The PWHL

[DeluxeMoustache]

It has been a very exciting week for women’s hockey

The PWHL has been formed, cities announced, and GMs named.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6952257

'You dream of this as a little girl, to have a real full setup and be a professional athlete'

…

On Tuesday, the PWHL announced six franchises (Canada's include Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa) in addition to details on free agency and a draft.

Yet to be determined is the exact schedule, playoff format and team and league branding, among other things.

I didn’t see a thread, so if I missed one please let me know



Franchises will be 3 based in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa) and 3 in the US (Boston, New York, Minnesota). They are planning for 24 regular season games starting in January.

The draft is scheduled for Sept 18, with 15 rounds

Tons to discuss, and definitely deserving of its own thread

Here is a free agency primer

https://www.sportsnet.ca/women-hocke...nd-why/?sn-amp


A really exciting time! What are your thoughts?

[EverfresH15]

[Number 39]

I’m curious to see how much ticket buying public support the league gets. Can it be self sustaining? To me this is the fundamental question (yes, I’m aware that the NHL will be supporting in some manner) for any professional league.

[Derek Sutton]

Wish them all the best, but won’t watch much. Two flaws, one being how regional the league is, will be tough to garner interest here out west, though will cut down on overall operating costs. The other being that the calibre of hockey is just not good enough.

[Finger Cookin]

I'll at least tune in to a few games, see what it's like

[bluejays]

I will say the women's game has improved over the years, but I won't be watching. I don't watch college games for the same reason that it's not top calibre skill. But there is a market for it from a role model perspective (though over time I don't know why athletes are ever seen as great role models anyway). That's a different discussion as a whole.

[Reggie Dunlop]

The WNBA does well in its niche. I think this venture, properly managed, can survive. I wish it luck.

European women's leagues exist. If they can start bringing over its top talent, it might be able to garner a wider audience.

[BigFlameDog]

I am super excited and I understand why a lot of male fans of the NHL simply won't watch. I am deeply involved in local female hockey and see it from a different perspective. They know what they are, how hard they need to work to find their niche and that it won't be easy. They are not trying to convert the ones that say they won't watch or attend, they are not trying to be an alternative. There is a market that needs to be nurtured and better organization will help. One of the biggest hurdles with the Inferno was a solid home rink, tv coverage and game times. This should help with that as they move forward.

For female hockey, which is growing like crazy in the Calgary and surrounding area, this is huge news.

[Circa89]

I care just enough to come in here and post that I don't care.

all the best with this

[RyZ]

Im sure it will work this time. Or maybe next time or the time after that.

[topfiverecords]

Hopefully it can be sustained long enough to get enough traction to add more teams. They’ll need more than six to secure any long term success as I don’t think it can survive as a small regional league.

The current operation is logical though to keep travel costs to the minimum for the start, and not end up with too much talent dilution.

Had there been any indication yet of TV coverage?

+ at some of the posts in here already.

[Oil Stain]

I think the salaries are out of whack. $80,000 USD for 24 games. On a per game basis that would equal out to $240,000 USD for a 72 game AHL season.

ECHL players make an average of like $18,000 for 72 games, and the attendance will probably be pretty similar. Lowest salary in the PWHL will be $35,000.

I guess the whole league is going to be owned by Mark Walter (Billionaire) and partners, and will probably get some support from the NHL so turning a profit likely isn't a top concern.

The biggest benefit of this league besides growing the sport for girls is that it has the potential to create a development system for women that want to get involved in things like scouting, coaching, and management. These are areas that women can compete with men on equal footing, and it could potentially lead to women landing key NHL roles if/when the dinosaurs that control the NHL get phased out.

I think it would be pretty cool if the league could leverage the history of hockey like the Ottawa Senators did.

Have the Montreal Wanderers, New York Americans, Toronto Blue Shirts, and the Minnesota North Stars! and or Quebec Nordiques! Have the team jerseys match the colors and have twists on the logos of the NHL cities they are in. Except the North Stars and Nordiques who would rock those classic threads!

I would actually think about buying a PWHL jersey if they are rocking the Nordiques trademark. Not likely to happen, but it would seem like a good opportunity to create some instant cache.

I won't follow it much but I will probably check the year end stats to see who wins the Aunt Ross, etc. Probably watch some highlights of the finals and maybe tune in if something interesting like a game 7 were to happen which be more than I follow any other league outside of NHL and juniors. They definitely need to come up with a bad ass trophy like Lord Stanley's Mug.

[Kipper_3434]

Very cool format. I hope they can generate decent publicity and sustain

[bdubbs]

If a billionaire and his investor buddies + the NHL want to spend the money on it, I don't see why they can't build something interesting. At the least, if it is sustainable, it can give girls growing up with hockey a dream to reach.

That being said, I probably won't watch many games, but I will check out some highlights post game I am sure.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I think the salaries are out of whack. $80,000 USD for 24 games. On a per game basis that would equal out to $240,000 USD for a 72 game AHL season.

ECHL players make an average of like $18,000 for 72 games, and the attendance will probably be pretty similar. Lowest salary in the PWHL will be $35,000.

You make an interesting point, but I'm not sure the AHL/ECHL are actually the most relevant comps here. NLL might closer - 15 team league, 18 game season, and really it's only niche product. But it looks like NLL salaries average $20k and max out at $37k. That league averages 7700 attendees per game (but quite variable)...apparently the PWHPA single game attendance record is 4300. So you're probably right that things are still out of whack.

The 100th best female player in the world will make more than the ~2500th best male player (ECHL). That part doesn't seem unreasonable.

I expect this league will generate more from corporate sponsorships than the AHL or ECHL (or NLL) do.

[Puppet Guy]

Bump.

the PWHL unveiled team names and logos today - Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge, Montreal Victoire and Toronto Sceptres. Some good, some kinda meh, but far better than just city names and generic uniforms.

The Boston Fleet logo looks kinda familiar...





https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/pwh...veal-1.7317373

[Table 5]

Go Flamin' O's!

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Go Flamin' O's!

They only play games March 18th

[Slanter]

Sirens? Really?

[Puppet Guy]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Go Flamin' O's!

Spoiler!