The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) will be no more as of May 1, 2019, its board of directors announced on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, while the on-ice hockey is exceptional, the business model has proven to be economically unsustainable,” the league said in a statement.

The CWHL was founded in 2007 with the mandate of growing women’s hockey.

In its final season, which concluded with last week’s Clarkson Cup, the league comprised six teams — the Calgary Inferno, Les Canadiennes de Montreal, Markham Thunder, Toronto Furies, Worcester Blades (of Worcester, Mass.) and the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays (based in Shenzen, China).

The Inferno defeated the Canadiennes 5-2 in the Clarkson Cup, which was held at Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum.

“Last week, 175,000 fans tuned in to watch the 12th edition of the Clarkson Cup, a new record for viewership, and the game delivered,” the CWHL said in a statement.

“Women’s hockey is fast, skilled, and generally high-scoring, making for excellent entertainment.”

Calgary Inferno’s Rebecca Leslie (centre) tries to tip the puck past Les Canadiennes de Montreal’s goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer during second period action in the 2019 Clarkson Cup game in Toronto, March 24, 2019.

However, despite the best efforts of players, staff, corporate sponsors and partners in the industry, the league’s business model is simply not sustainable financially, the board of directors said.

The shuttering of the CWHL means that teams could potentially join the U.S.-based National Women’s Hockey League.

— With a file from Megan Robinson

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