Lee Stecklein, Hannah Brandt among Whitecaps saying no to pro hockey until demands are met
More than 200 prominent women’s hockey players, including members of the Minnesota Whitecaps and the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. Olympic team, announced Thursday that they will not play in any North American leagues in the 2019-20 season until their demands for better financial conditions are met.
“We cannot make a sustainable living playing in the current state of the professional game,” players including the Whitecaps’ Hannah Brandt and Lee Stecklein posted in a coordinated statement on Twitter. “Having no health insurance and making as low as two thousand dollars a season means players can’t adequately train and prepare to play at the highest level.
“Because of that, together as players, we will not play in ANY professional leagues in North America this season until we get the resources that professional hockey demands and deserves.”
The move comes day after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League officially ceased operations, leaving only the U.S.-based National Women’s Hockey League as a North American professional option. Hillary Knight, who played for Montreal of the CWHL, and prominent Canadian players such as Marie-Philip Poulin and Brianne Jenner, joined the boycott.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/lee-stecklein-hannah-brandt-among-whitecaps-saying-no-to-pro-hockey-until-demands-are-met/509384562/