Hockey stars are hoping their Dream Gap Tour will shed light on the controversy in North American hockey.

Players were happy to get back out on the ice as they are boycotting the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) and the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) due to pay disputes.

Players who are taking a stand against the league have set up Professional Women's Hockey Player's Association (PWHPA) and created the tour in order to take hockey to audiences while still protesting over inequality in the sport.

The tour has three destinations on its roster, starting in Toronto. The second date is in New Hampshire from October 4-6. The third and final stop is in Chicago a few weeks later.

Stars on the tour include Brianna Decker, Noora Raty, Renata Fast and Natalie Spooner. 

Spooner said after the Toronto show: "I thought we put on a good show out there.

"It was a battle and it got a bit chippy. I thought it was exciting for the fans and hopefully they all enjoyed it and want to come back for more. 

"This summer, there were a lot of questions up in the air. Just to get out there – it was so much fun again. It took that pressure off for a second and to see all those little girls in the crowd really made it all worth it.”

CWHL player Marie-Philip Poulin said she felt nervous about the boycott but this tour has meant the players are achieving what they set out to do.

“It [the tour] was the best option for us.

“We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we knew it would be worth it. It was scary at first – you play in that league (CWHL) and then the doors are shut and all of a sudden it’s like, ‘what’s happening'?’

"Creating this all together we saw hope. The Dream Gap tour is the first step in what we believe in.”

As well as wanting to be paid equally, the players are protesting in order to make their league sustainable.

Former goalie Liz Knox, a member of the PWHPA, wants athletes in the league to be looked after.

Knox said: “We’re trying to create a space for athletes to just be athletes.

"In a sustainable league, we want them to show up and just play hockey, to be able to have their body physically prepared, their mind mentally prepared with enough sleep and enough proper nutrition to show up and put their best product on the ice.

“We’re on the verge of history, we’ve never had more momentum and I’ve never been more optimistic for what the future looks like. Of course it’s uncertain, but what these women have done is change the conversation."