With Toronto Six reunions across the league, former players are excited to receive rings in February

Former members of the PHF's Toronto Six, many of whom are currently competing in the PWHL, are excited to receive their Isobel Cup rings February 22 in Toronto.

TORONTO, ON - In a sea of PWHL Toronto blue, it took a sharp eye to see a few red, black and gold sparkles.

11 months after winning the last Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) Isobel Cup championship, a handful of Toronto Six jerseys still dotted the stands as PWHL Toronto defeated the visiting PWHL Minnesota 4-1 on Saturday to move into a playoff position for the first time.

While never garnering similar attention to the PWHL and playing in front of comparatively minuscule crowds at Canlan Sports York, the now-defunct Six still holds an effervescent spot in Toronto’s storied hockey history.

Champions, of course. The last ones in a league that once held so much promise.

Despite those athletes now dotting rosters across the PWHL, and with others no longer playing, the group hasn’t grown apart much -- with former players on every PWHL team bringing regular reunions.

On Saturday, post-game meetups surrounded the Six, with former player Brooke Boquist in the stands, meeting up with ex-teammates in Minnesota’s Michela Cava and Emma Greco, while Toronto’s Brittany Howard and Carly Jackson also joined the group.

Although the brief interactions at PWHL contests and a still-buzzing group chat keep the Six spirit alive, many of the former team will reunite on Feb. 22 in Toronto to receive their 2023 Isobel Cup rings, a final moment for the Six before etching themselves forever in history.

“We have a former Toronto Six player on every team, so it’s always nice to see our old friends when you go into every barn,” Jackson told The Hockey News. “It’s great to see them all the time, and it will be special to share that moment with a few of them later this month.”

Even though the team is no longer together, the impact of the Six players on the PWHL is unmistakable. While many have taken on depth roles, a Jan. 24 game between PWHL Montreal and PWHL Minnesota highlighted just how high a level they played last season.

In that game, a 2-1 win for Montreal, national team stars highlighted the rosters. Yet, three former Six players earned three-star honours, with former starting netminder Elaine Chuli earning a nod alongside Cava and Tereza Vanišová.

In total, 12 members of last season's PHF championship roster are in the PWHL this year including Greco and Cava in Minnesota; Vanišová, Chuli, Leah Lum, Kati Tabin, and Dominika Laskova in Montreal; Emma Woods in New York, Daryl Watts in Ottawa, Carly Jackson and Brittany Howard in Toronto, and Shiann Darkangelo in Boston. A 13th player, Taylor Davison started the season with Ottawa but has since been released.

“We’re always rooting for each other to succeed in this league, so it’s awesome to see them all the time, and it was awesome to see that,” the 28-year-old Greco said. “Of course, we would have rather won that game, but it was cool to see.”

While most of the group is no longer in Toronto, there are hopes that many of the winning roster can return for the event after the PWHL’s first international break, in the middle of a busy mid-season stretch.

“I think it will [feel like a closure]. I think that’s the whole idea behind doing this,” Cava, 29, said. “Hopefully, mostly everybody can make it back for it, including us, and it would be great to see everyone involved from last year.”

Given the flashiness of the championship rings, which most of the players have seen a digital version of, there’s no commitment on what to do with them, outside of Jackson, who says she’ll be flashing it in pre-game outfits, and Greco, who hinted she might include it when Minnesota revisits Toronto on May 1.

“I’ve wanted a ring my whole life, and I was fortunate to win one with the Six; it just brings a ton of memories, a lot of love and a lot of reminders of some of the people I shared that moment with,” Jackson said. “I can’t wait to show it off for the walk-in photo.”

Snapping a photo of their historic group after Saturday’s contest, the former Six stars know that their history-making moment is well in the past -- it’s no longer the focus anymore; it’s all about the new league and the next chapter in their respective careers.

Yet, on Feb. 22, it might seem like nothing has changed. The group will be back, celebrating their title while putting a bow on another chapter in Toronto’s centuries-old hockey history.

“It’s pretty cool, and we’re all hoping we can make it back to see everybody and be a part of it, and it’s almost been a year now,” Greco said. “It would be cool to celebrate with everyone.”