were 2007 PWHL silver medallists and 2006 bronze medallists, and 2013 Ontario Intermediate AA champions and 2006 silver medallists.
Rhonda Leeman Taylor is a former women's ice hockey player and ice hockey administrator from Canada. In 1980, Leeman Taylor became the first salaried female employee of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA). Leeman Taylor also served as the chairwoman for the inaugural Women's National Hockey Championships in 1982 and became the first woman to sit on the board of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. Taylor also sat on the board of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA). A book about her career and co-written with her niece, Denbeigh Whitmarsh was released in 2019. Leeman Taylor is also a Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame member.
Brent Ladds is a Canadian former ice hockey administrator. He served as president of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) from 2016 to 2022, president of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1980 to 2012, commissioner of Allan Cup Hockey from 2013 to 2016, and chairman of the Hockey Canada junior hockey council from 2014 to 2016. He marketed the CJHL as a development program for players seeking a professional career or an education, with exposure to National Hockey League talent scouts at the annual CJHL Prospects Game and World Junior A Challenge. He also sought to increase marketing opportunities, have consistent administrative practices, and to co-ordinate public relations across the CJHL. His tenure as president also saw the withdrawal of the British Columbia Hockey League, and subsequent format change of the Centennial Cup tournament to include all nine league champions.
 | This Ontario ice hockey team-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |