Women’s hockey is a sport in flux. That's a good thing, according to Team USA forward Hilary Knight.
On March 31, the future of the women's professional game was upended with the unexpected announcement that the Canadian Women's Hockey League would cease operations on May 1 after 12 years in business.
That same day, the U.S. women’s national hockey team was boarding a flight to Finland, on the way to the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
“The news broke the day we were leaving,” said Knight. “I ended up staying up for a lot of the flight while we were flying over to Finland and getting wifi to try to stay in the loop with everything.
“Once we get over there, it's important to focus on the tournament — you have to be responsible and make sure you're representing the group that you went over there with. Obviously, we want to win the World Championship — that was our priority. But at the same time, the growth and the future of the game at the professional level is equally as important.
“We had to put it on the back burner for a little bit, but discussions are definitely being had. The players — I think we've all realized that we're valuable, collectively, when we're together. And everyone's interested in making the appropriate decision for the growth of the game and how we want to shape and build the future at the professional level.”
Knight, 29, said she sees similarities between the current state of the pro game and the stand she and her U.S. teammates took before the 2017 World Championship in Michigan, when they successfully staged a holdout to secure better compensation and support from USA Hockey.
“We know how to navigate those waters and be a unified group and an empowered group to feel like we can accomplish great things together,” she said. “We've got an amazing group of women as professionals, whether they're on the national team or not on the national team, They're interested in building the sport for the future and having the future in mind. Obviously, we want to play at the professional level as soon as we can, so it's an exciting time to be in the sport and we're itching to see what the future holds.”
The National Women’s Hockey League could be one possibility. Shortly after the announcement of the CWHL’s demise, the five-team circuit, which just completed its fourth season, announced that it would explore expansion opportunities in two former CWHL markets, Toronto and Montreal. The league continues position itself as a viable option for the future.
— NWHL (@NWHL) April 18, 2019
Knight skated for the Boston Pride during the NWHL's first two seasons. After spending the 2017-18 season training with the U.S. national team, she chose to sign on with Les Canadiennes de Montreal of the CWHL after winning gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. She played one game with Montreal in the 2017-18 season and returned for a full year in 2018-19.
One of her corporate sponsors, Red Bull, followed Knight behind the scenes to help shed light on the reasons behind her move, and what it meant for the future of women’s pro hockey.
“It's a really cool project to be a part of, because any time I can put women's hockey out there in a creative way, I think it's really important,” Knight said. “People can feel more a part of it, and also it adds a little more traction and gains visibility.
“Really, we were just highlighting my move up to Canada. It was difficult for me to leave comfortable Boston and switch and move to a foreign country and play with a lot of my rivals. I had to put that whole rivalry aside, and establish relationships and be a part of the team up here.
“But most importantly — I think I came to a point in my career that I had built this great platform, and I don't necessarily feel that my values are aligning with where I'm playing. That's why I ended up moving up to Montreal and playing in the Canadian Women's Hockey League — trying to establish those relationships and get us to a point where collectively as players, whether we play in the U.S. or Canada or somewhere else in the world, we're all on the same page for where we want the sport to be as professionals.
“Obviously, I didn't know that the CWHL was going to fold. I thought that by playing in a league that I was endorsing it. I wanted to move a step — and I continue to want to move a step closer to having a sustainable paid professional women's league that sort of checked the boxes with where I'd want to see the sport developed to at the professional level in 10 years.”
Without the CWHL, the landscape has now changed. Knight says there's currently no concrete timeline in place to unveil the next iteration of women's pro hockey.
“People have to take a moment, take a deep breath after Worlds and reflect a little bit and recharge. I think getting us together — I think we understand what we want as a group and how we want to see the future of the sport grow.
“We're really interested and invested in making the right decisions and the appropriate decisions to make those dreams become a reality, so I'm sure there's going to be a lot of movement as time goes by. But we're not on anyone else's clock — that's definitely an important thing. We're all in a position where we understand the value that the players add and we want to make the right decision. I can see that moving forward.”
The women’s game also looked different on the international stage this year. On April 14, Team USA won its fifth straight World Championship but for the first time in women's hockey history, the gold-medal game wasn't contested between the U.S. and Canada. Instead, the host team from Finland earned a spot in the final after a 4-2 semifinal win over Canada — and the Finns ended up one disallowed goal away from delivering gold to their home fans before the U.S. eventually triumphed in the shootout.
The shootout win gave Knight her eighth World Championship gold, to go along with a gold and two silvers from the Olympics. Knight finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 7-4-11 in seven games and was named to the media all-star team. In the semifinal, she set a new record when donned the Stars and Stripes for her 51st career World Championship game.
With tonight’s start, @HilaryKnight passes Jenny Potter & Angela Ruggiero for most #WomensWorlds games played in #TeamUSA history with 51 starts! pic.twitter.com/RQJc2ugy40
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 13, 2019
While it was surprising not to see another Canada/U.S. showdown for gold, Knight said it’s good that women’s international hockey is now more than a two-horse race.
“I don't think Finland gets enough credit because they're a really good team,” she said. “I said it, even after the first game we played them — this is the best team I think I've seen in a long time.
“The opportunity of hosting a world championship in Finland — they hadn't hosted since 2009 — there's a lot of pride that's involved, especially representing your country and hosting. That combination, mixed in with some great skill and a talented team — it's a solid program, for sure.”
Knight says other countries are also on their way to contending.
“Japan is a perfect example. The level of discipline — I think also combined with their endurance, and strength and conditioning — I was really impressed. They held us to four goals. I’ve never played against a more disciplined team before.
“I want to beat everybody handily when we can, because I think our team's so good,” she continued. “But when I take a step back and take my competitor hat off, and more of a growth and future approach, it's really cool to see how these other countries are stepping up and funding their programs and making sure that the woman's program is starting to get more attention like their men's programs have in the past. It's really starting to show.”
As one of her sport's most visible players, Knight hopes using her platform today will set a better stage for the women’s hockey players that follow her.
“I've been able to work with some great partners and I'm extremely grateful for that, but I want that opportunity for the next girl or the next young woman that's graduating college or the next woman that's going to play at the professional level. I only see that as we iron out the logistics of a professional league and whatever that's going to look like, those opportunities are grow and continue to multiply.
“I think that's going to be the most exciting thing. Ten or 20 years from now we're going to look back and be like 'You guys have no idea how easy you have it now.'
“To be able to say that and laugh about it would mean the world to a handful of us, so hopefully that's the structure of the sport. That's why I'm so optimistic right now. Women's hockey is one of the fastest growing sports. I see that as the future, for sure.”
When she eventually hangs up her skates, is she focused on leaving equally strong legacies both on and off the ice?
“It's funny, thinking about legacies and stuff,” she said. “I'm thinking 'Oh my gosh, we're only getting started.'
“I think as athletes, you want to transcend your sport to have the greatest amount of impact. That's what gets me out of bed in the morning. I want to be able to have a positive impact in everyone's life, whether that's through sport or using sport as a vehicle, but at the same time, be recognized for all the work that I have done on the ice as well.”
