PWHL - Toronto team taking shape

[tmlms13]

Have they said which rink the Toronto team will play out of?

I think I heard it was going to vary between the ACC, Copps (Hamilton) and the Marlies arena

Or whatever they're called now

 

[pcruz]

There may be only one fifth of the amount of young girls playing hockey in Canada compared to boys, but it’s sad to think about all that passion and talent with no professional league to dream about and strive for. Essentially nothing except a select few going to the Olympics every 4 years.

These girls deserve to have that and it doesn’t have to be this way. IMO If you have quite literally any women in your life, you should be in support of this succeeding.

As an extension of this:


I have girls and have tried to instill in them the belief that girls are of no more and no less value than boys.

They are different, sure, but there really isn't anything that is rightly segregated by sex.

Boys can do all the things that girls are typically associated with: gymnastics, figure skating, and other artistic activities, etc.
Girls, then, can also be expected to have the opportunity to do the thongs boys are typically associated with: team sports, strength competitions, etc.


In this belief, I have found it really hard to digest that after the excitement of the Olympics where the women are as much a source of inspiration and excitement, the women we have cheered on and followed for a couple of weeks, just go back into obscurity.

It's been hard to accept that boys have the opportunity to continue with training, playing, and the attention to recovery that organized teams offer, while the girls may go back to another career, or schools, or local teams without any real resources.


How do I convince my girls that they are equal to the boys, when the women athletes are often looked at as second class athletes, an afterthought?

I don't expect that the women will have a $5 billion league any time soon, but I don't think it's too much to expect that these talented people be offered a decent living wage.

The salaries announced are a start, but one would hope that a female professional player be paid enough to afford a place to live in the city she plays for....

 

[TheTotalPackage]

As an extension of this:


I have girls and have tried to instill in them the belief that girls are of no more and no less value than boys.

They are different, sure, but there really isn't anything that is rightly segregated by sex.

Boys can do all the things that girls are typically associated with: gymnastics, figure skating, and other artistic activities, etc.
Girls, then, can also be expected to have the opportunity to do the thongs boys are typically associated with: team sports, strength competitions, etc.


In this belief, I have found it really hard to digest that after the excitement of the Olympics where the women are as much a source of inspiration and excitement, the women we have cheered on and followed for a couple of weeks, just go back into obscurity.

It's been hard to accept that boys have the opportunity to continue with training, playing, and the attention to recovery that organized teams offer, while the girls may go back to another career, or schools, or local teams without any real resources.


How do I convince my girls that they are equal to the boys, when the women athletes are often looked at as second class athletes, an afterthought?

I don't expect that the women will have a $5 billion league any time soon, but I don't think it's too much to expect that these talented people be offered a decent living wage.

The salaries announced are a start, but one would hope that a female professional player be paid enough to afford a place to live in the city she plays for....

I get the gist of this and understand the premise.

But we have male athletes playing the CFL, many of whom have to take on a job in the off-season, to make a living as well.

They are second-rate leagues, and there's nothing wrong with that. Once those leagues make more money, then the PA can negotiate for a higher flow of that to the players. The onus is though for these girls (particularly the younger ones) to go support such leagues. It's one thing to say you want to see girls being equal to boys; it's another to do nothing about it to help them get there.

 

[MilkofthePoppy]

It costs money to make money and drive mindshare. The women’s game can work but it’s unrealistic to expect it to find strong footing without significant financial backing.

The NHL can also certainly lend a hand in driving awareness. If the product when the people get there isn’t up to snuff, they won’t stay, but if the PWHL does the right things there no reason they cannot make the game and arena atmosphere compelling.

They just need help getting people through the door to give it a chance, then it’s up to them.

Calling it a grift is ridiculous

"Mindshare" LMAO - More like social engineering.

 

[pcruz]

I get the gist of this and understand the premise.

But we have male athletes playing the CFL, many of whom have to take on a job in the off-season, to make a living as well.

They are second-rate leagues, and there's nothing wrong with that. Once those leagues make more money, then the PA can negotiate for a higher flow of that to the players. The onus is though for these girls (particularly the younger ones) to go support such leagues. It's one thing to say you want to see girls being equal to boys; it's another to do nothing about it to help them get there.

Oh, I agree with this completely.

Business is not a charity, and the women playing aren't asking for charity.

However, every 4 years, we have a huge amount of buzz about the women players and that is essentially turned off like a light switch at the distribution of the gold medals of the Olympics.

The CFL has been a league with a considerable amount of mismanagement despite its lengthy history.

It doesn't help that a competing league has continued to gain popularity up here and has taken up all of the oxygen.

It helps less that players who can't seem to make the NFL are all of a sudden upper tier players in the CFL, which basically makes ours a feeder league for the "pro" league south of the border.

That's not possible with these women. This will be the top tier hockey competition they can play in.

 

[nsleaf]

Curious about what kind of money the ladies of PWHL will be earning?
Good luck to them, but for me the women's game is too slow and lacks intensity.

 

[pcruz]

Curious about what kind of money the ladies of PWHL will be earning?
Good luck to them, but for me the women's game is too slow and lacks intensity.

CBA stipulations are $35k to like $85k.

I would venture a guess that this is exclusive of per diem and travel expenses.

If they get to a point where min salary is $150k or so, that's not a bad gig.

23 players at $150k would cost the teams about $4 million to $5 million per year.

That's certainly achievable based on gate and hopefully TV as well.

Is it possible that the league as a whole generates $60 million per year?



My argument for sharing more and more with an NHL team would include using training facilities, some coaching and training staff and even physios.

Why reinvent the wheel when there is the entirety of the infrastructure in existence?

Hell, the NHL would earn a ton of brownie points across the board and likely some new or more invested fans.

And if/when the women's league becomes profitable, everyone wins.

Imagine what value a 2 hour long commercial for the NHL would cost on a TSN or Sportsnet?

 

[Gabriel426]

You mean Women’s Tennis or Golf wouldn’t be as popular if they were covered head toe and wore cages over their heads? Lol

Nothing similar to Tennis at all.

Well depends on what type of clothing they were to cover themselves, lol

 

[BayStBullies]

It's draft day!

 

[TheTotalPackage]

I think I heard it was going to vary between the ACC, Copps (Hamilton) and the Marlies arena

Or whatever they're called now

I don't know...I'm hoping it's not the ACC. At least to start. Playing in front of 1,500 fans in a 20,000-seat stadium is going to look awful on TV, and I'd imagine a bit discouraging for the players themselves too looking up and seeing a sea of empty seats.

 

[ACC1224]

I don't know...I'm hoping it's not the ACC. At least to start. Playing in front of 1,500 fans in a 20,000-seat stadium is going to look awful on TV, and I'd imagine a bit discouraging for the players themselves too looking up and seeing a sea of empty seats.

This, 100%.
They should play in a junior arena to start and see if they can fill that.

 

[tmlms13]

I don't know...I'm hoping it's not the ACC. At least to start. Playing in front of 1,500 fans in a 20,000-seat stadium is going to look awful on TV, and I'd imagine a bit discouraging for the players themselves too looking up and seeing a sea of empty seats.

Just saying that's what I heard, maybe it's only the home opener or something.

 

[wingman75]

The Ottawa team will be playing out of TD Place, where the OHL's 67's play. The Montreal team will be playing out of Place Bell, where the AHL's Rocket play in Laval.

Opening nights might see large crowds, but the rest of the season will see smaller crowds I would guess. Toronto is a big city, so maybe things will work different there but the other Canadian teams are definitely opting for smaller venues at this time.

As for some of the earlier talk, the market will dictate the value of the league and its players. This include TV deals and number of viewers and of course ticket sales.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Just saying that's what I heard, maybe it's only the home opener or something.

Oh no...I'm not disputing that. Just talking grand scheme of things.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Toronto drafts Jocelyne Larocque 2nd overall.

 

[Rob Brown]

This, 100%.
They should play in a junior arena to start and see if they can fill that.

Yeah, IIRC the Marlies don't even close to sell out SBA when they play those odd games. Maybe it's different now but I recall going to one and the lower bowl wasn't even close to capacity.

 

[PeteBestondrums]

Not ' against' the league in any fashion and I hope people who enjoy women's hockey will watch.
It's not something I'd ever tune into though and I don't believe it's commercialy viable in the long run without massive handouts like the WBNA receives.
We'll see, I guess.

 

[Rude Dog]

Toronto drafts Jocelyne Larocque 2nd overall.

A 35 year old with the 2nd over-all pick?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

A 35 year old with the 2nd over-all pick?

Seems like it’s a league wide expansion draft. Any woman that’s unsigned regardless of age can be drafted if they declared I guess.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

A 35 year old with the 2nd over-all pick?

Oh cool, a new team that I can get pissed off at cause of their picks

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

11th pick Toronto selects Emma Maltais.

 

[Fogelhund]

Toronto takes Campbell at No. 14.​

Toronto has their goalie, taking Kristen Campbell at No. 14.

Campbell, 25, is from Brandon, Man. and played collegiately at Wisconsin.

Campbell was a member of the gold medal-winning Canada team in Beijing.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

Unsure why we took a 35 year old 2nd overall.. Was Laraque the best available?

 

[SprDaVE]

I'm not overly familiar with the names but Spooner at 23 seems like a great fit. One of my fav players over the years. And yeah not sure about Larocque at #2, passing on star young player Alina Muller.

I guess they really valued her experience. Larocque is a top notch defender... but for how long?

Seems like Toronto is heavily relying on Canada links and relationships to fill their team.

 

[fahad203]

I wish the league all the best
Hard to watch PWHL when you have an AHL team and bunch of OHL teams around GTA

But all the best