Sport Rapi Sport Event Toronto Six Start Second Season in Premier Hockey Federation

Toronto Six Start Second Season in Premier Hockey Federation

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Home games, Fans and gatherings in their own locker room are the cornerstones of the Hockey Season that the Toronto Six did not have in their expansion year.

The recent times not only limited the six to a seven-game Season, but also limited player interaction on and off the ice due to gathering restrictions.

The six opened the Canlan Sports-York training camp This week and were looking forward to a more “normal” second Season with drills and games in a renowned league.

“It’s going to be a whole different year. It’s like we’re starting from scratch,” Six Forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis told the Canadian Press.

The first Hockey federation opens its seventh season Nov. 6 after six years as the NWHL.

Raise the word “women” from the name of the League working for Grant Mentis, last Season was named the first Black woman MVP of the League.

“We just want to be called professional athletes,” said the 23-year-old from Brampton, Ontario. “We all play in this league, but not everyone identifies as a woman. It’s inclusive.”

Toronto is the only Canadian club in the six-team League besides the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters and Minnesota Whitecaps.

The PHF plans to expand to Montreal.

Toronto begins a 20-game regular season in November. 6 on the road in Buffalo before hosting the whale in series weekend Nov.

The league announced in April that it would double the salary cap for each team this season per player on a 20-woman team.

“The salary cap increase has been a great stepping stone for the league,” Grant-Mentis said.

“We’re not making millions right now. Of course, we can not live on this money at the moment, but we are moving in the right direction. Probably, in three or four years we will earn enough to no longer have to work on another job.”

BTM Partners owns the Six, Pride and Riveters. Johanna Neilson Boynton is president of the Six and her husband John Boynton holds the same position at the Riveters.

Toronto played its first Season in a bubble in Lake Placid, N.Y., in front of no home crowd at Herb Brooks Arena.

The six went 4-1-1 and earned the first seed in the Isobel Cup playoffs, which were suspended in February. 3, on the Eve of the Semifinals due to recent times-matter among the Players.

Instead of crowning a Champion after 24 games over 14 days, the Season was stopped after 15 games.

“It was very short, but I would describe it as very explosive,” Grant-Mentis said.

“We didn’t start very hot in the bubble and then out of nowhere it was like “Boom” and we were at a peak the whole time. Obviously, then things were closed, which somehow sucked. I think if the tournament had gone on, nothing would have stopped us.”

The cup was eventually rescheduled for March in Brighton, Mass. Toronto lost 6-2 in the semifinals to eventual champion Boston.

Grant Mentis is tied for the regular-season points lead with five goals and four assists in six games at Lake Placid. She also scored a goal and an assist in the semifinal loss to Boston in Brighton.

The first-year coach, Chris Murphy, resigned from this position, but continues as the Six President and Director of Player Personnel. Mark Joslin of Richmond Hill, Ont. He is Toronto’s second coach in as many years.

Most recently, he coached and managed the Toronto Patriots of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for four seasons.

Hockey Hall of Fame Angela James joined the six coaches as an Assistant.

“We’ve been friends for almost 40 years,” Joslin said. “When I got this opportunity, it was a breeze. AJ was my first Call. I clenched my thumbs and held my breath and she accepted the invitation with open arms.”

The Six has eight comebacks from last season, including two goaltenders. The team has a custom-made locker room in Canlan and skates on an Olympic-size ice rink.

“The York University facility, where we play, has built an absolutely gorgeous pro-style locker room,” Joslin said. “We have our Dryland facility there and our Dryland bodybuilding and Fitness trainer.”

The six skates twice a week during training camp, and Joslin finally wants to increase that to three times.

The PHF does not include players from the Canadian and U.S. national teams who have previously declined to join the NWHL.

They are members of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association (PWHPA), which advocates for a sustainable league with sustainable salaries and competitive support for male professionals.

The NHL is taking a wait-and-see approach with both women’s hockey units before competing in a women’s pro league.

The PHF requires players, coaches, officials and team members who come in contact daily or weekly to be fully vaccinated, but “medical and religious exceptions to vaccination are reviewed individually by the Commissioner’s office,” the league says on its website.

Weekly PCR tests, temperature checks before training and games, as well as daily health surveys are also part of the recent times protocols of the PHL, as well as wearing masks, except on ice or during intense training.

“I think, to the best of our ability, we can have a normal Season this year,” Grant-Mentis said. “We will be able to be more together, travel, be on the Bus and fly places. That’s when teams freeze the most.”

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