OffThePost.org

(Generation III)
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:44 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:29 am 
Offline
Finally figured out how to change this!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:54 pm
Posts: 11618
The CWHL has announced it will fold May 1st. They say their business structure is unsustainable. The NWHL has said they are all set to play next year, but of course the wonder is if they can take on some of the existing CWHL teams. Maybe at least expand rosters to allow some of the the CWHL players to join the NWHL. Crappy situation, and I am biased, but I still feel the NHL should step in and help the NWHL. It would be barely noticeable to NHL owners to fully fund the NWHL.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 9:39 am 
Offline
OTP Historian
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:10 pm
Posts: 11136
That sucks :x

Chris18 wrote:
Crappy situation, and I am biased, but I still feel the NHL should step in and help the NWHL. It would be barely noticeable to NHL owners to fully fund the NWHL.


Someone said that the amount of support that the women's league(s?) gets from the NHL is less than 6 figures...that's fucking awful. Most of the rinks are funded by a pile of public money and that's the best that they can do? Brutal.

_________________
Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:39 am 
Offline
Big in Japan
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:37 am
Posts: 14212
Location: 'Real City
Yup, the NHL is really cheaping out here, and for very little investment help build the game and get fans for life. Does it not occur to them that if more women get into the game, they'll want to see both the women's and men's leagues? It's also just the right thing to do.

Molson helped out Les Canadiennes a bit, giving them the brand and arena space in Laval. Not sure a single owner could find value in buying a league, but it's an option.

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 1:58 pm 
Offline
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:37 am
Posts: 26101
People say this is a precursor to one women's league, I'm not so convinced. If so, I don't like that it's going down like this. Practically everyone was caught off-guard on this one. There was never a hint to anyone from management on down that things were running off the rails.

Ridiculous that some of the best players in the world, gold medalists and record-holders aplenty like Marie-Philip Poulin and Hilary Knight are suddenly out of work.

They're likely going to have to take the same route as MLS and the WNBA and gather some solid sponsorship from all across North America in order for this to work. Gate revenues and merchandise didn't even come close to covering costs based on what I read. But under the right leadership and with some big investment $$$ willing to subsidize things for a while, it could work. I hope to hell it does work.

Also a complete bullshit cop-out that Bettman and the NHL were staying out of it because they didn't want to "play bully" and force a merger. The CWHL has been around for 12 years, and the current iteration of the NWHL did not start up until 2015. During that interim period the NHL did pretty much nothing.

We'll see what happens but this is pretty ugly all-around.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:59 am 
Offline
Finally figured out how to change this!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:54 pm
Posts: 11618
If the NHL invested like $5 million into the NWHL, it would make an incredible difference to the league, to women's hockey, and to a future fan base. And the NHL would not exactly fold from doing it.

Yet the NHL will allow the women to participate in some skills events and continually post the video to their social media accounts, and run women out there for all the "You can play" events they run to recruit girls into hockey. Apparently, they can't. They need money to play.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:10 pm 
Offline
Big in Japan
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:37 am
Posts: 14212
Location: 'Real City
Quote:
@emilymkaplan
Just spoke to Dani Rylan, have some women's hockey news to share: the NWHL board has approved investments in two Canadian markets. League expects to have teams in Toronto and Montreal this upcoming season. NWHL will have 7 teams.


Quote:
@emilymkaplan
In addition, Dani Rylan met with Gary Bettman yesterday. The NHL has agreed to significantly up its contribution to the NWHL. The NHL is now one of the NWHL's biggest financial sponsors.


I guess Buttman was just waiting for the dust to settle. Dick move to wait for one of them to fold, but if they support this league so be it.

_________________
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 7:53 pm 
Offline
Finally figured out how to change this!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:54 pm
Posts: 11618
E.L. wrote:
Quote:
@emilymkaplan
Just spoke to Dani Rylan, have some women's hockey news to share: the NWHL board has approved investments in two Canadian markets. League expects to have teams in Toronto and Montreal this upcoming season. NWHL will have 7 teams.


Quote:
@emilymkaplan
In addition, Dani Rylan met with Gary Bettman yesterday. The NHL has agreed to significantly up its contribution to the NWHL. The NHL is now one of the NWHL's biggest financial sponsors.


I guess Buttman was just waiting for the dust to settle. Dick move to wait for one of them to fold, but if they support this league so be it.


I read the NHL is going to up its contributions to each NWHL; from $50k/year to $100k/year. While doubling the money per team, and adding 2 more teams sounds pretty cool in that wording, even as cheap as the NWHL teams appear to be to run that's a pathetic amount. I'll bet they spend way fucking more than $700k advertising specific games, let alone an entire league that could help grow the game in general and help lead to lifelong hockey/NHL/NWHL fans. The return on investment would be worth it now.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 2:03 pm 
Offline
Un-Tenured Professor of Hockey
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:37 am
Posts: 26101
It would be sooooooooooo easy for them to throw 'em, like, five million and it wouldn't even dent their revenues. In return they'd get a viable Women's league on stable financial ground that would help grow the game exponentially at ground level and introduce tons of female fans to both the women's and men's game.

I'm glad at the very least that Furies and Fabs will live on. I've heard the Inferno was a financial dumpster fire, so not likely they come back, but hopefully they also eventually resurrect some other clubs, like the Thunder.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:00 am 
Offline
Finally figured out how to change this!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:54 pm
Posts: 11618
Pokecheque wrote:
It would be sooooooooooo easy for them to throw 'em, like, five million and it wouldn't even dent their revenues. In return they'd get a viable Women's league on stable financial ground that would help grow the game exponentially at ground level and introduce tons of female fans to both the women's and men's game.

I'm glad at the very least that Furies and Fabs will live on. I've heard the Inferno was a financial dumpster fire, so not likely they come back, but hopefully they also eventually resurrect some other clubs, like the Thunder.


Agreed.
I just checked- the NWHL has 54k followers on Facebook. That's it. The Islanders alone have 301k. Rangers have 1.5 million. The Leafs have 1.3 million (I can't believe the Rangers have more than the Leafs).
I know women's hockey is a niche, but they really need money to advertise properly. Most people I talk to didn't know the league existed. Granted, the nearest team is an hour away, but you'd think people would know OF it.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: CWHL folds
PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2019 6:24 pm 
Offline
Finally figured out how to change this!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:54 pm
Posts: 11618
NWHL released a statement today that they're increasing the salary cap 50%, giving the PA 50% of revenue, and still have a few weeks to try to add 2 more teams for this coming season, with room for more expansion down the road. Commissioner made it clear that if someone with deeper pockets wanted to take over, they'd be willing to hand over the reigns.

Bettman said the NHL has no plans to start a women's league, and didn't answer questions about supporting the NWHL. Could mean there are real talks, or that the NHL is going to see how the NWHL holds up.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group