This week’s spotlight is a more in depth look at the NWHL, the National Women’s Hockey League. Since being formed in 2015, the league has become the gold standard for almost all leagues and has made more progress in its short existence than others which have been around for decades.
The NWHL might have started off as a passion project for Dani Rylan, but the commissioner has implied a lot of meaningful practices. The women are actually paid for being in the league and even though it isn’t that much, it is a good starting point. The paid nature of the league is actually what attracted some bigger names like Hillary Knight but things have changed a little bit.
Originally, each player was given $10,000 a season. At the end of last year, their pay was cut by 50% and giving each player only ended up getting $5,000. Despite that, the league still put their players first by splitting revenue from ticket sales over a certain number. It might not be much compared to other professional sports leagues, but it’s better than the women not getting paid at all.
The other thing I really love about the league is their focus on safety. While the NHL wants to tiptoe around concussions, the NWHL is taking on the issue head-first. The league has taken on their own concussion protocol and partnered with a New York City hospital to ensure that players were taken care of.
Rylan spoke about it last year when the partnership was announced, saying “We are grateful to NYU Langone for its support of women’s hockey and look forward to working with them to maximize the health and safety of our players and to promote wellness throughout the sport of ice hockey.” It’s refreshing to see and hear this perspective on an issue that has been brushed under the rug in multiple other sports.
The league’s changes aren’t only with their pay and network, though. The NWHL added a new director of the NWHLPA. They chose Anya Battagilo who is a player and someone who will understand the players and their concerns. The league has announced plans to cut their season so their players have a chance to be on Olympic teams and that’s something other leagues have yet to implement or even look into.
The league even hosted their own All-Star game which sold out. If that doesn’t show an interest in the league, nothing else will. The league has also begun to receive more media attention with outlets like ESPN and Yahoo Sports beginning to cover them. The league’s focus on their players and their safety has been constant and doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon.
Now in its third year, the NWHL’s future looks promising. Last year, they had their first transgender player who has since retired and lost a few other players. Regardless, ABC streamed their playoffs this year including the Isobel Cup winning game. With an upset by the Buffalo Beauts, it’s exciting to watch these women go out there and play their hearts out!
