Para hockey hopes collaboration with PWHL gives boost to women participants [Video]

Émilie Robitaille has seen many of the ups and downs of women’s Para hockey in Canada, first as an athlete and now as president of Women’s Para Hockey of Canada. 

She’s watched as the Professional Women’s Hockey League has exploded in popularity, catapulting the sport to new heights and bringing with it a slew of new fans. That’s part of why she’s excited about a set of ongoing collaborations between the two organizations. 

“The dream of female hockey athletes and their allies was to get the recognition they deserve with the creation of a professional league,” Robitallie said via email to CBC Sports. “We recognize ourselves a lot in them since our dream is similar, that is to say to offer the opportunity to women practising Para hockey to compete at the 2030 Paralympics.

“Men in Para hockey have been competing at the Paralympics since 1994. It is time for …