2025: A Defining Year for Women’s Para Hockey
A note from head coach tara Chisholm
As we close out 2025, I find myself both proud and deeply grateful. This season reminded me, again, why Women’s Para Hockey of Canada exists and why the work at both the national and grassroots levels matters so much. What we are building together is bigger than any single event or result; it’s a movement grounded in opportunity, visibility, and belief.
At the top of that list is the Women’s World Championships. Reaching the world stage was a defining moment for our athletes and our program. It represented years of advocacy, patience, and persistence by athletes, staff, volunteers, and supporters who believed that women deserved a global platform in para hockey. Seeing our players compete wearing the maple leaf on that stage was a powerful reminder that progress, while never linear, is absolutely possible. I want to take a moment to recognize WPHC’s founding president, Janice Coulter, and the tireless work she put in over the past decade to help make this possible.
Another major milestone was the USA–Canada series on home ice, made possible through the support of our partners at Hockey Canada and the Hockey Canada Foundation. This marked the first time this rivalry was played in Canada showcasing both the men’s and women’s national para hockey teams. Bringing this event home was about more than geography. It was about visibility, access, and showing Canadian communities what para hockey of any gender looks like at the highest level.
At the same time, we continued to invest intentionally in grassroots development, with a special weekend event in Port Colborne, ON in addition to multiple one day events scattered across the country. These programs are where confidence is built, relationships are formed, and futures are imagined. Watching new and returning grassroots athletes of all ages learn new skills, supported by national team players, local volunteers and communities, remains one of the most rewarding parts of this work. We were also excited to see PWHL x WPHC crossovers take shape in 2025. These moments of connection matter. They help normalize women’s para hockey within the broader women’s hockey ecosystem and signal to athletes, young and old, that they belong in these spaces too.
None of this what is listed above would be possible without the support of our sponsors and partners. Your belief in this program goes far beyond logos or funding; it translates directly into ice time, travel, equipment, and opportunity for athletes across the country. We do not take that support lightly, and we are deeply thankful for the trust you place in us.
As we turn the page toward 2026, we remain committed to growing this game with care, courage, and collaboration, from the grassroots to the world stage. Thank you to every athlete, coach, staff, volunteer, board member, fan, partner, and supporter who helped make 2025 such a meaningful year. We look forward to the future of the women’s game.
With gratitude,
Tara Chisholm Head Coach, Women’s National Para Hockey Team Women’s Para Hockey of Canada
