Overview The Walter Cup playoffs decide the Professional Women's Hockey League championship, and the 2026 bracket went to triple overtime in the semifinals and ended with the first Walter Cup to go to a Canadian team. Through 2026 the top four regular-season teams qualified, the first-place team picked its own semifinal opponent, and every round was a best-of-five. The league played its first game on January 1, 2024 with six teams, grew to eight for 2025-26 and expanded to twelve for 2026-27, adding Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose. Mark Walter Group built it as a single entity that owns every team. On site Playoff games are played in the teams' own arenas. For 2026-27, Detroit plays at Little Caesars Arena, Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena and San Jose at SAP Center, Ottawa named Canadian Tire Centre its primary home and Boston moved to Agganis Arena. Game 3 of the 2026 final, at Canadian Tire Centre, drew 16,894, a PWHL playoff record. That year the semifinals aired on TSN in Canada and on NESN and FOX 9+ in the U.S., and the final on TSN, RDS and Ion. Audience The league says about 62% of its ticket holders come to games with a child, and that every U.S. state and every Canadian province has been represented in its crowds. Talent and Influencers The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics had 61 PWHL players on their rosters, about 30% of the league. Marie-Philip Poulin, a five-time Olympian who captained Montreal in 2026, won that year's playoff MVP award, and Abby Roque scored the goal that won the Cup. Hayley Scamurra became the first player to win the Walter Cup and Olympic gold in the same season. Hilary Knight, Sarah Nurse, the first Black woman to play Olympic hockey for Canada, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Natalie Spooner have all played in the league. Track record Minnesota won the first two Walter Cups, over Boston in 2024 and Ottawa in 2025; Montreal beat Ottawa 3-1 in the 2026 final. The 2026 playoffs drew 113,087 fans over 13 games, up 35% on 2025. Sports Business Journal named the PWHL its 2024 Breakthrough of the Year, and The Harris Poll ranked it Canada's most reputable organization in 2024 and 2025. In league research, 75% of fans remembered sponsor names and 32% said they had bought from a brand after seeing it sponsor the league. Molson Coors won a Cannes Lion for its PWHL work. Brand presence Because the league is a single entity that holds its teams and the players' marketing rights, one agreement covers league, team and athlete IP. Playoff partners buy either a three-market package, led by a shoulder patch on every U.S. team, or a single-market package led by a helmet decal on one U.S. team. Both add home bench or penalty box branding, two TV-visible dasherboards per home game, virtual in-ice branding at Canadian home games, regional commercial spots, LED minutes and in-game promotions, with a presenting night and rally towels on top.