|
For better and worse, a historic week in Women's Hockey |
|
|
|
|
|
It has been quite the eventful week for women’s hockey as it experienced the highs of pushing the sport to higher levels but also the lows of taking a step back. To recap the past seven days:
1) USA Hockey was able to avoid public embarrassment by finally coming to terms and agreeing to a new deal with the United States National Women’s Team. The USWMT had a brilliant strategy to leverage themselves with the IIHF Women’s World Championships taking place in their backyard of Plymouth, Michigan. They found success through a sharp social media campaign and kept a united front with not just members of the team but every player that is a part of USA Hockey and the NCAA, not to mention even under 16 year old girls. They received support from members of Hockey Canada’s national team past and present, from the NWHL and CWHL, from not only the NHLPA but other major sports leagues unions as well. The United States Senate led by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren publicly supported the USWNT as well. This was a battle that USA hockey could not win. Nor did they deserve to.
The women were not asking for the moon. They were asking for equality. They were asking for USA Hockey to take the time and finally recognize them. To be partners. Yes, they were asking for more money. However they deserved it. USA Hockey had been asking their players to train year long but only paid them 6 out of 48 months in an Olympic cycle, the last six months leading up to the games. It is simply too much to expect their players to sacrifice their lives for 42 months with marginal support. For more details on the agreement:
2) The University of North Dakota decided to cut their successful women’s hockey program effective immediately. It has long been considered as being one of the top programs in division one women’s hockey and this decision is truly shocking. The players found out about the decision through Twitter, the school lacking the decency to advise them in advance. They even had a recruit who had committed to school come that day for an official visit, only to be told that there would be no future team for her at UND.
Eight UND alums represented their national team at the 2014 Olympics. There are ten players at the current World Championships with past and current ties to the school and program. The Lamoureux twins, perhaps their most famous alumni are spearheading an effort to force the school to back down from their cut:
The power of social media helped the USWNT. Here’s hoping that magic can strike twice. Personally I would like to see some of the more famous faces of the men’s program come out and support the women. Ahem, Jonathan Toews.
3) In Plymouth, Michigan team USA shut out Canada 2-0 in front of a full house in the first game of the IIHF Women’s World Championship. That loss was hardly surprising. The USWNT were coming off the emotional high of securing their new agreement with USA Hockey. Shannon Szabados performed well in nets for Canada but this night deservedly belonged to the US Women.
4) Team Canada losing to team USA was not unexpected. However, no one could have predicted that team Finland would or even could upset Canada on Saturday night. Not once did Canada have the lead in the match as they constantly played from behind. The loss marked the first time that Canada has ever lost a game to a nation other than the United States at the World Championships.
While goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer was clearly not at her best, the team in front did not give her very much help. While they were going up against Noora Raty, one of the best women’s goaltenders in the game, the Canadians were not able to take advantage of their opportunities going 0 for 6 with the man advantage.
The loss is a disappointment for Canada but it is a big win not just for Finland but all of women’s hockey. For so long it has just been Canada and the USA duking it out for gold. For the game to further grow it needs a higher level of competition from other countries. Finland has been considered the third best nation in women’s for much of the time since it’s inception as a World Championship and Olympic sport. They deserve full credit for upsetting Canada and for all women’s hockey, hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
5) Strangely and throughout pool play, the women are competing at two different sized rinks, one an NHL size and the other a full sized Olympic rink. Can you imagine the men’s IIHF World Championships being played on two different sized rinks? This is hardly fair as one sized rink might suit one country’s team better than another. Every game should be played on a level playing field but that has not been the case at this year’s IIHF. On top of the ice size issue, elite Finnish goaltender Noora Raty complained about the goal pegs following her match against Russia on Friday:
The pegs were not of IIHF quality and they were replaced on Russia’s end before the game started. However, in Raty’s crease the pegs had frozen from the water accumulated and so it was deemed that they were firm enough for the game. By the third period though the water had melted and the pegs were loose. When Raty attempted to push of the pegs to stop what became the game winning goal, the net briefly came off and her skate slipped leaving her in a much more difficult position in attempting to make the save. IIHF rules states that the pegs must be rubber and it was a clear oversight that they were not properly checked before the tournament, much less the game.
USA Hockey and the IIHF have a lot to be embarrassed about. They clearly treat women’s hockey like a second class citizen. It is 2017. These women have more than earned our respect. It should not be this difficult for elite women’s hockey players to compete equally for a World Championship. And yet it is still one step forward, two steps backwards…
Join the Discussion:
»