It has been a tumultuous few days for the NWHL as it was announced that the league would be cutting their players salaries as revenues have not hit their projections this season. Such is the reality that as far as the women’s professional game of hockey has come, the NWHL was likely overly ambitious with their plan to pay minimum annual salaries of $15,000 USD. It is not that these women do not deserve to get paid to play hockey. Obviously they do. However, they also deserve a sustainable league to played in for years to come. Not one that is on life support and having it come down to paying its players or the league folding.
The NWHL made headlines when it was announced that a four team professional women’s hockey league in the USA would be created for the 2015-2016 season that promised to play its players a minimum of $15,000 salary, a first for women’s hockey. The Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, the Connecticut Whale and New York Riveters attracted many on the US Women’s national hockey team, especially those that had been playing for the Boston Blades in the CWHL. The promise of a salary was obviously very alluring. However, cash flow problems would be made public as payments to Bauer for players equipment were late in the first season. While Dunkin Donuts stepped up to be the first major sponsor of the NWHL, it still pales in comparison to the CWHL’s list of sponsors such as Tim Hortons, Scotiabank, Porter Airlines, 2XU, Molson Coors among others.
The CWHL has had a very slow and steady growth in popularity throughout the last decade. It has tried to adhere to the lessons learned of past women’s professional hockey league failures in order to develop a sustainable game. By building lasting relationships with sponsors and so called big brother NHL teams, the CWHL has been able to grow women’s hockey successfully in Canada. There are even whispers that their players may finally be able to take home a salary as soon as the 2017-2018 season. Patience is a necessary virtue and it is time that their players finally reap some rewards.
By contrast, there is distrust between the NWHL and its players. Following the news that the players had no choice but to accept a salary cut, the NWHL Players Association penned this reply:
NWHL players response to the league #NWHL pic.twitter.com/kNOXWTnnVf
— Hilary Knight (@Hilary_Knight) November 19, 2016
These are fair demands from the players who are rightfully concerned about the lack of transparency regarding the operations of the NWHL, not to mention their future playing professional hockey. $15,000 may not seem like a lot for an annual salary but it allowed a number of these women to chase their dreams. Now they are being told that their salary will be cut 60-65% which makes a big difference. Had the players refused to sign the new contract addendum, the league would have been forced to cancel today's games and there would have been a very real possibility of the NWHL ceasing operations.
Professional female hockey players have always needed a quote unquote real job that pays the bills. Former US Olympian Julie Chu and current Montreal Canadiennes player is the head coach of the Concordia Stingers Women’s Hockey team. Marie-Philip Poulin who has been called the Sidney Crosby of women’s hockey just took on a position to be the McGill Martlets Skills Coach. Countless other players are in professions that range from Crossfit instructors to police enforcement to banking etcetera… These female players are pioneers and I do believe that one day we will see a viable professional women’s hockey league that pays its players fairly. However, the likelihood is that the NWHL and CWHL cannot coexist. Perhaps there will one day be a Canadian and American division. The sooner the two leagues can work together rather than compete with one another, the sooner ALL women’s professional hockey players will benefit. Not to mention the fans who will the best players compete against one another. A win-win situation.
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