The games will feature Team adidas (Minnesota) and Team Women's Sports Foundation (New Hampshire). The two teams will battle to be named the first-ever U.S. Secret® Cup Champions - based on the PWHPA's
scoring system
, Team adidas currently leads the standings 8-2 after the first two showcase weekends.
Three PWHPA players have ties to St. Louis, including Olympic Gold Medalists Alex Cavallini and Nicole Hensley, as well as Jincy Dunne, who has also represented the U.S. in international competition. Cavallini currently lives in the St. Louis area, Hensley played college hockey at Lindenwood University and Dunne grew up playing youth hockey in St. Louis.
"Since moving to St. Louis recently, I have been blown away by the eagerness and drive to grow the sport of hockey - for men and women," Cavallini said when the event was originally announced in March. "The St. Louis Blues hosting the PWHPA Secret Dream Gap Tour speaks volumes to how much they believe in our game and our mission of creating a viable, sustainable women's professional hockey league. There's nothing better than having visible, powerful women role models, on and off the ice, showing the next generation they, too, can dream big."
The Blues' commitment to the PWHPA comes off the heels of the 2020 NHL All-Star game which included a Canada vs. U.S. women's 3-on-3 all-star game, PWHPA player appearances during the Skills Competition and a legacy investment by the Blues, NHL and Bauer Hockey to grow girls' hockey. This investment included the creation of the St. Louis Blues Girls' Hockey Development League, which provides low-cost opportunities for girls of all ages to try hockey and develop skills at a faster rate.
Comprised of approximately 125 of the world's best hockey players, the PWHPA was formed to advocate for equity, fairness and opportunity in women's professional hockey. Specifically, the group's goal is to create a sustainable pro league that pays a living wage to players, provides appropriate elite-level resources and invests in marketing that showcases the players and game. The St. Louis showcase builds off PWHPA partnerships with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks.
