nwhl 2004-2005

[jayme2008]

The National Womens Hockey league is set for yet another year.The 2004-2005 season will see no change witch is a good thing the .Ottawa,Quebec,Montreal,Brampton,Toronto
Oakville,Durham,Calgary,Edmonton will make up the league.Most teams open camp early aug season starts the first week of sept.

[BCRantzilla]

I hope it isn't the disaster it's been in recent years. I also think they will start being taken seriously if they stop using politics to keep the American born players out. (Too many national team players, led by Cassie Campbell use their hatred towards the Americans as leverage when influencing Hockey Canada and the NWHL. It is killing their chances at a legit women's pro league.)

[Shootmaster_44]

http://edmonton.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/PrintStory?filename=730hockey_league-edJuly302004&region=Edmonton

Actually it looks like the NWHL is headed for some changes. The Edmonton Chimos and the Calgary Oval X-treme are breaking away and forming their own league out west. As well it was said there will be three new teams, one from B.C. (I would assume the Vancouver Griffins), one from Minnesota and one from Saskatchewan (based out of Regina I believe).

[hockeyfan2004]

Not a good move at all by the two western teams.The nwhl is solid league sure it has some problems but what league does not have any problems.Lets take edmonton first last year they had a very small budget they made one trip to ottawa and that alone eat a huge chunck out of them.How are they going to afford to minnesota,vancouver
regina.The nwhl just signed a major tv deal they got some solid sponcers etc.Both of the western teams will regret this move.With the nwhl in a way this helps them a bit now with 7 teams all 7 all very solid and this should be a very good year.

[Shootmaster_44]

Judging by what I read the NWHL wasn't a happy situation for the West. The only games that actually counted in the standings were Calgary vs. Edmonton, the other games were exhibition games. I think its really unfair to franchises to forbid them from playing league games against teams in the other division. Would you really want to play an entire season against the same team? I don't blame them for starting their own league. I realize their giving up TV coverage and such. But ultimately they want to have a title game against the NWHL anyhow. So if you want to look at it this way, the West is like the National League and the East is like the American League. Up until Inter-league play neither played each other aside from the World Series.

[hockeyfan2004]

The league never forbid the west to play the east.Last year was a test pilot for cross division play.While calgary made four trips to the east edmonton could only afford one trip.This year from my understanding the east west games were going to count in the reg season standings.Aslo both edmonton and calgary have already lost some players as these players want to remain in the nwhl.Lets say that this new league does take off good for them and i hope to do make it work.But as i have said at this level of hockey the woners have to have deep pockets to cover equipment,travel,ice time etc edmonton was really hurting in that area last year.So how are they going to be to afford going to bc,minnesota.On the flip side if this league is a flop and say the league folds that would leave calgary and edmonton in deep after this the chance the nwhl would grant them re entry is very unlikley.The nwhl has already said there will be no championship between the new league and the nwhl if this new league thinks they could be there dreaming.With the loss of the two western teams and does hlp the nwhl is a small way hurts them aslo exzample how is the final 4 going to work it was west,east,central host.

[Shootmaster_44]

The league never forbid the west to play the east.Last year was a test pilot for cross division play.While calgary made four trips to the east edmonton could only afford one trip.This year from my understanding the east west games were going to count in the reg season standings.Aslo both edmonton and calgary have already lost some players as these players want to remain in the nwhl.Lets say that this new league does take off good for them and i hope to do make it work.But as i have said at this level of hockey the woners have to have deep pockets to cover equipment,travel,ice time etc edmonton was really hurting in that area last year.So how are they going to be to afford going to bc,minnesota.On the flip side if this league is a flop and say the league folds that would leave calgary and edmonton in deep after this the chance the nwhl would grant them re entry is very unlikley.The nwhl has already said there will be no championship between the new league and the nwhl if this new league thinks they could be there dreaming.With the loss of the two western teams and does hlp the nwhl is a small way hurts them aslo exzample how is the final 4 going to work it was west,east,central host.

Its cheaper to fly/drive from Edmonton to B.C. and Minnesota than it is to go to Ontario. I live in Saskatoon and seems to me its way cheaper to fly to Vancouver from here than it is to fly to Toronto. The Edmonton Chimos must have deep enough pockets though, they play several times a year against the U of S women's team and the U of R's women's team. But I guess time will tell whether this league could work. If the Chimos can't afford it, there could always be another squad to take their place. There seems to be enough talent in Saskatchewan to warrant Saskatoon having a team instead.