Olympics: Finland G Noora Raty announces retirement due to lack of women's pro league

[hisgirlfriday]

They just mentioned this on the NBC women's semifinal broadcast and felt it deserved a thread in recognition of what a good goalie Raty is and how unfortunate it is that she won't compete in the Olympics again.

Some of her retirement announcement:

I play hockey because I love to get challenged as it drives to get better as an athlete and goalie. Thus, I would love to take on the challenge and try playing with men since I can’t play college hockey anymore and there’s no professional league for females in North America. But I guess the time will show if some men’s pro team is willing to give a chance.

In fact, I don’t feel that women’s hockey can grow or get any better in the future if the USA or Canada don’t get a professional league started soon. That is the next critical step that our sport needs to take or our sport will never be respected like it should be. Asking players to work full-time and then training like a pro athlete at the same time is just too much and unfair.

... I hope that all this positive TV and press coverage our sport is getting will lead to some great things in the future. Every player here is a tremendous athlete and deserves better opportunities. The USA and Canada are still a step or two ahead of other countries. Other than that, you never know who is going to win on a given day … Just like today Sweden played a great game and was able to beat us.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/eh...raty-quitting-women-hockey-due-213004672.html

Click to read more...

 

[Mit Yarrum]

If a league like the ECHL can survive, so can a women's pro league.

 

[member 151739]

Mentioned this earlier, but it'd be nice if women had a professional league, not just for hockey, but every sport.

Didn't she say something like playing for a men's Finnish league or something? Thought I read that somewhere.

 

[saintflannel]

I'll miss watching her. She was a great goaltender.

 

[SprDaVE]

I've always wondered why there's not a women's league. I understand it takes effort from a select few and a lot of sponsorships to get it off, but I think it would be all right.

It doesn't need 30 teams either. Start with a 6-8 league team. A couple in Canada, a couple in the States. Start in the North East, perhaps stretching to Central, and go from there.

As someone pointed out earlier, if the ECHL and Central Hockey League can survive, I think a women's league could easily too. There's great talent in women's hockey but just not enough of a program to push them even further after college and intra-squad play.

 

[TheSituation]

A women's league won't survive without the NHL's help.

 

[SprDaVE]

A women's league won't survive without the NHL's help.

I do agree there. A partnership would help tremendously, a long with the help from MLSE, MSGC, Molson, DNC, etc.

 

[Minny Shinny]

After hearing about Raty's announcement last night, I had a discussion about this with a friend.

I remember the success in the US of the Women's World Cup in 1999 being the springboard for the women's pro soccer league (WUSA), taking the personalities from the US women's team (as well as a couple well-known international players like Kelly Smith (ENG), Christine Sinclair (CAN) and several of the Brazilians), but I know that league struggled and eventually suspended operations. Soccer might have a larger base of success considering how much more widely it's played throughout the world. The funding for that league came from a lot of TV conglomerates that were hoping to cash in on the exposure from the WWC....but the revenue streams dried up quickly.

Then you have the WNBA, which of course is supported by the NBA, which has had more success (at least relative to the WUSA). They have the TV contract with ESPN so get some exposure from that, at least. Add to that, women do have the opportunity in pro basketball to play in Europe, so there's a fair amount of talent spread internationally to help with parity among the teams.

I certainly think there are markets where you can draw both from a talent pool and find some interest in viewership (the US Northeast corridor and Upper Midwest off the top of my head) but if you're thinking of testing the viability of a women's hockey league, the biggest question is gonna be who's willing to pony up the money for the startup?

You answer that and then go from there.

 

[jonlin]

Mentioned this earlier, but it'd be nice if women had a professional league, not just for hockey, but every sport.

Didn't she say something like playing for a men's Finnish league or something? Thought I read that somewhere.

No way in hell any Finnish league team would take her. If there is anything good in the Finnish league - its goaltenders and goaltending trainers. She would instantly make any team, that has her as a starter, last in the league.

 

[K1984]

If a league like the ECHL can survive, so can a women's pro league.

Except the ECHL is subsidized by the NHL for the purposes of prospect development.

Problem is there is almost zero economic benefit to anyone by operating a women's league.

 

[mindfly]

They just have to be better, no one wants to watch such bad players play... They get their ***** kicked by 14-15 year old boys....

 

[MuckOG]

A women's league won't survive without the NHL's help.

I agree...Maybe the NHL could borrow a page from the NBA, and create the "WNHL" League. By doing so, they can possibly grow the women's game enough to allow for other countries to better represent in international play than they are now.

 

[Bgav]

A women's league wouldn't survive at all. No one would watch it

 

[SprDaVE]

They just have to be better, no one wants to watch such bad players play... They get their ***** kicked by 14-15 year old boys....

It's never going to be as strong as the men's leagues, or even Junior hockey. Some people have to differentiate that. It's the same with any other physical sport. This isn't being sexist, it's the reality.

But with that said, it's still really good hockey. It can get fairly physical and emotional. Of course Canada and the US are clearly 2 notches better then other countries, but if you bring those players from overseas, train them and play them against the best players in the world consistently, the level of competition from other countries will rise, especially if it gets attention.

It will take time though. A lot of time.

 

[Petri1981]

Women hockey dying in Finland. Cant see this sport in the olympics in 2022. We probably wont send a team there.

 

[Mione134]

They just have to be better, no one wants to watch such bad players play... They get their ***** kicked by 14-15 year old boys....

Half of the Olympic team is better than those 14-15 year old boys. Team USA plays against older boys and do just fine. Wickenweiser showed she CAN play with the boys. So your argument is invalid. Sure some of them can't hang. But many can. The biggest solution? Let them check. Let them be allowed to hit and go from there.

They need a league asap. And hopefully they get one.

 

[hatterson]

I would like to see the NHL do what the NBA did and create a WNHL.

Start with maybe 6 teams, at least a couple in both Canada and the US. You don't need to worry about paying them millions, just start with a living wage that lets them actually pay rent, have lives, and be professionals.

Honestly the cost shouldn't be that high. Perhaps it wouldn't be fully self supporting right away, but the NHL should easily be able to throw a few million at it get it rolling.

Talk NBCSN into showing a game a week as a highlighted matchup to start gaining traction.

Heck, if you really want to use it to grow the sport elsewhere in the world have a requirement that teams need to have a certain amount, maybe 2 or 3, import players on their roster.

 

[RJ8812*]

Half of the Olympic team is better than those 14-15 year old boys. Team USA plays against older boys and do just fine. Wickenweiser showed she CAN play with the boys. So your argument is invalid. Sure some of them can't hang. But many can. The biggest solution? Let them check. Let them be allowed to hit and go from there.

They need a league asap. And hopefully they get one.

why? so it can fold after one season?

the interest in women's hockey just isn't there right now

 

[MuckOG]

Half of the Olympic team is better than those 14-15 year old boys. Team USA plays against older boys and do just fine. Wickenweiser showed she CAN play with the boys. So your argument is invalid. Sure some of them can't hang. But many can. The biggest solution? Let them check. Let them be allowed to hit and go from there.

They need a league asap. And hopefully they get one.

While I agree that it would be nice to see the women get a professional league going, I disagree that they can hang with the boys as of right now.

A high school team in Minnesota beat the USA women's team just a few years ago in friendly game...and this is one of the two dominant women's team in the world.

I would like to see the women's game grow, however.

 

[Rob]

Are the NHL owners really interested though? It would have to rely on the NHL for support because it will not draw.

 

[SprDaVE]

Women hockey dying in Finland. Cant see this sport in the olympics in 2022. We probably wont send a team there.

Women hockey has grown considerably in Canada over the last 10 years. I myself have had at least 2 to 3 girls on my team since I started to coach my sons team 4 years in a row. And this is competitive hockey, not house league. I have never seen a girl play competitive hockey, or even house league, when I played hockey growing up. I don't even think they had a decent hockey league for young girls. Now they have a pretty good program that's very competitive.

It just takes more exposure. I'm not sure how Finland, Sweden and Russia can do to make their programs better, but it starts at a young age. It takes a lot of time to develop. This is where a women's league can help the exposure and help the young kids grow into the sport. If the exposure of a pro league takes off just a bit in North America, it will help overseas eventually.

This is where Raty can help in her own country. She's a great goaltender and probably can be an inspiration to help grow the game. Be a voice and try to gain exposure for young girls to get into hockey. Just saying that there isn't a league for them to develop won't do much.

 

[MuckOG]

Are the NHL owners really interested though? It would have to rely on the NHL for support because it will not draw.

They could be, if they want to increase viewership and the fanbase among women. It took a while for the WNBA to gain in popularity, but the investment seems to have paid off for the most part.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

CWHL anyone? About as professional as it gets for womens hockey right now. Currently has 4 teams and investments from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames. Someone should seriously point Noora Raty towards Canada. She'd be welcomed with open arms I'm sure. Florence Shelling was once interested in coming over for it. Now Shelling plays in Mens Tier 3 league in Switzerland. If Schelling can play Men's Tier 3 then so can Noora Raty.

 

[Kharkov]

Räty or Rask god these names can be so hard to separate.

 

[Hubie]

So how do the US and Canadian women manage to make a living as pros (or semi-pros) exactly? Do they get payed by Hockey Canada?