Collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League

NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan hands the Isobel Cup to the Buffalo Beauts in 2017

As the NWHL continued to grow and the CWHL began paying its players, discussions intensified about potentially merging the two leagues to form a single unified professional North American women's hockey league.[14][15][16] In October 2018, NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan stated that "One league is inevitable," while CWHL’s interim commissioner Jayna Hefford called a merger "a priority."[17]

Despite player support for a merger, and a stated willingness from both leagues' leaderships, negotiations between the leagues failed to consistently produce results.[18] One point of contention was differing visions of the potential role of the men's National Hockey League in a unified league, and the NHL's refusal to get involved in negotiations, stating that it didn't believe in either the NWHL's or the CWHL's models.[19][20][21] The different structures between the leagues also proved hard to reconcile, with the CWHL structured as a not-for-profit association and the NWHL structured as a for-profit association.[22] Issues were also raised surrounding which teams would be in a unified league, with uncertainty surrounding geographically close teams (such as the NWHL's Boston Pride and the CWHL's Worcester Blades and the CWHL's Chinese teams, as well as the respective trophies of each league, notably the Clarkson Cup and the Isobel Cup.[23]

The situation of two competing leagues was not a unique phenomenon in North American hockey. In the 1970s, the men's National Hockey League and World Hockey Association were fierce rivals, eventually merging in 1979. Other commentators compared the situation to professional men's lacrosse in North America, with the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) becoming the third major significant league in 2019, along with the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Major League Lacrosse (MLL).[24] In December 2020, the MLL merged into the PLL.[25]

According to the laws on non-profit organisations in the jurisdiction the CWHL was based in, the league was required to liquidate all its remaining assets to cover costs and pay off its debts. At the end of April 2019, the league began auctioning off its assets, including all the league trophies.[48] Despite the auction being legally necessary, it provoked deep unease among women's hockey fans, as the artifacts were valuable pieces of hockey history and that there was no way to ensure the proper preservation of the artifacts if they were purchased by private bidders.[49][50] Queen's University professor Courtney Szto stated that "the gut wrenching part about seeing these trophies go up for sale as if they are regular commodities and not historical and cultural artifacts is because it’s possible that a big part of women’s hockey history could be erased."[51]

After facing criticism for a lack of involvement in trying to preserve CWHL artifacts, the Hockey Hall of Fame stated that their status as a charity prevented them from directly purchasing any artifacts and that their curation criteria were restricted to trophies and artifacts used in games. The Hall did, however, state that they would be able to provide tax receipts for any items donated to the Hall and that they had held a conference call with the CWHL.[52] A few days after the start of the auction, the league removed a few trophies from the listing, stating that they were in talks with bidders who would donate the trophies to the Hall. Seven out of the ten trophies would end up being donated.

The Angela James Bowl, awarded to the top CWHL scorer, in 2008

Two women's hockey journalists, Kirsten Whelan and Jared Book, launched a GoFundMe campaign to try and preserve as many artifacts as possible from the auction. They eventually raised around $6700 before the auction, using it to save Caroline Ouellette’s jersey from her rookie season, to help other parties who would donate trophies to the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as inscribing the names of the 2018–19 award winners on the trophies and providing some funds directly to players.[53]

Soon after the announcement of the collapse, the Markham Thunder announced that they would be auctioning off team assets to help provide funds for their players.[54] They were forced to reboot the auction, however, after the league stepped in to clarify that all teams would have to sell their assets as part of the league's liquidation process, and that since teams were owned by the league, team assets were hence property of the league. The money raised from the auctions would therefore go to the league instead of to players directly.[55]

A number of investors, including the NHL, also contributed some money towards helping the CWHL pay off its remaining debts and finish paying players their season salaries.[56]

The news of the collapse sparked widespread shock among players and the hockey community.[57][58][59][60] Sami Jo Small, one the league's original co-founders, stated that the news came out of nowhere to her and that, as a general manager, "during this entire season I was never asked once to bring in more money or spend less money. That's why the confusion — it was just such a blow and a shock when we could have been doing a lot of different things along the way."[61] Canadian senator and Olympic committee director Marty Deacon called the collapse of the league "a tremendous loss."[62]

Multiple players expressed feelings that the collapse proved that it was time for players to be more outspoken and proactive in demanding support for women's hockey. CWHL Players' Association chair Liz Knox stated that

"I think it’s kind of opened our eyes to something that we always knew was there, and to seize the opportunity to really ask for more for our sport. I see more often, women, especially female athletes, being told to be grateful for opportunity. And certainly we are, but at some point that line of being grateful has to be broken to ask for more or to demand for more... There’s got to be better out there for us."[63]

Fran Rider, president of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) stated that the collapse "demonstrates the challenges female sports continue to face in attracting much needed and much deserved financial support."[64] Former Canadian Olympian Caroline Ouellette stated that "I think one hundred per cent the players know they are the ones holding the power. They know the game is going to take the direction that they want it to take."[65]

Some players expressed cautious optimism about new opportunities that could be launched in the wake of the league's collapse, with retired Canadian Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser tweeting "One step back, two steps forward perhaps?" Inferno forward Dakota Woodworth stated that she was "fully confident and fully hopeful that something better is definitely coming just because it has to."[66] Others in the hockey community also expressed cautious optimism, with former governor general and namesake of the Clarkson Cup, Adrienne Clarkson, stating that "I think something will arise out of this, and maybe it just had to collapse like this for something to come out of it which will work."[67] Brock University professor Julie Stevens compared the situation to the early days of men's professional leagues and the rivalry between the NHL and the World Hockey Association (WHA) in the 1970s, noting that similar events have often been catalysts for significant new developments in the sport.[68]

The NWHL released a statement responding to the collapse of the CWHL, stating that it was saddened by the CWHL's folding, but that the league was confident in its own growth and that it "respects the wishes of all players to consider their options."[69] NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated that, while he recognised the importance of professional women's hockey, the NHL would not get significantly involved unless there were no leagues remaining.[70]

The news of the CWHL's collapse was met with widespread dismay in the junior hockey community.[71] Rolland Cyr, head of the Kitchener Minor Hockey Association stated that the young girls in his league were hurt by the collapse and that "they would like the league back."[72] Parents of young players also expressed fears over the collapse, with one parent telling the CBC: "What happens to my daughter when she finishes minor bantam? I don't know what that road is."[73]

Many graduating collegiate players expressed deep uncertainty over the collapse of the league and the effect it would have on their hockey careers, since around half the potential professional roster spots in North America had disappeared overnight.[74] Some Canadian commentators argued that the collapse of the CWHL proved that Canadian women's hockey was too reliant on the American university system to develop talent and called for the creation of better development circuits in Canada.[75]

Insufficient revenue has been cited as the major cause behind the collapse of the CWHL, with the loss of major investors and the retreat of one Chinese team during the 2018 off-season severely hurting the league's capacity to increase its revenue in line with expenses.[76]

Despite financial statement obtained by The Hockey News apparently showing a $200,000 surplus in the 2018 fiscal year, the league seemed to have incurred significantly increased expenses, potentially in part due to the introduction of player salaries, which the league stated increased costs by around $600,000 per season.[77] According to newspaper La Presse, the league had failed to increase revenues over the last two years and had finished the 2018–19 season with a $300,000 deficit, its third in the last four seasons, and sixth since the creation of the league. Hefford also stated that she was unwilling to take similar actions to the NWHL to address deficits, notably cutting player salaries, believing that it was better for the league to fold than to move backwards.[38]

Calgary Inferno general manager Kristen Hagg said that the lack of media coverage of the league as well as stereotypes about women's hockey contributed to the collapse of the league, stating that:

"We live in a society where people do not value women's sport. Most of us have been socialized to accept men's sport as dominant and somehow automatically more interesting. The problem is that once society internalizes falsehood, it's not easy to correct it. I've been to NHL games that are boring. Someone is playing the trap or maybe they just don't have it that day. They do play 82 games in a season after all. People watch women's hockey and if it isn't on-the-edge-of-your-seat-exciting for 60 minutes, it's not just worth their while."[78]

The league's broadcast deal with Sportsnet also potentially contributed to the league's issues as, despite good ratings, the network only broadcast three games per season and did not have to pay the league any licensing fees.[38] Women's sport historian M. Ann Hall argued that the lack of coverage hampered the league's chances to capitalise on its successes, and that the league had failed to find its niche in the sports marketplace.[79]

Several commentators pointed to the split between the two North American leagues as a cause of the CWHL's collapse. Ken Wong, marketing professor at Queen's University, stated that "this is a very limited, not just pool of talent but pool of fans. So to split them up two ways like that made no sense at all."[80] Other commentators pointed towards the CWHL's lack of marketing and the unavailability of easily accessible viewing options.[81][82][83] Others mentioned the Chinese expansion as a potential cause, with rumours that the partnership was heavily disorganized, or that the Chinese government's large financial contributions to the CWHL budget inspired a sense of overconfidence among league leadership.[33]

Other commentators have pointed towards a lack of vision in the league and a failure to consistently establish professional working conditions and structures, for players, staff, and members of the media alike.[84] In a PWHPA event in January 2020, former Toronto Furies defender Renata Fast stated that:

"I think we all wanted in the past our professional leagues to look professional to outsiders. But the truth is, it wasn’t really behind the surface. We dealt with a lot of things that we were just like ‘OK, this is just normal. We have to make it look like this is OK.’ You couldn’t have any structure when you played or any type of routine heading into a game because you never knew what was going to happen."[85]

The National Hockey League received criticism for failing to do enough to support women's hockey, having only investing $50,000 in total per year to the CWHL and another $50,000 to the NWHL, despite annual NHL revenues of several billion dollars, the NHL's stated goal of growing the game, and girls hockey being the fastest growing part of minor hockey in North America.[86][87][88] A 2020 study from Saint Mary's University reported "little tangible benefit" from the NHL's minimal support of women's hockey and that "it is difficult to conceptualize the level at which women [in hockey] are viewed as commoditized tradable goods."[89] Former WNBA president Val Ackerman, who had advised the NHL in 2011 not to launch a women's hockey league, stated that she now felt that the game had significantly grown and that "what’s good for women’s hockey is good for hockey and what’s good for hockey would be good for the NHL."[90]

The Institute for Research on Public Policy called the collapse of the CWHL part of a wider trend of struggles faced by non-profit organisations in Canada, describing the legal framework for non-profits as not allowing necessary investments which often result in non-profits failing to effectively retain key staff or incorporate new innovations into their practices.[91]

At the end of July 2019, the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays announced that they would continue operations, moving to the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL), becoming the eighth team in the Russian league. As the only completely independently-owned CWHL team and as affiliates of the men's HC Kunlun Red Star, of Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the move was able to proceed without too much disruption to club affairs.[118] Shenzen goaltender Noora Räty opted to continue playing with the team while also serving on the PWHPA board.[119] Despite facing more overt sexism in Russia, several ex-CWHL players have spoken positively about the increased professionalism in the ZhHL, with Alex Carpenter stating that "When I think of this league, I think of little things that are normal for a professional athlete. But nobody had done them for us in the past, so it doesn't seem normal."[120]

In August 2019, all 43 players selected to the Swedish national team camp ahead of the Five Nations announced that they would be striking in protest over a lack of support and financial compensation from the Swedish Ice Hockey Association.[121] The strike adopted the named #FörFramtiden (For the Future), with players releasing coordinated social media posts in a similar fashion to the #ForTheGame movement. After several months on strike, the players reached an agreement with the Association, and a year later, the players' union would negotiate the first-ever collective bargaining agreement between the players of the SDHL and the SDHL.[122]

In January 2020, Unionen released their first ever report on the state of working conditions between professional men's and women's players in Sweden. The report found that the average top flight men's player is paid more than the combined salaries of an entire SDHL club, with only 7% of SDHL players feeling like they could earn a living from hockey and only 27% being satisfied with the conditions they faced in the sport.[123]

On the 2nd of April 2019, the National Women's Hockey League announced that they would be adding two expansion teams ahead of the 2019–20 season, in Toronto and Montréal, citing an increased commitment from the NHL for sponsorship revenue. NHWL Commissioner Dani Rylan stated in a press conference that the league had not been planning to expand, but that they had immediately changed plans after hearing about the CWHL's collapse.[124] But after the launch of the #ForTheGame movement, which including a large number of NWHL players, Kim Pegula announced that she was abandoning her ownership of the Buffalo Beauts and the New Jersey Devils severed their affiliation with the Metropolitan Riveters.[125][126] It was also reported that the increased commitment from the NHL only amounted to an extra $50,000, doubling the amount the NWHL received but keeping the total amount the NHL spent on professional women's hockey sponsorships unchanged.[127] By the end of May, less than two months after announcing the plans, the NWHL cancelled its expansion into Canada, but did not rule out the possibility of a future expansion.[128]

In September 2019, the NWHL announced its first ever broadcast deal to include a rights fee, a three-year partnership with Twitch, and in April 2020, the NWHL announced the arrival of the Toronto Six as its first ever Canadian expansion team.[129][130] Six owner Johanna Boynton stated that:

"I was influenced a lot by the CWHL folding... I just realized this is a big-picture type of passion of like, how do we do this and get this on a foundation that really can be something of growth and take it to a new level?[131]

During the 2019 off-season, the NWHL Players' Association negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement with the NWHL, securing increased benefits for players and a landmark 50/50 split in sponsor revenues between the league and players.[132] When the NWHL announced its plans for a shortened 2020–21 season, held in a bubble during the COVID–19 pandemic, the NWHLPA secured a guarantee that players would receive their full salary, even if they opted-out of playing.[133]

In October 2020, the NWHL reorganized its governance structure in the aim of prioritizing independent ownership of teams, creating a Board of Governors along the NHL model with representatives from each team taking a seat. As part of the reorganization, Dani Rylan stepped down as league commissioner to lead the search for independent ownership of the four league-owned teams.[134] Tyler Tumminia, previously named as chair of the Toronto Six, was named interim commissioner.[135]

The COVID–19 pandemic hit North America and Europe in early 2020, less than a year after the collapse of the CWHL, and has had a significant impact on women's hockey, forcing the cancellation of 2019–20 seasons and disrupting planning for 2020–21 seasons.[136] The impacts of the pandemic, in combination with the continuing fallout from the CWHL's collapse, have further multiplied discussions about the future of professional women's hockey.[137] With even major men's leagues struggling to set plans for play during the pandemic and to balance expected losses of revenue, questions of low investments and low media coverage have become even more important for the women's game. The pandemic has also impacted the ability of players to train, as many already had less access to ice time and training facilities, even when they were still part of a formal league.[138] Player salaries have also been cited as an issue, with players facing potential loss of both their salary from hockey and their salaries from their full-time jobs outside of hockey.[139] Hefford has stated that:

"Women’s sport is certainly going to suffer because of this, and simply because I think there was so much momentum in our sport and in others as well. We’re still in a place where the investment needs to be made. It’s going to be harder and harder to get that investment in the current situation."[140]