Long before PWHL expansion, the Vancouver Griffins were the city's 1st women's pro hockey team

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British Columbia·New

The Vancouver Griffins played successful the National Women's Hockey League from 2000 to 2003. The proprietor of the short-lived franchise is gladsome to perceive that pro women's hockey is returning to the city.

The Vancouver Griffins played astatine New Westminster's Queen's Park Arena from 2000 to 2003

Jon Azpiri · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

When Diane Nelson decided to start a women's pro hockey team, her parent warned her of the risks.

"The proposal she gave maine was like thing you would springiness a gambler: You've got truthful galore quarters, erstwhile you usage it up, committedness maine that you won't spell beyond," said Nelson.

Nelson, past a West Vancouver schoolhouse principal, owned the Vancouver Griffins, a short-lived women's nonrecreational hockey squad that played successful the National Women's Hockey League from 2000 to 2003.

More than 2 decades aft the Griffins played their past game, Nelson says she is delighted that the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced that Vancouver would beryllium location to its archetypal enlargement franchise.

Nelson's mother, present 96 years old, was besides excited by the news.

"It benignant of validates that it wasn't a brainsick idea," Nelson told CBC News. "It is thing that has tremendous anticipation and I'm conscionable gladsome that I'm capable to stock it with my mom."

Looking back, Nelson says she was "naive" astir the imaginable of owning a pro women's hockey franchise astatine the commencement of the 21st century.

"The doors of accidental that were expected to unfastened for maine didn't," she said.

Nelson is hopeful that those doors whitethorn yet person opened for nonrecreational women's hockey successful the city.

PWHL brings pro hockey backmost to Vancouver

The PWHL, which consists of six teams from Canada and the U.S., announced Wednesday that the new squad volition beryllium known temporarily arsenic PWHL Vancouver portion it works to develop team branding, including a logo and name.

PWHL Vancouver volition commencement playing successful the 2025-26 season, which is expected to statesman successful November. The squad volition beryllium the superior tenant astatine the Pacific Coliseum connected the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition successful East Vancouver.

It volition signifier steps distant astatine the PNE Agrodome.

WATCH | Women's pro hockey is coming backmost to Vancouver:

Professional women’s hockey is coming to Vancouver

Vancouver has officially been named arsenic the newest franchise for the Professional Women's Hockey League. As CBC’s Karin Larsen reports, the squad is expected to instrumentality to the crystal aboriginal this year.

Vancouver was chosen arsenic the seventh PWHL franchise aft an eight-month process that saw enlargement bids from groups successful much than 20 cities.

Earlier this year, Vancouver hosted a PWHL Takeover Tour crippled that drew much than 19,000 fans — the fourth-largest turnout successful league history.

Within hours of the announcement, Amy Scheer, the PWHL's enforcement vice president of concern operations, said Vancouver had already sold retired of premium play summons deposits.

Organizers person unveiled the caller impermanent logo connected Wednesday for the enlargement Vancouver franchise. The PWHL says a squad logo and individuality volition beryllium revealed implicit the coming months. (PWHL)

PWHL vice-president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford noted that the metropolis besides has a heavy past of women's hockey dating backmost to the Vancouver Amazons, who skated astatine the city's Denman Arena much than a period ago.

Hefford was portion of the Canadian women's hockey squad that won golden astatine the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. She noted that the crippled has travel a agelong mode since then.

"I don't know, 15 years ago, if we thought we would person been present doing this," Hefford said astatine Wednesday's announcement. "It's beauteous awesome to beryllium capable to stock this infinitesimal with you."

WATCH | Hefford promotes PWHL squad arsenic bid to revitalize grassroots hockey:

Professional women's hockey squad successful Vancouver a bid to turn grassroots hockey

Jayna Hefford, the Professional Women's Hockey League enforcement vice-president of hockey operations, said that adding a squad to Vancouver would adhd to efforts by B.C. Hockey to turn the crippled for girls successful the province. Hefford, herself a erstwhile hockey player, said it was momentous to bring a squad to Vancouver, wherever she won Olympic golden successful 2010.

The Griffins played their games astatine Queen's Park Arena successful the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster, and featured apical women's players specified as Cammi Granato and Nancy Drolet.

Looking back, Nelson thinks the Griffins whitethorn person been excessively acold up of the curve.

"I thought that I would get the enactment similar we are having contiguous sooner," she said. "I thought we would get much sponsorships."

After the Griffins folded, Nelson returned her absorption to education, helping motorboat respective sports academies with the West Vancouver School District.

She says she's arrogant of her clip arsenic the proprietor of a women's pro hockey team, adjacent if the Griffins ne'er rather managed to instrumentality flight.

"Somebody has to start, and I'm conscionable gladsome that I had the accidental to move this successful a affirmative direction, but besides to continue to marque a quality successful the world."