Richmond Hill Council donated $10,000 to the Canadian Women's Hockey League in order to help them host the Clarkson Cup Championships in Richmond Hill at the Elgin Barrows Arena on March 27th and 28th, 2010.

The Canadian Women's Hockey League is a not for profit organization that runs elite women's hockey in Canada. It is the league that the majority of Canada's Olympic Team and the American Olympic Team uses to hone their skills for the international stage. It also houses Canada's next generations of Olympians striving to play hockey at the highest level.

The ultimate championship for this league and for female hockey players from around the world is the Clarkson Cup first awarded last year by the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson who will again be in attendance this year in Richmond Hill.

This year's Clarkson Cup Championship includes the defending Champions, the Montreal Stars as well the CWHL's Mississauga Chiefs. This year's western representative is the Minnesota Whitecaps and the fourth team will be decided during the league's playoffs in the next couple of weeks.

Many Olympians from the 2010 Women's Olympic Gold Medal winning team will be in attendance and playing with their respective club teams.

The semi finals will take place on March 27th at 12:00pm and 4:00pm while the Clarkson Cup Championship will take place at 3:00pm at the Elgin Barrows arena to a live National audience on TSN. This arena was chosen as the venue for the Clarkson Cup championships because former Olympian and two time gold Medallist Sami Jo Small used this venue as a training ground, along with her teammates Jayna Hefford, Becky Kellar, Vicky Sunohara and Jennifer Botterill amongst others to train and prepare prior to the 2006 games in Torino, Italy where they brought home gold.

This championship will have a direct impact on the community in many ways. Not only will it bring in many avid hockey fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite female stars but will serve as inspiration for the thousands of female hockey players playing in the York region.

Richmond Hill will be the first time many of our Olympians will be showing off their gold medals and will be known as the "Mecca" for the female hockey in Canada.

Women’s Hockey Elite and Gold Medal Winners

Presented by Scotiabank

March 27 & 28, 2010
Elgin Barrows Arena
Richmond Hill, Ontario

Tickets available at:
Elgin Barrows Arena or email: cwhled@owha.on.ca