'The world's the limit': Keswick's Erin Ambrose, Vaughan's Laura Stacey get ready for new era of women's hockey

York Region athletes with long history of friendship will both play for Montreal team in new Professional Women's Hockey League

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 26, 2023
Jay Gutteridge

No one knew it at the time, but a six-day period in 1994 would have a massive influence on hockey not just in York Region, but also the city of Montreal and Canada as a whole.

On April 30, 1994, Keswick's Erin Ambrose was born.

On May 5, 1994, Kleinburg's Laura Stacey entered the world.

As teammates, they helped Canada bring home hockey gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the 2021 and 2022 World Championships, and even the World U18 Championships in 2012.

Now, as teammates once again, they will usher in a new era of women's hockey with the Montreal team in the newly formed Professional Women's Hockey League.

Their connection goes even deeper than that, however, as they count each other as close friends, and Ambrose even lived with Stacey's family for the Grade 11 school year while attending The Hill Academy in Caledon.

"We've definitely gone through some ups and downs of life in hockey together," Stacey, a right-handed forward, said, noting sharing those moments helped them get to know each other.

"You truly understand the person and friend they are," she said.

The two women have already made history with the new league.

Each of the six teams (Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Boston and Minnesota are the other five) was allowed to sign three players as free agents from Sept. 1 to 10, and a 15-round draft of all remaining players was held Sept. 18.

Stacey was one of the Montreal team's three free-agent signings, while Ambrose, a right-handed defender, was the team's first pick in the draft, sixth overall. That makes them among the first 24 players officially affiliated with a team in the league.

"I was over the moon," Ambrose said of seeing Stacey among the first free-agent signings, noting it was a well-deserved recognition of Stacey's talent.

Both women were part of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, a group largely comprising members of the Canadian and United States women's national teams who banded together to seek a sustainable league for women after the semi-pro Canadian Women's Hockey League folded in 2019.

The new league came together after the Mark Walter Group, led by Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea Football Club part-owner Mark Walter, and Billie Jean King Enterprises purchased and shuttered the Premier Hockey Federation, a league that began as a rival to the CWHL and continued operations until this year.

The PWHPA didn't view the PHF as sustainable and organized its own competitions, known as the Dream Gap Tour, until such time as it got the league it was seeking.

Initially, the PWHPA players thought they may only have to take a year off after the CWHL folded before a new league came together, Stacey said. The pandemic, among other factors, delayed the league's development.

"It's not easy to create something new; it's not easy to make change happen," she said. "We wanted to create something viable and special that would last forever."

After the Walter Group and King Foundation, both of which helped finance the Dream Gap Tour, bought the PHF, they also entered into a new collective bargaining agreement with the PWHPA, meaning players in the new league will have financial certainty and assurances the league will cover medical costs and provide professional-level training facilities.

The PWHL's board of directors includes tennis and feminist icons King and Ilana Kloss, L.A. Dodgers part-owner and president Stan Kasten and Dodgers senior vice-president, business strategy Royce Cohen.

King delivered the opening speech at the new league's draft, while Kasten was interviewed on the broadcast.

"It shows they're not just stamping their name on this; they want to be a big part of it," Ambrose said of the directors' presence at the draft. "We know we've got the right people in place."

Before the puck has even dropped, the players are getting a taste of what being a professional athlete is like.

One such instance was the opening of free agency Sept. 1.

"It was a more stressful, crazier day than I ever thought it was going to be," Stacey said.

After productive conversations with Montreal general manager Daniele Sauvageau and Toronto GM Gina Kingsbury, she decided on Montreal, where she has been living and training during the Dream Gap Tour years.

The draft was another taste of pro life. While the CWHL had a draft, because it was a semi-pro league, the players knew in advance they would be able to play for a team close to home, Ambrose said. This time, any team could select any player.

"It was very nerve-racking," Ambrose said.

Montreal got the final pick of the first round, and Ambrose's name was called.

"My agent let out a very dad-like 'Yipee!'" she said, referring to Thomas Houlton of Montreal-based Dulcedo Sports.

"To see Erin's name called is a pretty full-circle moment," Stacey said.

The women now look toward training camps beginning in mid-November, with the league starting play in January.

You can find more information on the PWHL at www.thepwhl.com.

"The world's the limit," Stacey said. "I honestly think this league is going to do amazing things."