{"id":795449,"date":"2019-05-03T16:32:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T22:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/womens-hockey-players-hope-nhl-will-step-in-to-create-a-new-league\/"},"modified":"2019-05-03T16:32:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T22:32:00","slug":"womens-hockey-players-hope-nhl-will-step-in-to-create-a-new-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/womens-hockey-players-hope-nhl-will-step-in-to-create-a-new-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s hockey players hope NHL will step in to create a new league"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.80174291939\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-365360-922\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jussi Nukari \/ AP File Photo | Lehtikuva | Team USA's Hilary Knight, left, celebrates a goal with Kelly Pannek, who provided the assist, during a IIHF Women's Ice Hockey World Championships semifinal match against Russia, in Espoo, Finland. More than 200 of the top female hockey players in the world have decided they will not play professionally in North America next season, hoping their stand leads to a single economically sustainable league.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"11\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7.jpg\" alt=\"Team USA's Hilary Knight, left, celebrates a goal with Kelly Pannek, who provided the assist, during a IIHF Women's Ice Hockey World Championships semifinal match against Russia, in Espoo, Finland. More than 200 of the top female hockey players in the world have decided they will not play professionally in North America next season, hoping their stand leads to a single economically sustainable league.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"17\">\n<p><strong>Team USA&#8217;s Hilary Knight, left, celebrates a goal with Kelly Pannek, who provided the assist, during a IIHF Women&#8217;s Ice Hockey World Championships semifinal match against Russia, in Espoo, Finland. More than 200 of the top female hockey players in the world have decided they will not play professionally in North America next season, hoping their stand leads to a single economically sustainable league.<\/strong><br \/>Jussi Nukari \/ AP File Photo | Lehtikuva<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Liam Richards \/ AP File Photo | The Canadian Press | Canada goaltender Shannon Szabados watch as U.S. players celebrate a win during the Four Nations Cup hockey gold-medal game in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-1.jpg\" alt=\"Canada goaltender Shannon Szabados watch as U.S. players celebrate a win during the Four Nations Cup hockey gold-medal game in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Canada goaltender Shannon Szabados watch as U.S. players celebrate a win during the Four Nations Cup hockey gold-medal game in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.<\/strong><br \/>Liam Richards \/ AP File Photo | The Canadian Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Matt Slocum \/ AP File Photo | AP | Goalie Shannon Szabados (1), of Canada, stares at the flying puck during the second period of the women's gold medal hockey game against the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"8.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Womens_Pro_Hockey_Future_46365-0e0f7-2.jpg\" alt=\"Goalie Shannon Szabados (1), of Canada, stares at the flying puck during the second period of the women's gold medal hockey game against the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Goalie Shannon Szabados (1), of Canada, stares at the flying puck during the second period of the women&#8217;s gold medal hockey game against the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea.<\/strong><br \/>Matt Slocum \/ AP File Photo | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/womens-hockey-players-hope-nhl-will-step-in-to-create-a-new-league\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/womens-hockey-players-hope-nhl-will-step-in-to-create-a-new-league\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Meghan Duggan need only look around sports to get excited about what an NHL-run women\u2019s hockey league might look like.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The NBA did it with the WNBA. Soccer leagues in Europe and the U.S. have done it. And that was enough for the 2018 U.S. Olympic gold-medal winning captain and more than 200 fellow players to take a leap of faith by pledging not to play in North America this year to try to get to the point where there\u2019s a single, economically viable professional league.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHistory has told all of us that startup women\u2019s professional leagues thrive and are very successful when working with an existing professional league,\u201d Duggan told The Associated Press on Thursday. \u201cThat\u2019s definitely something I think that we would be excited about. But this is just the first step in getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The effective boycott of North America\u2019s only remaining women\u2019s hockey league, the National Women\u2019s Hockey League, sent shockwaves through the sport with a major equipment company advocating for NHL ownership and men\u2019s players and agents voicing their support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now comes the big question:<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Will it work?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think they have a better chance of succeeding than some of the men\u2019s unions have,\u201d said Matt DelDuca, a labor and employment attorney with Pepper Hamilton. \u201cStrikes have not been very effective in professional sports for players because it\u2019s hard to maintain them long term. Women\u2019s professional sports are a little different because of the economics. I think there is a tremendous opportunity for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s an opportunity equipment giant Bauer Hockey wants to be a part of. Vice president of marketing Mary-Kay Messier released a statement saying the National Hockey League \u201cmust be in an ownership position\u201d for any women\u2019s league.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI really do believe and we at Bauer believe that that is the only sustainable, viable option for ownership,\u201d Messier said in a phone interview. \u201cIt will really take a long-term view and the possibility of looking at this from a perspective of not the bottom line immediately but as a necessary step to ensure the future of the game through continued growth and participation inspiring those (future) generations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The NHL has given $50,000 annually each to the NWHL and the now-defunct Canadian Women\u2019s Hockey League that recently ceased operations. It has invited a handful of top players to participate in its All-Star skills competition. When Brianna Decker demonstrated the passing drill and finished with a better time than the winner, CCM Hockey said it would pay her the $25,000 she would\u2019ve gotten as the prize.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">University at Buffalo sports law professor Nellie Drew said her children follow the NHL and NWHL and love the game. She wonders what happens next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe question is going to be whether the economic demand will be there to drive this,\u201d Drew said. \u201cRight now in 2019, do the women\u2019s hockey players have the economic leverage to make an effective stand on this position? Maybe not. But do they have the capacity to drive public sentiment strongly enough that it will make the (NHL) consider it? Yeah, I think they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The AP, \u201cWe will further explore the situation privately before taking any affirmative position on next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The U.S. women\u2019s national team in 2017 threatened to skip the world championships in Michigan and wound up getting an improved benefits package from USA Hockey. Those players will now make $3,000-$4,000 a month with the ability to earn about $71,000 annually. They can make up to $129,000 in Olympic years with contributions from the U.S. Olympic Committee. It was a big boost for a group of women who were getting $1,000 a month for six months around the Olympics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That situation is much different from trying to establish a league from scratch, with questions ranging from the business model to potential locations, sponsors and investors, player benefits and more. The NWHL said it was going ahead with next season and was offering improved salaries and a revenue-sharing deal with players, who nonetheless made their decision to sit out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">No one believes a long-term league will materialize overnight, but U.S. Olympic game-winning goal-scorer Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said she was optimistic based on the NHL\u2019s position and the power of so many players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe feel confident that we potentially have a gap year now and players are prepared to sit out an entire season of professional hockey, which isn\u2019t good for any one individual player,\u201d Lamoureux-Davidson said. \u201cBut hopefully that will be the maximum that anyone would have to sit out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As word of the women\u2019s decision spread, NHL players said they were excited even if they\u2019re not sure how a league run by the NHL might work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThey\u2019re the best in the world at what they do. They should be compensated accordingly,\u201d Colorado defenseman Ian Cole said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how that would be structured. I\u2019m not the chief financial officer of the NHL. I don\u2019t know what the figures would look like. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s economically feasible. I\u2019m not sure how they would do it. Would we like to see that? Yeah, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">AP Sports Writers Pat Graham and Teresa M. Walker contributed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/womens-hockey-players-hope-nhl-will-step-in-to-create-a-new-league\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Team USA&#8217;s Hilary Knight, left, celebrates a goal with Kelly Pannek, who provided the assist, during a IIHF Women&#8217;s Ice Hockey World Championships semifinal match against Russia, in Espoo, Finland. More than 200 of the top female hockey players in the world have decided they will not play professionally in North America next season, hoping [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-795449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 05:28:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795449\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}