Scotiabank Named the Official Bank of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL)

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and Scotiabank jointly announced a significant multi-year partnership, establishing Scotiabank as the first-ever official bank of the PWHL. This new agreement builds on Scotiabank’s legacy as a leader in advancing women’s hockey and gender equity in the sport.

This partnership comes in anticipation of the inaugural PWHL Playoffs, which begin May 8 with PWHL Toronto hosting PWHL Minnesota at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto at 7:00 p.m. ET. As part of the collaboration, a co-branded “PWHL Finals Presented by Scotiabank” logo will be prominently featured in promotion of the five-game series across the league’s global social media community, during broadcasts, and in arenas throughout the finals.

Scotiabank is a long-time leader in supporting women and girls at all levels of hockey. Since 2006, Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest, a free on- and off-ice program, has elevated the game of hockey for more than 18,500 girls in nine cities across Canada including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Truro, and Halifax. From its inception in 2008, Scotiabank sponsored the Canadian Women’s Hockey League – a six-team league started by a group of players, volunteers and business stakeholders. In 2020, Scotiabank became the Official Bank of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and supported the Secret® Dream Gap Tour from 2020-2023.

In addition, in 2021, Scotiabank launched the hockey for all initiative, which is committed to making positive changes in the game by breaking cultural and financial barriers to the sport and making hockey more diverse, inclusive, and accessible. Since the hockey for all launch, the initiative has benefitted over 540,000 youth across Canada.

Beginning next season, the PWHL and Scotiabank will work together to bring expanded integrations and programs for fans, players and community groups, and work towards improving access and opportunities for youth in hockey.

“Seeing the outpouring of passion from fans across the country since the PWHL held its first official game has been nothing short of inspiring. At Scotiabank we’re committed to breaking down barriers to ensure hockey can be everyone’s game and supporting the PWHL is critical to this mission. The formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey League is truly an integral moment in Canada’s history and we’re proud to be part of it.” said Laura Curtis Ferrera, chief marketing officer, Scotiabank.

“I’m thrilled to see Scotiabank join the PWHL team. As a long-time partner, since 2006 when Scotiabank Girls HockeyFest was just taking shape, it is great to see Scotiabank’s support for women’s hockey continue to grow. The response to the launch of the PWHL has been electric. We’ve seen attendance records broken and we have also seen great parity with playoff teams being decided on the last day of play. These things, plus the calibre of play itself, proves that a league like the PWHL has been long overdue.” said Cassie Campbell-Pascall, special advisor to the PWHL and Scotiabank Teammate.

“As a young woman growing up playing hockey I always felt that there was greater opportunity to get more of us into the game. I believe that part of pursuing a sport is being able to see yourself in the game and that the Professional Women’s Hockey League is doing just that. I’m confident that the partnership between Scotiabank and the PWHL will not only help the league grow but also help us reach more youth in hockey and inspire future generations to pursue their passion through programs like Girls HockeyFest.” said Natalie Spooner, PWHL Toronto and Scotiabank Teammate.

“Welcoming Scotiabank as our first official banking partner is a landmark moment for our league and will greatly enhance our ability to grow our fanbase and increase hockey participation at the youth level. Scotiabank’s deep-rooted commitment to women’s hockey makes them the ideal presenting partner for our inaugural PWHL Finals.” said Amy Scheer, senior vice president of business operations, PWHL.