For the first season, each team will play 24 regular season games starting in January 2024. The league says subsequent seasons will begin in November and include 32 games. An expansion is also possible in the future, he said.
In its final season, the PHF had teams in Boston; buffalo; Simsbury, Conn.; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Richfield, MN; Montreal; and Toronto. With the start of the new championship, Buffalo and Connecticut lose their teams, while Ottawa gains one.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said his league is reluctant to get involved in women’s hockey as long as the split continues. Stan Kasten, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who serves on the new league’s board of directors, said the NHL has provided advice.
“The NHL has supported us fantastically,” he said.
The NHL will work with the new league to stage games at neutral sites in both NHL and non-NHL cities beyond the six home sites.
“No fan owes us their time or money,” Kasten said. “It’s up to us to earn it.”