The Latest on women’s hockey players announcing boycott in demand for one league (all times Eastern):
11:15 a.m.
U.S. star Kendall Coye Schofield tells The Associated Press that the National Women’s Hockey League has repeatedly shown it is not a viable, long-term option for players.
Coyne Schofield and more than 200 other players have announced they would not play in any North American professional league next season in an effort to establish one league. It came a day after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League officially ceased operations following its stunning March announcement that it was folding.
Coyne Schofield says the NWHL “does not showcase the best product of women’s hockey.” She says the business model, salaries, health insurance and the treatment of the players are all factors.
Players in a statement said salaries as low as $2,000 and a lack of health insurance make it difficult to train and play.
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11 a.m.
Unhappy with the status quo, more than 200 of the world’s top female hockey players declared they will not compete in North America next season in a dramatic attempt to establish a single, economically viable professional league.
The players announced their decision in a joint statement released to The Associated Press before being posted on social media in a move that has the potential of drawing the NHL further into the conversation of backing women’s hockey. The group includes stars such as Americans Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield and Canadian national team goalie Shannon Szabados.
The players pulled together in a united front in less than a month and said they wanted to express their dissatisfaction with the current state of the sport while demanding a say in establishing a league.
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