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

[agent082]

Raty is too short playing Mestis. He is 165cm (under 5 ft 5 in).

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I think they could, if they start small. I don't think the expense would be all the great. Salaries can be extremely modest to start.

And what of travel costs? Costs for practice arena time? Cost for arena rent at locations they would play? Cost for insurance? Cost for team doctor/training staff? , Etc , Etc , Etc

 

[bebl]

Raty is moron if she thinks she can play mestis. IMO better league for her would be II-Division (4th highest). And there is lots of guys who have been very good producers in juniors, mestis or suomisarja but don't have time or interest to train like pros. They are so its easily better league than avery womens league.

Womens national team played against finnish c-junior(=u16) teams few years ago. For example Tappara won 8-1 and Meeri Raisanen (Ratys backup in olympics) had 72 saves.

 

[loudi94]

Between all the Jr hockey and pro hockey, there really isn't a market for women's hockey. CIS women's hockey is a good example of high level hockey with poor attendance. A pro team would be expected to earn money. Daunting prospect.

 

[Mkoll]

I have been wanting a pro league for a while.
If they play on the current NHL rivalries, hockey fans would eat it up. Teams in Philly, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto.

Even keep the sweaters similar to the men's teams for a psychological advantage to really sell the league. I think it could work, I'd love it

 

[MuckOG]

And what of travel costs? Costs for practice arena time? Cost for arena rent at locations they would play? Cost for insurance? Cost for team doctor/training staff? , Etc , Etc , Etc

Probably not as much as you think.

Ice time in Minnesota runs about $150/hour, even at Ridder Arena and the Xcel Energy Center. Insurance is pretty cheap if bought at a group rate. I'm not sure about the team doctor/trainer..maybe use the same one as the NHL team does?

Travel costs would probably be the largest expense.

 

[octopi]

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....

Explaining this yet again:From a speed, size and strength standpoint, women are at the level of 14-15 year old boys.

The ratio of females to males in hockey is somethi g like 1:100. So, less competition, smaller pool of people of course it's not going to resemble pro men's hockey.

 

[n00bxQb]

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.

4 teams, salaries between $25-$50k/year would be sufficient to start, I think. With 30 players per team (no minor league system, so have to have more players on the roster for injuries), would be 120 players and a payroll between $3M and $6M per year.

 

[Plante]

I actually started thinking about it...

I'd watch a women's league if had good production value.

They're around my skill level, it would be nice to watch that kind of 'raw' hockey with instant replay and HD and some Don Cherry every now and then.

If I have to watch it as the same quality of a Kelowna rockets game, then there's no point though.

Let them have an 'original 6', or 4. Or whatever.

 

[kris]

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.

I heard TSN has an opening in their winter schedule for the next 12 years.....

If anyone could do it (look at WJCs in Canada) it would be them.

 

[nickschultzfan]

I'm pretty sure everybody on these boards had to retire from hockey at some point because nobody wanted to pay us for the honor of playing a game.

 

[tucker3434]

That's a shame. She's a great goalie. Just don't know how well a womens league would be supported. It would definitely never work in America. We can't even support wnba and basketball is a sport well followed here. Canada, it's up to you.

As a side note, are there enough talented women to make it good? USA and Canada womens teams look great but other countries aren't close (aside from a few individuals like raty). Do enough women in the US and Canada play at a high enough level to make it watchable?

 

[Riddum]

I feel for the girls.

 

[Gerin]

Well the Federal Hockey League is still somewhat still running, but I doubt a pro women's league would work but you never know

 

[MuckOG]

That's a shame. She's a great goalie. Just don't know how well a womens league would be supported. It would definitely never work in America. We can't even support wnba and basketball is a sport well followed here. Canada, it's up to you.

As a side note, are there enough talented women to make it good? USA and Canada womens teams look great but other countries aren't close (aside from a few individuals like raty). Do enough women in the US and Canada play at a high enough level to make it watchable?

I think it would work in Minnesota...Girls hockey is pretty big here.

 

[syc]

I had to give up my Quake 2 dream too. It sucks we all can't play games for a living.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Well the Federal Hockey League is still somewhat still running, but I doubt a pro women's league would work but you never know

I have no idea how any US professional league survives that is not the NHL-AHL-ECHL system, men or womens.

I suspect that they actually aren't profitable, but capital is dumped into them from time to time by owners, not fans, to keep them going for a few years.

I am a massive hockey fan, but I can't imagine there is a demand for hockey that can't be met with NHL-AHL-ECHL, NCAA, and US Juniors.

 

[nickschultzfan]

I think it would work in Minnesota...Girls hockey is pretty big here.

I would think that they should work on getting more exposures for NCAA women's hockey, which is already heavy in the hockey pockets of the Midwest and Northeast.

I mean, they are just starting to national broadcasting and streaming men's NCAA hockey. #thankgodforBTN

 

[toewsintangibles]

4 teams, salaries between $25-$50k/year would be sufficient to start, I think. With 30 players per team (no minor league system, so have to have more players on the roster for injuries), would be 120 players and a payroll between $3M and $6M per year.

That payroll is nearly more than any team in Finnish mens league

 

[KingsFan7824]

A minority of the population wants to watch the best male athletes play sports on a somewhat consistent basis, and an even smaller percentage of that amount is able to pay to watch at the arena, but men do at least have a pro league as a reason to develop their talent. Women don't have that. They need one to make their effort worth it in the big picture, but it's also understandable why there isn't a pro league for women.

I don't know that the NHL has anything to lose if they gave it a shot and started up a women's league. If it went away quickly, at least everyone can say they tried. It's not my money though, and nobody wants to lose money. Then again, between free agency and lockouts, how much money has the NHL thrown away over the years?

 

[hitmen19]

Actually there has never been a better time in Canada to attempt a venture like this.

TSN just lost broadcast rights to hockey for the foreseeable future, so there is a network that could take a chance on women's hockey.

Even if the US doesn't get behind the league, a small league could easily be run in Canada where the best women could have a place to play professionally.

I doubt they'd need to use arena's as big as NHL rinks, but there are tons of CHL, and AHL rinks available to be used, and those smaller arena's are always looking for events to keep their seats filled.

.

tsn going from the nhl to a start up womens league, ouch. I love tsn, best network for hockey, going to be sad them not doing nhl no more

anyways, people just aren't going to go support professional womens hockey. boys midget leagues have better action. even Canada usa womens national games outside Olympics, world championships get horrendous ratings. Club games ratings, attendance going to be non existent

 

[ElTailR]

Raty is moron if she thinks she can play mestis. IMO better league for her would be II-Division (4th highest). And there is lots of guys who have been very good producers in juniors, mestis or suomisarja but don't have time or interest to train like pros. They are so its easily better league than avery womens league.

Womens national team played against finnish c-junior(=u16) teams few years ago. For example Tappara won 8-1 and Meeri Raisanen (Ratys backup in olympics) had 72 saves.

Schelling is currently playing in 1st league (Swiss 3rd division) and is the only woman who played for a 2nd division, but I don't know enough of both Finland and Swiss lower division to make any kind of comparaison

 

[Jussi]

That payroll is nearly more than any team in Finnish mens league

I think he was thinking about the combined salaries of the teams.

 

[JVR21]

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.

Don't know where you're getting that from. The WNBA is so forced.

 

[sandysan]

I actually started thinking about it...

I'd watch a women's league if had good production value.

They're around my skill level, it would be nice to watch that kind of 'raw' hockey with instant replay and HD and some Don Cherry every now and then.

If I have to watch it as the same quality of a Kelowna rockets game, then there's no point though.

Let them have an 'original 6', or 4. Or whatever.

I think there are still two distinct questions. Would a WNHL be viable ( Im extremely skeptical) and would giving the most exceptional talents from other countries a place to play increase the demand for women's hockey in their native lands ( no). even if it did, if the league is structured as I expect ( 10-20% max of non us/canada players) then next effect is that these two nations get better wrt to the other nations which further increases the disparity for international constests.

Right now the only thing that women have after college/university ( where they are not paid) is national teams. if the olympics drops womens hockey because the result is essentially predetermined, that's a huge blow that I'm not sure it survives.

The olympics wont like this one bit but what it was a three/4 team team tourney, canada/us/ everybody else playing under the olympic banner ? at least for a while ? it might actually show that canada and the us CAN be beat which I dont think anyone beleives unless they are playing each other.