Expanded league makes Rockies extinct
Mario Prusina
Times Editor
The merger of the Western Women’s Hockey League into the Canadian Women’s Hockey League has dissolved the Strathmore Rockies franchise.
The WWHL, which consisted of teams from Strathmore, Edmonton, Manitoba, Minnesota and the dormant Calgary Oval Extreme franchise, will essentially combine its top players and create an Alberta team that will compete in the CWHL beginning this fall.
The expansion into western Canada will make the league North America’s largest professionally run elite women’s league.
Rockies general manager and team founder, Samantha Holmes-Domagala, joined the CWHL in a sponsorship role and is excited about the move.
“I think that when we made this decision – I made this decision along with the rest of the owners from the WWHL – that we’re kind of at a crossroads with what is going to happen next with women’s hockey at our level,” said Holmes-Domagala. “The CWHL has done a fabulous job with providing that high calibre of play with lots of parity. We just feel that it will work out best for women’s hockey as a whole.
“It’s unfortunate for the Rockies and the other teams in the WWHL, but those elite players will still have a place to play in Western Canada.”
The new team will share their home games with fans across the province by playing in various arenas, such as the Strathmore Family Centre, among others.
Currently, the CWHL has teams in Boston, Brampton, Burlington, Montreal and Toronto.
“This is a momentous announcement for elite women’s hockey in Canada and across North America,” said Brenda Andress, Executive Director of the CWHL, in a release. “We are thrilled about the popularity of women’s hockey and are proud to add a new team to our roster, offering new opportunities for North American women to play hockey.”
According to Holmes-Domagala, the merger has been in the works for about a year and will help the sport grow in the future.
By combining the elite players from western Canada, it truly creates a professional league with the best players in North America.
With Strathmore’s team officially gone, Holmes-Domagala is not sure how she will react when hockey starts up again in the fall.
“I haven’t thought about it – it’s probably going to be tougher for me once the season comes and there is no Rockies,” she said. “I started the Rockies to (create) something bigger and better for women’s hockey, so this is not really ending, it’s just evolving in a different form.
“The tears will probably come in August-September when we would normally have our camp, but right now, it’s just an exciting thing for women’s hockey to have all of the elite teams under one league.”
The Rockies, who spent a handful of seasons in Strathmore, are grateful for the chance to call the town home.
“We’ve had a lot of support – the Town of Strathmore itself was the reason we were able to hang our hats there,” said Holmes-Domagala. “Everyone at the rink, our fans, were really supportive. The other teams, the Wheatland Kings, the Bisons, minor hockey – everybody really made it happen for us. We thank them very much for everything.”