TORONTO – Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports Ventures and the Detroit-based Ilitch Companies are investing in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Tanenbaum, through Kilmer, owns the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo and is a minority owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors, among other Toronto-based sports properties.
Ilitch Companies is the parent of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, the owner of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and MLB’s Detroit Tigers, as well as Little Caesars Arena.
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A source tells The Canadian Press that Kilmer has invested US$100 million directly into the PWHL.
Both Kilmer and Ilitch are joining the league as strategic partners, serving in advisory rather than operational roles. Neither company is investing in a particular team.
They are the PWHL’s first outside investors since the league was established in 2023 by the Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
