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The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup, often shortened to Isobel Cup, is the championship trophy that was awarded annually to the now defunct Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) playoff winner. The trophy is named after Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy, the daughter of Lord Stanley—former Governor General of Canada and namesake of the Stanley Cup—and one of the first women known to play the game of ice hockey.
The Isobel Cup was last awarded in 2023. After the 2022–23 season concluded, the PHF was bought out as part of the process of establishing the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), leaving the Isobel Cup's status in limbo.
"The Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Cup 1875–1963. This Cup shall be awarded annually to the greatest professional women's hockey team in North America. All who pursue this Cup, pursue a dream; a dream born with Isobel, that shall never die. EST. 2016."The Cup was unveiled to serve as the league's championship trophy, awarded at the conclusion of the PHF playoffs in March.
2017 brought a re-match in the championship between Boston and Buffalo. This time, it was a winner-take-all match instead of a series, and the Beauts emerged victorious with a 3–2 win to secure their first title. The Beauts advanced to their third consecutive final in 2018, defeating Boston 3–2 in overtime in the semi-final before losing 1–0 against the Metropolitan Riveters and MVP goaltender Katie Fitzgerald. The Beauts extended their streak of finals appearances to four in 2019; however, the expansion Minnesota Whitecaps secured their first championship with a 2–1 overtime victory, with Lee Stecklein scoring the title-winning goal.
The 2020 championship was slated to be played between Boston and Minnesota. However, it was initially delayed due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, before it was cancelled outright in May 2020.
League play resumed in 2021, with a shortened "COVID bubble" season taking place at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York. The final featured a match-up of the cancelled 2020 final between Boston and Minnesota, with the Pride emerging victorious with a 4–3 win. This made the Pride the first team to win the championship twice. In 2022, the Pride won unprecedented back-to-back championships, defeating the Connecticut Whale in the title game by a score of 4–2.
In 2023, the Toronto Six became the first and to date only Canadian team to win the Isobel Cup, securing a 4–3 overtime victory over Minnesota in the final with Tereza Vanišová scoring the title-winning goal.
The closure of the PHF left the Isobel Cup in limbo. It was suggested that the new league could seek to incorporate both the Clarkson and Isobel Cups, with both having important legacies in women's hockey. However, in April 2024, the PWHL unveiled the Walter Cup—named after the Walter family, the league's financial backers—as its new championship trophy.
| Ric Seiling | ||||
| Bobby Jay | ||||
| Ric Seiling | ||||
| Cody McCormick | ||||
| Isobel Cup not awarded | ||||
| Jack Brodt & Ronda Engelhardt | ||||
| Colton Orr | ||||
| Ronda Engelhardt | ||||
| 4 | Boston Pride | 3 | 1 | 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 | |
| 4 | Buffalo Beauts | 1 | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Minnesota Whitecaps | 1 | 2 | 2019, 2021, 2023 | ||
| 1 | Metropolitan Riveters | 0 | 2018 | ||
| 1 | Toronto Six | 0 | 2023 | ||
| 1 | Connecticut Whale | 0 | 2022 |
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