Women's Hockey Growing in Popularity

Quote:

---

The four-team National Women's Hockey League has so far proved the exception for Stack, who participated in the league's inaugural All-Star game in Buffalo last weekend."In September or October, we didn't know how long the league would last, if it would make a full year or what," she said. "So to actually have it be real and to be a part of it, it's hard to comprehend."
Stack plays for the Stamford-based Connecticut Whale, and makes a league-high $25,000. The minimum salary is $10,000 and there are 72 players getting paid, according to the league's website.
The NWHL is the first to pay its players a salary, but it is not the only North American women's league. The Canadian Women's Hockey League is in its eighth season and follows a different business model. The five-team CWHL pays its coaches and general managers, while providing players prize money for winning the regular season and playoff titles.
For the first time, the CWHL intends to begin paying its players a regular salary, beginning next year.
The CWHL's introduction of player salaries does not come in direct response to the NWHL's emergence. It has instead been part of the league's long-term vision to establish a sustainable model by developing a fan base and building ties with corporate sponsors, including four of the NHL's seven Canadian teams.
"For us, it's about growing the whole game, growing a community of hockey, so our plan is dead on target," CWHL Commissioner Brenda Andress said. "It's always a great question, what's the definition of somebody saying, 'I'm a pro league because I pay my players $5,000 or $10,000? Or am I a pro league when I pay them $150,000?'"
The CWHL has made several inroads. Its All-Star game in Toronto last weekend drew 7,000 fans and attracted a television audience of 109,000 on Canada's Sportsnet cable network. Andress called that a "big, huge statement."
By comparison, the NWHL drew about 900 fans to its All-Star game in Buffalo, and projected having about 2,000 more watching via a live online stream.

---

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/jan...ith-2-leagues/

If the US women's hockey team boycotts the World Championships, Canada will have an excellent chance of winning, but it will also reduce interest in the Championship.

Quote:

---

The players announced last week that they were boycotting the world championship unless they come to an agreement over improved wage and other support from USA Hockey. The tournament starts on March 31.
The women's team received support from the Major League Baseball Players Association on Friday as well, with MLBPA tweeting the team to stand united.

---

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...edia/99577336/

The demands of the women's teams in terms of salary seem extremely high, although I think the US not covering disability insurance is surprising to me.

Quote:

---

The two sides seemed to be nearing an agreement, according to the women. However, on Thursday they were informed that USA Hockey was contacting alternate players -- a bad sign for the negotiations.
The women say they want to be paid $68,000 a year, which is far more than they currently get from USA Hockey. But the players say their case is about more than money. They want better job benefits for IIHF games -- equal to those given to their male counterparts.

The women want to be able to bring guests to competitions, fly in business class and get disability insurance.
USA Hockey said in a statement on Friday that those things cost too much.
"The players' demands would result in total player compensation in an Olympic year of approximately $210,000 per player if the team attains a silver medal and $237,000 for a gold medal," the statement said.
That total includes "travel for a guest to every event and exhibition game."
USA Hockey said offering the women players "business class airfare on flights of more than three hours" would contribute to expenses of "more than $1.3 million."
USA Hockey declined repeated requests for comment for this article.
But USA Hockey player handbooks for the 2013 and 2014 IIHF competitions, obtained by CNNMoney, detail some of the perks the men's team received.

Based on the player handbooks, the men were allowed to bring along a guest while competing in the world championship games. USA Hockey paid for their guests' transportation costs, and the guests were permitted to stay in the player's hotel room.
The guests were allowed to stay until the end of the championships and also received breakfast, game tickets and an apparel package.
Not only were the women not permitted a guest, they were forced to share a room with a teammate.
The men traveled to the IIHF games in business class while the women traveled in coach. On the return trip, the men could choose to travel with their guests in economy.
Another key difference? USA Hockey paid for the disability insurance of players on the men's team but not for players on the women's team, according to the handbooks.
The discrepancies between the benefits that the men and women got were confirmed by current members of the women's national team who played in 2013, as well as an industry agent, Brant Feldman.

---

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...edia/99577336/

The American teams and players of the National Women's Hockey League are facing a financial crisis.

Quote:

---

The National Women's Hockey League is slashing its player salaries in half in a drastic cost-cutting measure that's regarded as one of the second-year league's only chances to continue operating this season.
"The players have been informed in the interest of keeping the league financially viable that we have to enact salary cuts effective immediately," NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan said during a conference call with reporters on Friday.
"We fell short on some projections and we had to pivot and make a business decision at the end of the day," she said. "And the decision was, if we want to exist and we want to save the season, we have to make the appropriate decisions to do so."
Without specifying the amount of the cuts, Rylan went public with her announcement a day after she informed team executives and players.
A person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that player salaries were cut by 50 per cent, which represents as much as $540,000 in savings. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because Rylan declined to disclose any figures.
Commissioner blames declining attendance
Rylan said team executives will have added responsibilities in an effort to increase ticket sales and attract sponsors. The four-team league has franchises in Boston, New York, Stamford, Connecticut and Buffalo, New York.
Rylan also announced Dunkin' Donuts, the NWHL's largest corporate sponsor, is committing an additional $50,000 investment in money that will go directly to paying players.
She blamed part of the cash-flow crunch on declining attendance a month into the season.
Last year, the NWHL became North America's first women's hockey league to pay player salaries, which range from $10,000 to $26,000.
The cuts represent a major setback for an upstart league Rylan established in what was essentially a startup operation supported by investors and corporate sponsors.
Midway through last season, Rylan was so confident the NWHL model would be a success that she entertained questions of expansion. Now, there are questions as to whether the league will be around for a third season.

---

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nwhl...ries-1.3857931

The extent of the American women players is surprising, especially when the Canadian Women's Hockey League players are unpaid.

Quote:

---

The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) has been growing and developing for seven seasons now. There are just five teams in the league but the rosters are filled with women we've rooted for in the 2014 Winter Olympics, as well as top NCAA Division I athletes and other high-caliber players. They are some of the best hockey players in the world, yet none are paid.

Salaries for women playing at the top: $1,000 per year. If they win.
It's easy to see why salaries are non-existent: The CWHL's annual budget is a mere $1.8 million dollars (up from $1.7 million the previous season). To put it in terms hockey fans can appreciate: "One salary of a base NHL player runs my league," says CWHL founder and commissioner Brenda Andress.

The one financial bright spot is the promise of $500 to each player on the teams that win the Clarkson Cup (recognizing the top women's hockey team in the CWHL) and the Chairman's trophy (awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the season). "It might not seem like a lot, but for our players, there's the possibility to earn up to $1,000, which they've never had an opportunity to get," says Andress.

<iframe name="fsk_frame_splitbox" id="fsk_frame_splitbox" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 620px; height: 0px; border-style: none; margin: 0px;"></iframe>

Many women in the league receive a stipend for top-ranked amateur athletes from the Canadian or U.S. government. But it's not enough to live on. Part-time jobs are the norm, and those who don't qualify for a stipend work full-time, training and practicing in the evenings after a full day at work and travelling all weekend for games. ...
Ouellette is quick to point out many of her teammates face greater obstacles. "I admire even more my teammates that have full-time jobs," she says, noting that the team was on the road until after midnight the previous day. "Those girls get up today to go back to work."

Andress also admires the players who juggle a full-time job and the CWHL's schedule. "I always say, 'You should follow them around for a week; it would blow your socks off to see what these guys do to play a game they love and not be paid for it,'" she says. "

This conflict between earing a living and staying in the game has been reverberating through women's hockey for some time. In February 2014, following the Sochi Olympics, Finnish goalie Noora Räty—arguably the best women's goalie in the world, with 43 career shutouts and an undefeated season in Division I NCAA play—announced she was retiring from women's hockey unless she could play in a competitive league. She was just 24 at the time, and in top form. ...
The challenge now is to get the fans to buy in to the CWHL—it's a key element in the league moving forward and reaching a point where it can pay its players, says Andress. "I say all the time, 'Guys, you're right. It's atrocious that these women aren't paid. But you can make a difference, and all you have to do is come to a game or watch it on TV—and 13 million of you did that [during] the Olympics.'"

---

http://www.canadianliving.com/life-a...yers-go-unpaid

The US women's hockey team's new deal meant they would be at the World championships, helping to prevent a drop in interest in the women's game.

Quote:

---

The high-profile dispute between the U.S. women’s team and USA Hockey over the past two weeks attracted widespread attention as the players threatened to sit out if their demands for equity weren’t met. Three days before puck drop, the two sides averted the boycott by striking a significant deal to address the inequitable treatment of girls’ and women’s programs. So Canada and the United States will meet on opening night after all, and the women hope that the support they experienced translates into a spectacular atmosphere. ...
The U.S. players said USA Hockey was paying them $1,000 (U.S.) a month during the six-month residency period before an Olympics and then “virtually nothing” during the other 3 1/2 years. USA Hockey maintained its athletes shouldn’t be employees. A year of discussions hadn’t accomplished much. ...
The four-year deal was struck Tuesday night. Highlights reportedly included a hike in annual compensation to roughly $70,000 a player, performance bonuses for medals, the same level of travel arrangements, per diem and insurance coverage as the men, the formation of a women’s committee to make recommendations on promotions and scheduling for the women, and a foundation to improve fundraising and girls’ hockey-development programs.

---

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...ticle34512821/

The emotional battle over money was bound to affect the team's performance either negatively or negatively at the World Championships. Yesterday's victory over Canada shows it was a positive effect, as they defeated Canada in the opening game.

Quote:

---

There was extra emotion in the U.S. women's centre-ice hug following their 2-0 win over Canada to open the world hockey championship Friday.
The Americans not only shook off the drama that preceded their tournament, but feel they're a stronger team after collectively demanding more financial support from USA Hockey and getting it. ...

The host country and defending champions didn't report to training camp and had threatened to boycott the world championship on home ice if their federation didn't give them more of what the men's teams get.
The U.S. women lacked on-ice preparation with just two practices together and no pre-tournament games, but exercising their bargaining power was the ultimate team-building activity.
"We're so united," U.S. forward Gigi Marvin said. "We were itching to be on the ice and it was displayed beautifully tonight, the unity, the support around the ice.

---

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/...ship-1.4050718

The domination of women's hockey by the US and Canada, who have met in all 18 consecutive championship matches, is limiting its global growth. Furthermore, with yesterday's US win making it 7 out of 8 in a row, although it went to overtime, it's starting to look like the US is now dominant.

Quote:

---

he United States won their fourth straight women’s world hockey championship with a 3-2 overtime win over Canada on Friday.
Hilary Knight scored the winner at 10:17 of the extra period in front of a sellout crowd of 3,500 at USA Hockey Arena.
“It hurts. There’s no doubt about that,” said Canada coach Laura Schuler.
“You never want to hear another person’s anthem.”
Kacey Bellamy scored twice for the Americans and goaltender Nicole Hensley made 28 saves in the win.
Canada and the U.S. have clashed for gold in all 18 women’s world championships dating back to Ottawa in 1990.
The U.S. has now won seven of the last eight gold medals, while Canada hasn’t finished first since 2012.

---

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...ticle34642058/