As the PWHL prepares to drop the puck in Hamilton, Ontario for the 2026-27 season, the women of the world's top professional league will do so skating on a foundation set more than 120 years earlier in the Steel City.

Founded in 1853, the Hamilton Thistle Club was Canada's second oldest curling club, originally playing on natural frozen ice in Hamilton Harbour. By 1890, the club had built indoor ice and was now participating in curling, skating, and ice hockey.

The club relied on natural ice until 1927, but on that natural ice, was where the city's foremost women's hockey team got their start, the Hamilton Thistles. The first men's hockey game at the club was played on 1892, and women's hockey followed roughly a decade later. 

The first mention of a game played by the Hamilton Thistles women's team came in Feburary of 1901 when Toronto's Victoria College Tawnies beat the Thistles 2-1, a game which required overtime to decide. In the following years, Hamilton would be a team that few could challenge as their on-ice ability improved rapidly.

In 1902, Hamilton beat a Toronto squad at Victoria Rink in Toronto 11-0. Beatrice Watson and Kathleen McClure, the team's top players, scored six and four goals respectively to lead the roster. Gladys Gates was listed as team captain for the Thistles. The social aspect of the event and the times was honoured with both teams returning to the Thistle Club for tea following the game.

The February 8 Hamilton Spectactor alluded to the Thistle Club's dominance on ice saying "having defeated all comers at hockey the young ladies of the Thistle Club have decided to try their hand at indoor baseball." In the coming years, the Thistle Club would find few challengers capable of beating their roster as well.

On February 9, 1903, The Toronto Alexandras again played the Hamilton Thistles in what would become an annual match up, although this time the game was significantly closer in score with Hamilton winning 4-2 on home ice.

On February 4, 1904, "the fastest ladies' hockey match which has been played in Toronto for some time," saw the Hamilton Thistles defeat the Toronto Alexandras 3-1. In front of 500 spectators, Beatrice Watson and Miss K. McClure did the scoring for Hamilton, although no first names were listed.

A day later the Hamilton squad beat Woodstock 13-1. As the Hamilton Spectator wrote, "The Thistles outplayed the Woodstock team, being far better skaters, playing a very superior combination and having excellent defense..."

The paper also commented on the atmosphere writing "There was a large attendance, and the spectators found plenty of opportunity to applaud, brilliant runs and clever combination plays being made."

Watson was again heralded saying "She is very quick and is, moreover, a good shooter" who was responsible for many of Hamilton's goals. She, along with K. McClure and Violet Crerar were listed as the top players for the Thistles.

Later that season, the Thistles again beat Woodstock, this time 12-1.

By 1905, the Thistles were facing a team known as the Toronto Victorias, who were a team from Victoria College. Hamilton beat this team 8-0.

In 1906, a game was scheduled to take place between the Thistles and the Wellington's of Toronto, but no result or record of the game, which papers dubbed as being for the "championship of Canada." None of the papers, including the Toronto Star, Hamilton Spectator, nor Toronto Telegram, who touted the game, published results, or made mention if the game ever took place.

By 1907, mentions of the Hamilton Thistles women's hockey team had disappeared. Teams however, were popping up in the region in St. Catherines, Thorold, and Welland

Recorded members of the Hamilton Thistles women's hockey team included Beatrice Watson, Kathleen McClure, Gladys Gates, Violet Crerar, Alice MacDonald, Bessie Balfour, Dorothy Gates. The team also included a C. Balfour and M. Cartwright