Done deal - New women's professional hockey league to launch in January - ESPN

A new women's professional hockey league will begin competing in North America in January after a deal was brokered between rival factions in the sport.

Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and wife Kimbra, team president Stan Kasten and tennis legend Billie Jean King will help run the league after Walter's firm purchased assets of the Premeirl Hockey Federation (PHF).

The agreement announced Friday ends a yearslong feud between the seven-team PHF and the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association, a group that includes many U.S. and Canadian national team players who were unwilling to join the league formerly known as the NWHL.

«I am extremely proud of our PWHPA group, which has remained committed to our vision and steadfast in our efforts to change the landscape of women's professional hockey forever,» PHWPA member and U.S. women's star Kendall Coyne Schofield said in a statement. «Over the past four years, we have worked tirelessly to close the gap on what young girls and boys could dream to become in this sport.»

New Women's Pro Hockey League to Launch in 2024! Initiative, Led by Mark and Kimbra Walter, Billie Jean King Has PWHPA and PHF Support. Details: https://t.co/4huTY1DdX5 pic.twitter.com/oC0l3AwS6z

It also could bring the NHL to the table in a support role. Commissioner Gary Bettman has said he and team owners did not want to get involved in a dispute between leagues and would throw weight behind one, once it was formed.

«The National Hockey League congratulates the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association and the Premier Hockey Federation on their agreement,» the NHL said. «We already have initiated discussions with representatives of this unified group regarding how we can work together to