Arrr! The lasses of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association be agreein' to a CBA to launch a grand new women's pro hockey league, me hearties!
2023-07-03
Arrr, me hearties! The lasses o' the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association have hoisted the sails and cleared the final obstacle in their quest for a new lassie's professional hockey league. Aye, the CBA be ratified! Let the games begin, ye scurvy dogs!
A new women's professional hockey league is set to launch in January after union members unanimously ratified a collective bargaining agreement and a constitution. The league will bring together the top female stars in North America, with the potential to attract players from Europe and Asia as well. This marks the first time a professional women's sports league in North America has a collective bargaining agreement in place before it begins play. The vote followed the purchase of the rival Premier Hockey Federation by Los Angeles Dodgers chairman Mark Walter, one of the new league's financial backers. The next steps will involve determining a league name and the locations of the six teams, followed by hiring staff, a draft, and a free agency signing period. The new league is open to all players, but the CBA vote was limited to members of the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association. The players praised the CBA ratification as groundbreaking for women's sports and expressed excitement about the unified league that will house the best athletes in hockey. The new league will provide a sustainable economic model and fair wages for players, addressing the concerns that led to the formation of the PWHPA in 2019. This development finally brings clarity to the divided and muddled landscape of women's hockey in North America, which dates back to the founding of the National Women's Hockey League in 2015.