Para hockey hopes collaboration with PWHL gives boost to women participants

Émilie Robitaille has seen many of the ups and downs of women's Para hockey in Canada, first as an athlete and now as president of Women's Para Hockey of Canada. 

She's watched as the Professional Women's Hockey League has exploded in popularity, catapulting the sport to new heights and bringing with it a slew of new fans. That's part of why she's excited about a set of ongoing collaborations between the two organizations. 

"The dream of female hockey athletes and their allies was to get the recognition they deserve with the creation of a professional league," Robitallie said via email to CBC Sports. "We recognize ourselves a lot in them since our dream is similar, that is to say to offer the opportunity to women practising Para hockey to compete at the 2030 Paralympics.

"Men in Para hockey have been competing at the Paralympics since 1994. It is time for women in Para hockey to get the same recognition."

The sport received a boost this week with the announcement of the first women's world championship, to be held Aug. 26-31 in Slovakia. Fundraising is underway to be able to host a team training camp, with estimated costs being around $10,000 per athlete.

When asked what an ideal future for the Canadian women's teams looked like, Robitaille said she feels collaboration and promotion are at the core.

"If I have a crystal ball, I would like for the athletes to be released of all the financial charge[s]  that come with the training and all the traveling that they need to do to train," she said. "I would like to have more opportunity for the women on the national team to meet together."

Collaborations with the PWHL are ongoing, with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of a shirt for women's empowerment going to both the