The women’s National Hockey League season will be limited to two weeks and will be played in a bubble due to recent times restrictions in Lake Placid, New York.
The League announced Wednesday that its sixth season will take place in January. 23 on Feb. 5. Each of the six teams will compete against each other once, followed by a playoff round with the first four advancing to the semifinals of the Isobel Cup, followed by a final of one match.
The games will be played without the presence of supporters at the Herb Brooks Arena, which hosted the hockey competition at the Winter Games.
The league opted for a limited schedule due to the uncertainties and security issues raised by the recent times. Another problem is the restrictions on cross-border travel to Canada, where the LNSF established the Toronto Six Expansion franchise last spring.
“The ongoing challenges of the recent times have given our league, our players and our partners the mandate to work on creating a controlled environment that protects the health of everyone involved,” Acting Commissioner Tyler Tumminia said.
The NWHL follows the example of the WNBA and the NSWL, both of which have played their seasons in a bubble. The LNSF plan must be approved by the health authorities of the region and the state.
The League has implemented a recent times protocol and recent times testing will be provided on-site by the Yale pathology laboratories.
Players who have already signed their contract will be paid in full, despite the summarized schedule. Players also have the option to retire and are still being paid their entire salary, the league said.
The NWHL was able to end its season last spring when the recent times led to the cancellation of the Isobel Cup Final.
Also on Wednesday, the Association of professional female hockey players announced a sponsorship agreement with the provider of home and car insurance digital Sonnet. The Canadian company sponsors the Toronto team of the PWHPA, which will be called “Team Sonnet”.”
Toronto is one of the five centers of the PWHPA, which includes Minnesota and New Hampshire, which must participate in the Secret Dream Gap Tour.
