TORONTO (September 4, 2019) – North America’s top female hockey players will be competing as part of the first stop of the PWHPA Dream Gap Tour at Toronto’s Westwood arena September 21 – 22, 2019 and PWHPA is honored to have Unifor as the title sponsor. Unifor has been a true partner and ally to the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) as one of the first companies to show support when it was needed most.

The Unifor Women’s Hockey Showcase will feature players like Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Brianna Decker, Natalie Spooner, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston and Kacey Bellamy, among others and tickets can be purchased at pwhpa.com/events/unifor-showcase/. Along with presenting the Toronto Showcase, Unifor is also covering all PWHPA Canadian regions practice ice from September 2019 through March 2020.

“Unifor’s partnership with PWHPA is about creating equity for Canada’s elite women hockey players so that women and girls across the country can play the game, earn a living wage, and receive the dignity and respect they are owed,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor President.

“Unifor immediately asked what they can do to help us move this game forward,” said Natalie Spooner, two time Olympian and Gold Medalist. “Between securing ice facilities and presenting this showcase, we cannot thank them enough for all they they’ve done. My dream of playing hockey began when I was a little girl growing up in the Toronto area and watching women play. I know these games and this tour can be that moment for other young girls and inspire them to chase their dreams.”

The PWHPA is also proud to welcome Budweiser as the Official Beer of the PWHPA. Budweiser will be making sure hockey fans everywhere will be able to enjoy the action by providing live streaming which can be found on www.PWHPA.com ahead of each game. They will also help celebrate the Budweiser Fan of the Game, and host a VIP Kickoff Party on Saturday.

“Budweiser has supported all levels of hockey and its fans for more than 10 years because we believe the game has the power to unite people, cities and countries together,” said Mike D’Agostini, Director of Marketing, Budweiser Canada. “The fact that the world’s greatest female hockey players do not have a league to call home is a wrong we want to help make right. We’re proud to be the official beer sponsor of North America’s premier women’s professional hockey players association and hope to rally all of North America to come together to support these well-deserved athletes.”

The Unifor Women’s Hockey Showcase will be a four-team exhibition tournament over two days, with four games showcasing the world’s best players. In addition to Toronto, the tour will visit:

•    Hudson, New Hampshire (October 4 – 6, 2019)
•    Chicago, Illinois (October 18 – 20, 2019)

PWHPA would also like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs and OWHA for their support. For full roster, times and ticket information, please visit pwhpa.com/events/unifor-showcase/.

The PWHPA Dream Gap Tour was created to draw attention to the fact that there currently is not a league that consistently showcases the best product of women’s hockey in the world, pays its players a living wage and has the infrastructure to set the game up to succeed. Such a league would represent an important step in closing the dream gap between young boys and girls. A young boy can lace up his skates and imagine himself circling the ice in his favorite professional team’s jersey as the crowd chants his name. He dreams it, because he’s seen it countless times. There is no realistic equivalent for aspiring female hockey players to imagine their futures.

About Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA)
Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s (PWHPA) mission is to promote, advance, and support a single, viable professional women’s ice hockey league in North America that showcases the greatest product of women’s professional ice hockey in the world. The organization aims to provide a united voice to players advocating for the creation of a sustainable professional league. PWHPA is working to accomplish its mission by coordinating training needs and programming opportunities during the 2019-2020 season and collaborating with like-minded organizations to make hockey more inclusive for women today and for future generations. To learn more about PWHPA and the Dream Gap tour visit www.pwhpa.com.

Media Contact:
The Brand Amp
Christina Rotar
949-438-1109
PWHPA@thebrandamp.com