The Canadian Women’s Hockey League Folds Amid “Economically Unsustainable Business Model”

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League Folds Amid “Economically Unsustainable Business Model”

April 2, 2019 Off By Jordan Stoopler

Just one week ago, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) was celebrating the players in its league in Toronto. There was an awards ceremony last Friday night which honoured the league’s finest, from Montreal captain and league MVP Marie-Philip Poulin to defenceman of the year Erin Ambrose, also from Montreal, and goalie of the year Alex Rigsby of the Calgary Inferno.

The Clarkson Cup final, won by the Inferno 5-2 over Montreal, was played at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Sunday in front of a few thousand fans in attendance. A record-setting 175,000 others tuned in on television to the game, broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and the NHL Network in the United States.

All this made the news that broke just after 10:00 am on Sunday morning all the more baffling. After 12 years of existence, the CWHL was no more.

The league-issued statement cites an “economically unsustainable business model” as a catalyst behind the decision made by the league’s Board of Directors to terminate the league. While they qualify the on-ice product to be “exceptional,” it does not compensate for the financial shortfalls. The move will take effect May 1 of this year.

The news comes days before the start of the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships taking place in Espoo, Finland, set to kick off on Thursday and run until April 14. 26 women who played in the CWHL this past season will take part in this yearly tournament.

The league underwent a shift of sorts last summer with the naming of women’s hockey legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford as commissioner in place of Brenda Andress. In addition, a new board was instituted at the start of the season in an effort to increase revenue. Players had slowly begun being paid in 2017, but it was not sufficient to live off of, requiring players to hold down full-time jobs while and training and playing the sport they love.

The reaction from around the league has been palpable.

As the above tweets highlight, players are showing a united front in the face of uncertainty. Much of the same message is being shared, with almost identical tweets coming from some of the league’s biggest attractions.

The use of the hashtag #noleague is significant as it not only refers to Sunday’s decision to put an end to the CWHL, but also indirectly plays into the constant talking point in women’s hockey circles: that of the creation of one league.

The CWHL was in competition with the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL), its United States counterpart. The 5-team league was founded in 2015 and paid its players from the outset. There has been competition and differences in philosophy between both leagues from the get-go, which have resulted in difficult negotiations towards the creation of one league.

Rylan also said the NWHL is evaluating its options when it comes to expansion into Canada as a means of accommodating the 152 CWHL players now left without a team.

“We will pursue any and all opportunities to ensure the best players in Canada have a place to play,” Rylan said. “Those conversations have started already and have quickly become a priority.”

There have been calls for the National Hockey League to offer financial backing and support towards the women’s game, beyond the existing partnerships with seven of its member teams. However, commissioner Gary Bettman has long stated that this would only happen should they be able to create a brand-new league of their own in the absence of any existing women’s hockey league. It appears little has changed, at least in the short term, in light of this announcement.

It is uncertain what this will mean for the league’s players as well as its coaches, managers, and support staff. The CWHL Players’ Association has requested patience privacy for its players as they grapple with this shocking news. For now, all eyes are turned on the World Championships, in the hopes it can take women’s hockey fans away from the troubling news, at least for the next two weeks.

***The Fan Verdict reached out to USA Hockey, with the hopes of speaking with some of their players who had competed in the CWHL, as they wrapped up their training camp on Long Island Sunday. However, due to travel this evening for Finland, players were unavailable for immediate interviews.***

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CategoryWomen's Hockey
TagsCWHL Jayna Hefford Marie-Philip Poulin NWHL one league women's hockey