National Ringette League
Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 NRL season | |
| File:NationalRingetteLeague Logo.png | |
| Sport | Ringette |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Inaugural season | 2004 |
| Divisions | Western Conference, Eastern Conference Red, Eastern Conference White |
| No. of teams | 52 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Most titles | Cambridge Turbos (6 times) |
| Official website | www |
The National Ringette League (NRL) (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is the premier league for the sport of ringette in North America and Canada's national league for elite ringette players aged 18 and up. The NRL is not a women's variant of a more well-known men's league or sport like professional women's ice hockey or bandy; one of ringette's distinctive features is that all of its players are women and girls. As such, the NRL is the continent's first and only winter team sports league whose entire athlete roster is made up of women, girls and non-binary athletes.
History
Ringette is a Canadian sport that was first introduced in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario.[1] For ten years, play was confined to Ontario and Quebec; however, the sport spread quickly and is now played by over 30,000 players and involves over 50,000 participants across Canada.[2] The success of the 2002 World Ringette Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, where Canada won the gold medal, sparked the desire to create the National Ringette League. Former Team Canada goaltender, Keely Brown, was a key figure in getting the NRL established.[3] The NRL was founded in 2002 and began play the following year, with November 2004 marking the start of its official inaugural season.[4] The first NRL season included seventeen teams in three cross-country divisions.[5]
The National Ringette League playoffs at the Canadian Ringette Championships (CRC) began in 2008 when they replaced the national championships for Under-19 years and Open divisions.[6] Playoffs are held annually at CRCs to determine an annual league champion. Historically, they consisted of knockout matches, round robins, and tournaments in various cities, but currently the tournament takes place in just one city. The winning National Ringette League team is awarded with the Jeanne Sauvé Memorial Cup, named after Canada's first female Governor General.
A 2009 episode of Rick Mercer Report called "Ringette Night In Canada" featured the NRL's Cambridge Turbos.[7] In 2013, Télé Québec broadcast a short documentary film titled 'Tout le monde dehors – La Ringuette', which focused on the NRL's Gatineau Fusion, along with Yvon Brault, who devotes his life to this sport.[8]
Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | Anaheim, California | Gas South Arena | 2026 | |
| Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts | TD Garden | ||
| Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo, New York | KeyBank Center | ||
| Calgary Flames | ||||
| Chicago Blackhawks | ||||
| Cincinnati Stingers | ||||
| Cleveland Barons | ||||
| Dallas Stars | ||||
References
- ↑ "Ringette Canada | History of Ringette". Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Ringette Canada | About Ringette". ringette.ca. Ringette Canada. 2012. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2012. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Keely's Bio". ringettegoalies.com. 2020. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "NRL Calgary RATH". calgaryrath.com. Calgary RATH | National Ringette League. 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ↑ "National Ringette School | Ringette History". nationalringetteschool.com. National Ringette School. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Stinger Sports Ringette Equipment | About Ringette". stingersports.ca. Stinger Sports. 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ↑ "Ringette Media Information | Rick Mercer Report: Ringette Night in Canada". Ringette Canada. 2022. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Tout le monde dehors – La ringuette". Télé Québec | Frederic Bisson. February 25, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2022 – via YouTube.
