Players’ move to CWHL fuels merger speculation
Prominent members of the U.S. women’s hockey team moving to Canada to play strengthens speculation that a merger of the top two women’s leagues into one is nigh.
Hilary Knight, Brianna Decker and Kacey Bellamy say their decisions to play in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League this season were personal, not collective. But they’re also not adverse to their relocations strengthening the winds of change blowing through women’s hockey. Both interim CWHL commissioner Jayna Hefford and National Women’s Hockey League commissioner Dani Rylan indicated this year a merger is desirable. Knight now plays for Les Canadiennes de Montreal. Decker, Bellamy and goaltender Alex Rigsby joined the Calgary Inferno this season. All four were members of the team that beat Canada for Olympic gold in February. High-profile players from Canada and the U.S., who battled each other tooth and nail for Olympic gold in Pyeongchang, South Korea, a few months ago, are adjusting to each other as teammates. Knight in Montreal gives Les Canadiennes arguably two of the best players in the world with Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin also on the roster.
“You have the chance to play against each other at the highest international level and now we have the chance to play a whole season together,” Poulin said. “We can make each other better. We can push each other to the next level. “Obviously there’s mutual respect there in how much we want to grow women’s hockey and that’s how it all starts, playing all together in the same league.”
The six-team CWHL is in its 12th season. The NWHL has five U.S.based teams.
Knight, Decker and Bellamy said getting to play two games a weekend instead of one, and simply a change of scenery, were factors in switching from the NWHL to the CWHL.