After winning back-to-back PWHL championships with the Minnesota Frost, Thunder Bay–born Michela Cava recently received a local hockey hero’s welcome from her community.

The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame will fly the league’s flag for the next month as a celebration of Cava’s back-to-back Walter Cup wins with the Minnesota Frost in the Professional Women’s Hockey League in 2023–24 and 2024–25. Cava was joined at the event by Acting Mayor Greg Johnsen and Hall of Fame board president Dave Siciliano. Michela Cava called the special event to welcome her home an “awesome experience.”

The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) was in Thunder Bay for the special flag-raising at the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, while fans of all ages came to watch. Cava said she felt a little nervous but also proud, especially since the honour places her alongside NHL players from Thunder Bay she admired as a kid. She is already a member of the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame for her 2010 Esso Cup win with the Thunder Bay Queens.

The PWHL flag-raising ceremony is a tradition usually reserved for Stanley Cup wins. Cava, who is set to play for the new PWHL Vancouver team next season, is being hailed as a great role model for young hockey players.

Source: CBC