The National WomenB次元官网网址檚 Hockey League is moving swiftly to expand to Toronto and Montreal following the demise of its Canadian-based rival.
NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan told The Associated Press on Tuesday the leagueB次元官网网址檚 board had approved an investment plan to establish teams in CanadaB次元官网网址檚 two largest cities for the start of next season. Rylan also said her league has received a commitment from the NHL that will make it one of the NWHLs biggest financial sponsors.
READ MORE:
The decision by the U.S.-based NWHL to cross the border and expand from five teams to seven comes on just two days after the Canadian WomenB次元官网网址檚 Hockey League abruptly announced it will cease operations by May 1 due to financial issues. The CWHL had four teams in Canada, one in suburban Boston and a sixth in China, and its decision after 12 seasons was seen as a major blow to the sport.
B次元官网网址淭he news definitely came as a shock to us on Sunday morning, but it was obvious that we needed to do what we could to provide for those players to have a place to play this fall,B次元官网网址� Rylan said by phone. B次元官网网址淭he focus of ours was to figure out a solution for Canada first, and weB次元官网网址檙e fortunate we were able to do that pretty quickly here.B次元官网网址�
Rylan said the expansion decision and NHLB次元官网网址檚 increased backing werenB次元官网网址檛 exactly connected. She instead views the NHLB次元官网网址檚 increased financial support as B次元官网网址渁n endorsement of our business and the brands that weB次元官网网址檙e growing.B次元官网网址�
Rylan did not reveal how much additional money the NWHL will receive above the NHLB次元官网网址檚 $50,000 previous annual commitment. The NHL also contributed $50,000 to support the CWHL.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the league has increased its financial support. Daly, however, cautioned the additional support doesnB次元官网网址檛 change the NHLB次元官网网址檚 position in fully backing a womenB次元官网网址檚 pro sports league.
Daly referred to what he wrote on Sunday in response to the CWHLB次元官网网址檚 collapse.
B次元官网网址淲e recognize the importance of women having options to play the game at the professional level. If those options were to become unavailable in the future, we would certainly consider doing whatB次元官网网址檚 necessary to fill that void,B次元官网网址� Daly wrote. B次元官网网址淏ut thatB次元官网网址檚 not the case currently.B次元官网网址�
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman previously told The AP he was hesitant about the league assuming control of the CWHL or NWHL or both because, as he put it, B次元官网网址渨e donB次元官网网址檛 believe in their models.B次元官网网址� At the time, he emphasized the importance of starting with a clean slate.
The CWHL operated liked Major League Soccer by owning each of its teams, except for the one based in Shenzhen, China. Starting in 2017-18, it began paying player salaries ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 out of a total budget of $3.7 million. The NWHL has relied on private investors and was the first to pay players a salary.
The shifting fortunes for pro womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey in its hotbed of North America has come with most of the worldB次元官网网址檚 top players in Finland for the world championships, which open on Thursday. Many players tweeted their disappointment on Sunday and CanadaB次元官网网址檚 national team issued a statement Tuesday.
B次元官网网址淲e are disappointed and shocked to learn of the CWHLB次元官网网址檚 plan to shut down league operations,B次元官网网址� the team said. B次元官网网址淭here are many unanswered questions about the future, but we will continue to create dialogue with our teammates, fellow players and leagues. Our priority as players is to move forward and advance the game at all levels, and to ensure female hockey players have a viable league for the future.B次元官网网址�
Rylan previously had merger discussions with CWHL officials in a bid to form one North American league rather than have two leagues competing for the same pool of sponsorship money and investor backing.
With the CWHL ceasing operations, Rylan said she can now work to fulfilling the vision she had when establishing the NWHL in 2015.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of stakeholders and brands have been hesitant to invest in womenB次元官网网址檚 hockey because there was a decision to make before, the CWHL or NWHL,B次元官网网址� Rylan said.
B次元官网网址淎nd now thereB次元官网网址檚 no decision,B次元官网网址� she added. B次元官网网址淲e are the league to do business with and we are continuing conversations and exploring conversation, and eager to accept that business this off-season.B次元官网网址�
Without going into detail, Rylan didnB次元官网网址檛 rule out the possibility of adding more expansion teams before the start of next season.
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
Like us on and follow us on
