New Toronto Six owner and hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James is hitting back at the PWHPA, accusing the league of stunting the development of women’s hockey over its refusal to combine forces.

The comments were originally posted on Facebook but later shared on Twitter by Toronto Six player Saroya Tinker.

A note from the Goat…
Angela James’ thoughts on the @PHF & @PWHPA #food4thought #BetterTogether #facts pic.twitter.com/HSjx1tYPAh

— Saroya Tinker (@saroyatinker71) March 6, 2022

“I do not have a political agenda here nor have I been a part of either league for the past 10 years,” James wrote. “I do know I coach in a professional pro competitive hockey league. Right now, I’m so disappointed in the PWHPA. Whose interest are you protecting? It isn’t the interest of the non-national team players that have supported your association for 3 years now without playing a league game.”

After highlighting the PHF’s recent $25 million investment by league owners and salary cap increases, James called out the PWHPA for their seeming lack of planning.

“I have yet to see a plan from the PWHPA or I would have included it,” she continued. “Why can’t you work out these differences instead of suppressing and handcuffing the elite athletes in the progress of the pro game already made.

“Women’s hockey is bigger than the PHF and the PWHPA, together we can make history. The best women players in the game deserve to be competing at the pro level in ONE league.”

James, who was the first and remains the only Black player to captain Canada’s National Women’s Team, has also been serving as an assistant coach for the Six during the current PHF season.

The PHF and PWHPA have been at odds since the PWHPA was formed in May of 2019. PWHPA members at the time did not like former commissioner and founder Dani Rylan Kearney’s management style. There were also concerns over the league’s financial shortfalls, with the league cutting players’ salaries by more than half just a month into its second season.

In forming the PWHPA, players hoped to create a more sustainable economic model that held more player support.

Over the past two weeks, that objective has come into greater focus as the league has reportedly been in talks with NHL teams and major corporate sponsors to form a new league within the next year.

As the PHF has gained increasing support and revamped itself, further questions have been raised after commissioner Tyler Tumminia resigned, citing personal reasons. The PHFPA also parted ways with its executive director after just three weeks.

According to James, the PHF has met all of the PWHPA’s demands to come together as one league.

“They have already agreed to everything on the PWHPA’s wish list to my knowledge and still not good enough,” James wrote. “How about combining your resources for the better of the game, and everyone set aside their egos?”

PWHPA advisor Liz Knox seemed to hit back at James’ comments on Twitter, writing: “Management, coaches, front office, (etc.) speaking on behalf of players’ experience instead of supporting the true voice of the players is exactly why the PWHPA was formed.”

The comments came days before the PHF officially announced on Monday the sale of the Toronto Six to a new ownership group. James is included amongst the group, which is led by retired NHL forward Anthony Stewart. Bernice Carnegie and Ted Nolan are also members of the ownership group.

They are the first BIPOC and Canadian investors in PHF history. Nolan is a member of the First Nation’s Ojibwe tribe and was the NHL’s coach of the year in the late ‘90s while Stewart, whose father is from Jamaica, is the chair of Hockey Equality.

“Together with my partners, we know how much representation matters and how important role models are for young hockey players,” said Stewart. “It brings me great joy to be part of something special and help strengthen a platform that will make the game better for the next generation and grow the game in the community that I love. We believe the PHF is well-positioned to become a leader in professional sports and look forward to continuing to build the Toronto Six into a winner on and off the ice.”

Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is in the books, with the top two seeds putting up more than 100 points each in blowout wins when the postseason tipped off on Sunday.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx opened the playoffs' eight-team first round with a 101-72 drubbing of the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, as MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier led scoring with 20 points while guard Natisha Hiedeman added 18 off the bench.

Elsewhere, the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces' 102-77 victory over the No. 7 Seattle Storm capped Sunday's slate, with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leading the way with 29 points alongside double-digit performances off the bench from guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

The lower seeds walked away less unscathed, as Valkyries boss and Coach of the Year favorite Natalie Nakase picked up a technical foul for arguing a call in the game's second half.

"I want a fair fight, I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out," she said afterwards, criticizing Sunday's officiating. "They're fighting. But I would like it to be fair."

"I understand it, but it's the playoffs," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said in response. "Obviously, we fouled a lot at the end. But I didn't think that was a factor in the game."

How to watch the top seeds in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

Both Minnesota and Las Vegas are now one win away from advancing to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals.

The No. 2 Aces will look to sweep the No. 7 Storm at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.

Then on Wednesday, the No. 1 Lynx will try to silence the No. 8 Valkyries at 10 PM ET, with live coverage also on ESPN.

The No. 5 New York Liberty secured the sole upset in the Sunday tip-off of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, topping the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 76-69 following a tightly contested Game 1 overtime battle.

Liberty guard Natasha Cloud dropped a game-leading 23 points on her former team, while Mercury star Alyssa Thomas neared yet another triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists on the night.

"I'm proud of the way we stuck together, we weathered the runs they went on, and ultimately found a way to win," New York guard Sabrina Ionescu said after the game.

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The newly healthy Liberty will hope for full availability in Game 2, though forward Breanna Stewart went down with a knock to the knee in overtime after posting an 18-point performance on Sunday.

"We're just hoping that she will be okay," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game.

Brondello also confirmed that it was Stewart who asked for a sub in overtime after coming down hard on her left knee.

Concerns about the health of the two-time WNBA MVP — who recently returned from missing 13 games with a bone bruise on her right knee — overshadowed the defending champions' comeback win.

How to watch Phoenix vs. New York in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

The No. 5 Liberty now return to New York looking to knock the No. 4 Mercury out of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a Game 2 victory on Wednesday.

The matchup tips off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The No. 3 Atlanta Dream won their first postseason game since 2018 on Sunday, downing the No. 6 Indiana Fever 80-68 in Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs as they continue making a case for this season's dark horse.

The Dream's starters shouldered the bulk of Sunday's scoring, punctuated by 20-point performances from forward Rhyne Howard and guard Allisha Gray, while the Fever's Kelsey Mitchell put up 27 points to give her injury-laden team a chance.

"This is [this roster's] first home game, period, in the playoffs," Howard reminded reporters after the win. "So for us to even have accomplished that much to have the home-court advantage, we knew we had to make it a good one."

Atlanta hasn't made it past the first round since the 2016 playoffs, but a dominant regular season has the team eyeing a long-awaited return to the WNBA semifinals.

This year's Dream won a franchise-record 30 games under first-year head coach Karl Smesko, while also leading the league in rebounds per game.

"This wasn't going to be a year that we were going to be satisfied with everybody telling us, 'Wow, you really improved over last year,'" said Smesko. "That's not what we're trying to do. We're trying to be the best team in the league."

How to watch Atlanta vs. Indiana in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

The short-staffed No. 6 Indiana will look to halt the No. 6 Atlanta Dream's momentum on Tuesday, when the first round's Game 2 takes over Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the Fever's first home playoff game since 2016.

The 2025 WNBA Playoffs will continue when the Dream visit the Fever at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.

Jaedyn Shaw hit the ground running in her Gotham FC debut this weekend, as the NJ/NY club's recent $1.25 million-dollar signing scored against her former club in Friday's 2-0 win over the now-No. 5 San Diego Wave — helping boost the Bats to No. 3 in the 2025 NWSL standings.

"This year has been really difficult," an emotional Shaw said after the match. "I'm so grateful for this team and the opportunities I've gotten this year…. I'm extremely grateful for this moment."

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The 20-year-old previously shattered scoring records during her time with San Diego, but struggled this year after her offseason transfer to the North Carolina Courage.

Already finding the back of the net for her new team, Shaw will look to put the past behind her as Gotham extends their climb up the table, having risen from No. 8 to No. 3 behind a four-game unbeaten streak that now includes three straight wins.

Gotham forward Esther González is also excelling, retaking the lead in the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race by tallying her 13th goal of the season in the last minute of Friday's first half against the Wave.

With the club gaining momentum and the 2025 NWSL Playoffs looming, Gotham is looking to make a run to add a second championship trophy to their 2023 title.

"Even in the most difficult moments, they've stayed united, kept pushing together, and kept working hard. That's been our key," said head coach Juan Carlos Amorós after Friday's match.