The Brampton Thunder are now the Markham Thunder. On Tuesday, the CWHL announced a new partnership with the city of Markham that will move the team just north of Toronto. They will play out of the rink at Thornhill Community Centre. Their new home rink is more transit accessible, which should help in getting fans in seats.
The move is bittersweet, though: it marks a low point in Brampton’s several-decades long history as a hub for women’s hockey.
The story of the modern Brampton Thunder begins in 1963. At the time, women’s hockey was in somewhat of a nadir: while the sport was popular in the 1920s and 30s, by 1960, the sport had little money or attention.