Canadian Womens Hockey League

[ottawasportsfan2010]

The canadian womens hockey league will start there 3rd season in early oct with the same 6 teams as last year.

Ottawa
Vaughan
Montreal
Brampton
Burlington
MIssissauga

[Dan K]

The CWHL is at www.cwhl.ca. Also, the Western Women's Hockey League [www.westernwomenshockeyleague.com] that started in 2004-05.

[BCRantzilla]

That league has had problems for years. Most of it stems from 2 problems:

1. Their alliance with Hockey Canada: HC, Bob Nicholson and Cassie Campbell, (then captain of the National Women's Team and girlfriend of HC's VP of hockey operations at the time,) pretty much forbade the NWHL from having import players in their league. Now the top US talent have nowhere to play and ultimately forcing many teams to use VERY underage players in their rosters long before they're ready. (The biggest problem plaguing the National team right now.) This is all well and good but frankly HC does NOT pay the league's bills so why do they have this kind of power over the NWHL?

2. The refusal to allow ANY teams to pay their players: Vancouver's entry into the league between 2002-2004 not only had the people and backing place but the two top American born players in their roster. HC and the NWHL stomped them for it and they quit the league. The NWHL and HC basically told the rest of the country that the top women's league in the world was nothing more than a rec. league with this decision and unfortunately, nothing has changed since.

[ottawasportsfan2010]

I would not call it a rec league just because player are not paid.Part of the probleam is some teams may be able to pay players and some teams might not be able to so there would be a unfair advantage and something that could do more damage then good.I do think things need to change does that mean not beeing connected with hockey canada maybe at the very least there needs to be new rules where there is no limits on american or european players.With that said it is a good league and those cities with teams go and support them its well worth the money.

[BCRantzilla]

I would not call it a rec league just because player are not paid.Part of the probleam is some teams may be able to pay players and some teams might not be able to so there would be a unfair advantage and something that could do more damage then good.I do think things need to change does that mean not beeing connected with hockey canada maybe at the very least there needs to be new rules where there is no limits on american or european players.With that said it is a good league and those cities with teams go and support them its well worth the money.

Actually that's exactly what it is. Nobody is paid nor are they allowed to be paid and it isn't senior hockey with all the underagers playing there. I think they are killing their own game by not allowing the top franchises to pay players and run their teams in a professional manner.

As for Hockey Canada, there is a REASON why the NHL has never alligned themselves with them. HC does NOTHING for women's hockey and all this league did was agree to hold themselves back by making this arrangement.

I've been boycotting this league and it's predecessor for years for these reasons. I don't want to see a bunch of 14 year old girls who have never been coached properly before being passed off as elite level players. It's bad enough that the National hasn't had ANY quality coaching since Nicholson and Cassie ran Shannon Miller out of town but the quality of play has simply gone south since the Griffins were kicked out of the NWHL.

[Paul S]

You make a good point Rantzilla.

Hockey Canada has done next to nothing to help the leagues but also demands it follow a rather peculiar set of rules.

The WWHL is the league I'd like to see succeed.

[BCRantzilla]

You make a good point Rantzilla.

Hockey Canada has done next to nothing to help the leagues but also demands it follow a rather peculiar set of rules.

The WWHL is the league I'd like to see succeed.

Hockey Canada isn't really a governing body in terms of elite hockey leagues, (not even with the Junior leagues,) unless a league allows them to be. Only the NWHL and CWHL have done so and this is why women's hockey in Canada is inferior to the NCAA in the US.

The problem is that women's hockey's higharchy, (spelling,) takes WAY too much stock in the Esso Nationals and treat the elite league championships that exist like they don't count. (Currently in Canada they treat Esso Nationals like they are the ONLY championship in women's hockey that matters.) This means they are very eager to allign themselves with Hockey Canada in spite of no financial incentive to do so. What's worse is that they aren't in a position where any of their teams can ever be commercially viable as long as they are under HC's thumb.

One question for you, is the WWHL under the iron grip of HC? Also, how do they work around Esso Nationals?