dare to be

Another look at playing conditions in the NWHL (with player names attached).

Mentioned in this story:

Few players speak publicly about their experiences in the NWHL due to a non-disparagement clause in their contracts, an obvious attempt to limit negative publicity. (This clause has been removed from NWHL contracts).

Lea-Kristine Demers was not paid a single penny for the four games she played in the NWHL (to be fair, this was due to student-visa issues)

Vanessa Gagnon was also not paid for her time in the NWHL. She was told her expenses (such as travel) would be reimbursed, but they were not. When she was injured in her third game, she only had insurance due to another employer. 

At the end of the league’s first season, allegations of unpaid amounts to Bauer surfaced. The equipment supplier has not been a partner of the league since then.

In the 2018/209 season, the ice in the arena the Pride practiced in was so poor you could see the cement through it.

Also in the 2018/2019 season, the Pride did not have access to a locker room for most of the season. Players also did not have bathroom access after putting on their skates and had to urinate in a trash can if they needed to relieve themselves.

At the Whale arena, change rooms were so small that the team had to be divided into two rooms. 

Players noiced immense disparity between the “rich” teams (such as the Beauts, owned by the Pegula family at the time) and the poorest (league-owned teams). The Pride are now owned by private investors, which has greatly improved conditions for players. The new Toronto team will be built on the same model. This will likely lead to a widening gap between the privately owned teams and the league-owned teams. 

In 2016, Ann-Renee Desbiens was drafted into the NWHL without even being aware she was eligible for the draft. She didn’t even get an email or call about it. 

The NWHL cut player wages by 38% without notice in 2016

Haley Skarupa refused to assume the cost of a plane trip imposed by her team after a bus trip was canceled on short notice. 

Haley Skarupa told La Presse that she would rather not play hockey at all than play in the NWHL. She comments that players were treated better in minor hockey.