The biggest prize of the women's hockey year is up for grabs over the next two weeks. The CAA Centre in Brampton, Ont., will host the world championship, the yearly measure of where each country stands on the sport's biggest non-Olympic stage.
It makes for a unique dynamic among sports: players have plied their trade in various leagues across the world since the fall with the aim of peaking for the annual international event.
But how much longer will that continue to be the case? Team Canada assistant captain Renata Fast told CBC Sports she hopes a professional championship will soon reach the same level as an international title. "That's the goal.
That is the goal for sure. One day we'll get there. Obviously, it'll still be an honour to always represent your country, but that is going to be really important, that next step," Fast said.