Quote:
Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler
I don't understand. Do they want government subsidies? If nobody wants to pay to watch you play, you don't get to be a "professional". Nobody (so far) wants to pay to watch Slava and I play bridge, so until then we need to have other jobs to sustain ourselves.
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This isn't aimed at the NHL or the fans or anything like that. This is aimed at the NWHL who apparently is a total gong show but think they can make a go at being an "independent" league.
Friedman and Marek talked about this on their podcast, they believe the NHL has a "break in case of emergency" plan for a women's league that would be similar to the WNBA (i.e. you can make a living but not be rich) but that they don't want to be viewed as competing with the CWHL and NWHL.
But...the NHL isn't going to promote and fund a league they don't control, and I don't blame them. There is a real opportunity here for professional women's hockey but there are stubborn people, specifically in the NWHL who aren't willing to give up control and are in the process, hurting the game long term.
The CWHL folding was the first step in getting the WNHL, the refugees from that league are telling the NWHL that their league sucks and we won't play for you for peanuts so just give it up and turn this thing over to the NHL.