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NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

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  • #91
    Originally posted by HCSmooth View Post
    I am a fairly new convert to women's pro hockey, having only seen a game in late-February in Newark. Aside from the obvious governance and financial issues the sport is battling through, one thing I was curious about is player movement/rights. I know that the players have other careers, with the national team members being paid by USA Hockey. I also saw that the NWHL had a draft this spring. So, do teams retain rights to a player for a certain number of years? Do players sign multi-year contracts? Or, are players on one year free agent contracts? Or, how does that all work?
    In the NW the draft is more just to create marketing content. They don’t actually secure a player’s rights. The players sign one year contracts. Not sure if there are ever mid year trades but they sometimes sign players late in the year before playoffs.

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    • #92
      Originally posted by Lindsay View Post
      In the NW the draft is more just to create marketing content. They don’t actually secure a player’s rights. The players sign one year contracts. Not sure if there are ever mid year trades but they sometimes sign players late in the year before playoffs.
      There are trades, just not common.

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      • #93
        Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

        Originally posted by Lindsay View Post
        In the NW the draft is more just to create marketing content. They don’t actually secure a player’s rights. The players sign one year contracts. Not sure if there are ever mid year trades but they sometimes sign players late in the year before playoffs.
        Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I like the freedom of movement for players. Especially when hockey is their 2nd job. But, you would think it'd be easier to build a following in their local markets if they have roster stability. Especially among the Olympians, who are the most marketable athletes on the team.

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        • #94
          Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

          May not be a lot of players for the NWHL to field teams. Nice solidarity by all the women playing North American hockey.
          Apparently all National team members form various nations playing in either NA league are part of this pledge, most if not all CWHL players, and others.
          https://womenshockeylife.com/womens-...te-for-change/

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          • #95
            Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

            Yeah, that was a bold move by the women this morning. I saw the identical tweets from a lot of the high profile USWNT players. Fortunately, there probably aren't a lot of players who are in line to lose all that much financially as they probably don't get paid much from the NWHL. As long as this gets done right, it'll be worth it. I think there is more of a market available to them than has been realized. But, I don't know what the ceiling is. It definitely needs to be one league, preferably with NHL involvement. When the biggest stars of the game are scattered between 2 leagues, opportunities are missed. And even following some of the players on social media, I always feel like they could be more proactive in marketing their league as well.

            In the one NWHL game I attended, I was pleasantly surprised by how full the stands were. I loved that the NWHL had a lot of games broadcast online somewhere. I do think the NHL has to be involved in some capacity, as they are already dabbling in it. But, I am excited to see where this can go. I really enjoyed the product I saw, even with its limited resources. BUt, you've got to start somewhere.

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            • #96
              Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

              Originally posted by arenalife View Post
              May not be a lot of players for the NWHL to field teams. Nice solidarity by all the women playing North American hockey.
              Apparently all National team members form various nations playing in either NA league are part of this pledge, most if not all CWHL players, and others.
              https://womenshockeylife.com/womens-...te-for-change/
              It's frustrating that this came out literally the day after I put down my non-refundable deposit for a Whitecaps season ticket next season, but that's not on the players.

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              • #97
                Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                I really, really hope I turn out to be wrong but this is a terrible move by the players. Who are they thinking will be so dramatically impacted by their boycott that it will cause some entity to step forward with financing for insurance and higher salaries? If I'm the Gary Bettman I simply say, "Okay" and move on from women's hockey. Why would I want to spend time trying to convince the players to play in an NHL-sponsored league when the players early gambit is to refuse to play? Why would the NHL (or anyone) want that headache?

                I love women's hockey and was thrilled with the Whitecaps success this season. I absolutely think one league is the way to go. But the sport simply hasn't yet reached critical mass in terms of a national paying audience and advertisers to make demands like this and having a business model cannot be completely ignored. Pro women's hockey is still in the early stages that require people and organizations working together, making sacrifices, putting egos aside to build to that critical mass.

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                • #98
                  Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                  Originally posted by Offsides Guy View Post
                  I really, really hope I turn out to be wrong but this is a terrible move by the players. Who are they thinking will be so dramatically impacted by their boycott that it will cause some entity to step forward with financing for insurance and higher salaries? If I'm the Gary Bettman I simply say, "Okay" and move on from women's hockey. Why would I want to spend time trying to convince the players to play in an NHL-sponsored league when the players early gambit is to refuse to play? Why would the NHL (or anyone) want that headache?
                  I think you're misreading the subtext of this move. Gary Bettman has said repeatedly that he doesn't believe in the NWHL's business model. What the players are saying here is that they agree with him. They're ready to move on from the NWHL and into a new league backed by the NHL as soon as the NHL is ready to step up.

                  As I indicated above, I'm skeptical about Bettman's (and by extension, the NHL owners') sincerity in claiming that they want to really support women's hockey. But the players are, at least, calling his bluff. If the NHL follows this up with silence or obfuscation, we'll know that they aren't serious.

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                  • #99
                    Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                    More info here: https://kstp.com/sports/womens-hocke...5338217/?cat=7
                    Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey

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                    • Originally posted by Still Eeyore View Post
                      I think you're misreading the subtext of this move. Gary Bettman has said repeatedly that he doesn't believe in the NWHL's business model. What the players are saying here is that they agree with him. They're ready to move on from the NWHL and into a new league backed by the NHL as soon as the NHL is ready to step up.

                      As I indicated above, I'm skeptical about Bettman's (and by extension, the NHL owners') sincerity in claiming that they want to really support women's hockey. But the players are, at least, calling his bluff. If the NHL follows this up with silence or obfuscation, we'll know that they aren't serious.
                      What is the endgame? Have the NHL subsidize a losing business indefinitely? How much of an NHL subsidy will be enough? As much as I love and support women’s hockey- these players don’t “deserve” anything. If it’s not making money- that’s it. How much do they think they “deserve” to make? $50k? Why do they deserve that? I can’t say I “deserve” anything in my profession. If the NHL decides it’s in its interest to subside a league- that’s its decision. But I don’t think this was the right move. Now there is no league for the NHL to give any support to and it can sit back and continue to say women’s hockey can’t get its act together.

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                      • Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                        Originally posted by Rightnut View Post
                        What is the endgame? Have the NHL subsidize a losing business indefinitely? How much of an NHL subsidy will be enough? As much as I love and support women’s hockey- these players don’t “deserve” anything. If it’s not making money- that’s it. How much do they think they “deserve” to make? $50k? Why do they deserve that? I can’t say I “deserve” anything in my profession. If the NHL decides it’s in its interest to subside a league- that’s its decision. But I don’t think this was the right move. Now there is no league for the NHL to give any support to and it can sit back and continue to say women’s hockey can’t get its act together.
                        The NBA continues to heavily subsidize the WNBA. They consider it a marketing expense, that supporting a women's league broadens overall interest in the game. It also helps that a lot of NBA players have been very vocal about their support for the women's game.

                        Your last two sentences are entirely irrelevant. To the extent that Gery Bettman has made anything clear, it's that the NHL will not support the NWHL beyond a token subsidy ($20,000 per team), full stop. Torpedoing the NWHL can't set back the development of an NHL backed league, and, if we take Bettman's comments at face value, can only hasten it. And the players' position is that the NWHL, as it currently exists, is not a viable option in which to play. With a team salary cap of $100,000 for a full roster, those players who are not receiving a national team subsidy simply can't make it enough of a priority to justify the idea that it's a professional league.

                        Lastly, the idea that what we deserve is tied solely to how much money we generate has made our society demonstrably poorer.

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                        • Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                          I think it’s really scary what the women are doing but it’s also maybe good to find out where you stand. Bettman wouldn’t owe them a league, except for the fact that he has said if there was no league he would roll one out. So that’s where the pressure on the NHL is coming from. Plus Cassie Campbell went hard about a year ago saying the NHL has a plan, etc.

                          But we only have to look to this past weekend when the CW had its auction to know that when it mattered people with power, not just the NHL, were silent and left the women to struggle.

                          It’s interesting to hear people say there’s no market for this. The women haven’t been given a fair chance to create the market. Look at yesterday when social media exploded in a negative way because the women dared to want better for themselves. It’s just one example of the challenges the women face. But the thing is, we know the potential for a market exists - Whitecaps, Beauts, Canadiennes, and to a lesser extent the Pride, all had good support. Minnesota and Wisconsin get great crowds in college. This is not impossible.

                          One of the most encouraging things I saw yesterday was Bauer Hockey’s advertisement and statement. Hopefully more corporations, media and everyday fans will see the benefit of supporting women’s hockey.

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                          • Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                            Originally posted by Still Eeyore View Post
                            And the players' position is that the NWHL, as it currently exists, is not a viable option in which to play. With a team salary cap of $100,000 for a full roster, those players who are not receiving a national team subsidy simply can't make it enough of a priority to justify the idea that it's a professional league.
                            Then why did the players support the CWHL?

                            Sean
                            Women's Hockey East Champions 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010
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                            • Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                              I don't think North America is ready to support a women's hockey league. Why? Because outside of Minneapolis and Madison no one really cares enough to go watch at the college level. The attendance out east is appalling. Major metro cities in the midwest, south and west have zero women's college hockey teams. The game has to grow from the collegiate level out.
                              Wisconsin Hockey: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 WE WANT MORE!
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                              Timothy A --> Great hockey mind... Or Greatest hockey mind?!?"

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                              • Re: NWHL Announcement Event On Tuesday In Saint Paul

                                Came across this article yesterday and found it a timely read given the women's pro hockey situation. I realize pro lacrosse gets more fans than women's hockey but, still, this guy's strategy and tactics behind starting a new pro league are pretty creative.

                                https://www.si.com/more-sports/2018/...acrosse-league

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