Five Things That Matter To Both The PWHPA and PHF

The narrative that these groups are fundamentally divided is false. There are individuals who are holding onto division, but the vast majority of PWHPA players and PHF players value each other and their common goals . Over the last two years, the majority of media coverage has involved criticism from the PWHPA from what certain individuals believe to be flaws in the PHF. Meanwhile, the PHF has continued to grow and fix those exact issues. Both have something that will benefit the other, and together, the groups could capitalize on the opportunity that is professional women's sports in North America.

Instead of focusing on the critiques, here are five items that matter to both the PWHPA and PHF that could become the focus of a merger and combined effort. Conversely, without the two groups working together, these five items will suffer significantly.

Let's get the obvious out of the way. The PHF currently leads the way here with a $1.5 million salary cap. The only PWHPA players making a liveable wage from hockey are national team members who are often paid in excess of $100,000, but those salaries are coming from national teams, not the PWHPA. If the PWHPA launches a league, there will still be players earning non-liveable salaries, similar to the bottom tier of players in the PHF. To fix this, the leagues need each other. Sponsors and investors are waiting, but are hesitant to invest in a volatile market where one group will suffer due to the other. That's exactly what is happening now. Together, those dollars will go farther, endorsements will increase, and the biggest point, media rights and television rights will skyrocket. Television rights are so crucial to revenue, and networks will be able to have those deeper conversations around full season coverage instead of singular events when a larger schedule, with less unpredictability, and fixed locations is made. Both are stealing from each other here. Together, other items like pensions also become realistic targets. Every season played apart hurts the longterm financial success of players.

The PWHPA is making a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which will almost certainly involve breaks in any schedule for international competition. This however, is ignoring a major factor...their CBA only impacts North American players in their own league. In other words, it's relatively meaningless when it comes to international play outside of a portion of Team Canada and Team USA. As the PHF continues to grow, more and more international players are joining the league, which now features current national team members from Czechia, Switzerland, USA, Austria, France, Hungary, China, and Slovakia. It's possible that list expands to include players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and elsewhere. Any international agreement needs to involve conversation with everyone. The PWHPA has goals to include international players, but for the time being, the goals of international play rest primarily outside the Association, and any discussion related to Olympic or World Championship planning should involve representation from the PHF, SDHL, and other leagues, specifically if the PWHPA intends to soon take players from those loops.

Players from both groups have stated that if one merged league existed, plans would already be in motion for a future development league and system for women. Right now the only path for players to take if they can't crack a PHF team is to go to Europe, and aside from the SDHL, most leagues will be a marked step down for top college players. The PHF is already at a point where they are turning away good players, and for many of those players, the choice will be retirement. That shouldn't need to be the case. Obviously a development league would start at a semi-professional level, but for the vast majority of players going to Europe, that's already the case. Separate or together, this is a topic that matters to both groups, and will need the backing of both groups...or of a single league working for this common goal.

If there are two leagues, a player transfer agreement between the groups must exist, period. It can't be a free for all, for a variety of reasons. In a two-league system, free agency becomes another major concern. Right now, the PWHPA handcuffed all players through the PHF's free agency period if they want to be paid. It's an extremely anti-labor movement from the group, that could result in many women losing their livelihood and the chance to be paid a professional salary if a second league does not launch. Timing for contracts to expire should be discussed, and correspond with the end of seasons. That way, both groups could coordinate when to open free agency. There are timelines in place for NCAA and European players already in the NHL, and those systems need to exist for women as well. Otherwise, we'll continue to see groups manipulating athletes' individuals rights and well being. If a one-league system emerges, the topic of signing NCAA and USports players, European transfers, trade conditions, and free agency still need to be be collectively agreed upon. 

Health benefits, gender equity, maternity and parental leave, substance and mental health supports, player safety, complaint and reporting processes, anti-discrimination, working conditions, holiday breaks, illness and injury benefits, it all needs to be there. In many ways, it already is in the PHF, where the PHFPA is a major part of the decision making process, and the PWHPA is developing a CBA that will outline these items. The problem with the PHF, is they have no CBA. The problem with the PWHPA is they're developing a document without collective bargaining from owners and a commissioner, and without input from players who they'll be relying on to join their league in the future. The solution is the PHF has owners and a commissioner, and the PWHPA has a growing CBA document. Both groups want the best possible conditions for their workers, and this seems to be the main sticking point, but truly it's a chicken or the egg situation. Using the unique experiences of women in the PWHPA and women in the PHF, a collaborative response to the needs of professional women's hockey players in North America can be built stronger, together. Separately, any agreement will address the needs of some, but not all.