Players, executives weigh in on plight of trailblazing women’s hockey stars
There was an unmistakable sense of optimism and excitement when the calendar flipped from April to May.
A new batch of players were anxiously awaiting the start of their first WNBA training camp. Then, a little more than a week after news came out of CBS Sports Network’s intention of televising 40 WNBA games this season, the WNBA announced that 20 more games would be live streamed on Twitter during the 2019 season. It was the kind of news that put a bounce into the steps of league officials heading into the WNBA’s 23rd campaign. However, not all was well in the world of women’s sports.
A day after the second of those announcements came word of a sport on the other end of the spectrum.
Just a couple of weeks after a crowd of 6,053 turned out to see the United States win the IIHF Women’s World Championship for the fifth time in a row came the news that many of those responsible for such dominance were taking drastic measures in the hopes of following the lead of the WNBA.
More than 200 of the world’s top female hockey players will not play professional hockey in North America this year with the hope that when the dust clears, their sacrifice will benefit future generations of hockey prodigies. Many of those players made the jump from the National Women’s Hockey League to the Canadian Women’s Hockey League after salaries were dramatically cut in the NWHL. Not long before the start of the world championships, the rug was pulled out from underneath them when it was announced that the CWHL would be folding effective on May 1 leading to the declaration by many of the most recognizable faces in women’s hockey.
“Worst case is we just fall back into pedaling around the current leagues that we have,” U.S. Olympic gold medalist and former Choate hockey star Hilary Knight told the Associated Press. “That would be unfortunate, and I don’t think that’s going to happen. But we have a chance to create a better future. We have a chance to build, to continue to be pioneers in our sport, and we’re going to take that opportunity.”
The best-case scenario would be for the NHL to throw its financial support into a new women’s hockey league. It is a formula that has worked in the basketball arena. On April 24, 1996 the NBA Board of Governors announced the creation of the WNBA with league play set to begin 14 months later. While four of the original eight WNBA franchises folded between 2003-09, there is still a sense of stability with the season to get underway later this month.
“We have a solid backer and partner in the WNBA, that is always first and foremost,” Atlanta Dream President and General Manager Chris Sienko said. “We have teams that are really starting to become more financially stable, maybe they aren’t making money but they aren’t moving from place to place. If you look at other leagues like Arena Football, they were in how many cities and that is why they were unstable and the same with lacrosse. It is important to have a place where there is steadfast fans that help support the league.”
Make no mistake, without the backing of the NBA there would have been no talk about a 23rd WNBA season. The hockey players realize that having the NHL’s support is imperative if there is going to a professional league with the ability to display some staying power.
“The trajectory of every league is different,” said Amber Cox, vice president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and National Lacrosse League’s New England Black Wolves. “The path to success for every league is basically different and they feel like this is the best thing for them.
“I think a lot of times we are focused on what hasn’t happened and we lose sight on how well we have done in terms of progressing the business, we talk about the corporate success from a league level, how attendance has grown ... I looked up something the other day and something like 4,100 people saw Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and now you get 6-7,000 for games across the (WNBA) and I am proud of that and we continue to make progress. It is just about staying the course, being patient and continuing to get new people in the building and it is true for all women’s sports whether it is WNBA, NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League), the hockey league, we know these women are talented, they are are the top of their sport, and once people watch them one time, they are probably coming back again.”
New York Liberty coach Katie Smith has scored more points than any other U.S. women’s professional basketball player but before her successful run with the WNBA, she won two titles in the now defunct American Basketball League.
“The experiences I have, I have been on a team that got sold and basically how this thing can be ripped out from under you at any moment, you should enjoy the moment that you are at but always nudging it forward and doing everything you can to promote the game,” Smith said. “All of us have a role in our individual lives to promote this league, to be accessible, to do a great job, to grow this game. I do feel that on an every day basis, I feel lucky to be able to have had a job in this league, to continue to have a job in this league, but I also know I have to work hard every single day to make sure that we win the game but I am also growing this game.”
Smith reflected on that fact that this generation of basketball phenoms live in a world where they can aspire to be the next Katie Smith, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Sue Bird, Candace Parker or Diana Taurasi.
“It is unreal, you can see it, you can aspire to be it, you can dream about it,” Smith said. “You are thinking about becoming a professional even before this, these kids are watching it and think about it at an early age and not just the men, it is special to have that but we also want to make sure that they know they have to do their part too, you have to appreciate what has happened before you and understand how special this is and we don’t want to let it go away.”
That is exactly what the hockey players want to create, they want to let future generations have a chance to grow in a North American sports league.
“It is really important because you want our youth to believe that they can do anything they want to do, they shouldn’t be limited because of anything because of their gender so to have a league to aspire to with people who look like them,” Connecticut Sun guard Jasmine Thomas said.
“We are always fighting for equality in all areas of life but especially in the sports world so for them to take the stand even though it is risky for their careers, in the long run it brings attention to what they do. They are special and valuable and they deserve everything they work for so to able to sit out and take a stand for change is absolutely great.”
Smith is totally on board with the sacrifices being made by the women’s hockey stars.
“It means a lot, something you want to back whether it is something you play or not,” Smith said. “You just want to support them from afar and we kind of understand the struggles of making a league last, to grow a league, to get more pay and try to evolve into kind of an equal partner when it comes to men and women. For them to take a stand for people in the moment, it may hurt but they are actually doing it for the future and for the hockey players coming up. It was same for us, we were always trying to grow this so those behind us still had an opportunity to play in this league, hopefully make more money and have more opportunities.”