The National Women鈥檚 Hockey League called off the remainder of its season Wednesday on the eve of the playoffs because of additional positive test results for the coronavirus.
The NWHL cited safety concerns for what it called the suspension of play inside a quarantined bubble in Lake Placid, New York. COVID-19 instead wreaked havoc on the two-week event.
鈥淲e were not trending in the right direction,鈥� interim commissioner Tyler Tumminia said of more test results coming in Tuesday night. 鈥淥ur actual numbers per se were not alarming in comparison to the scope of other sports clubs or other sports leagues. However, if you project a number that was going to happen, it doesn鈥檛 make sense for us."
Two of the league鈥檚 six teams had already withdrawn from the tournament, with the Metropolitan Riveters citing 鈥渟everal鈥� virus cases. Tumminia said the team had 10, which was over the threshold for disqualifying a team.
The 小蓝视频icut Whale's departure was a choice made at the team level. Tumminia said the NWHL would not disclose how many total positive tests it had in what she called a 鈥渞estrictive access environment鈥� that did not hold up like other pro sports bubbles.
鈥淭he athletes came in into designated hotels on designated floors,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were restricted in the sense that they went from their rooms to the rink, rink to the room. That is the technical term of what this bubble was. That鈥檚 how we defined it.鈥�
The NWHL had an agreement with Yale University to provide saliva-based COVID-19 testing for players and staff, similar to what the NBA used for its Disney World bubble last year. Even that testing couldn't keep the virus out, and Toronto owner Johanna Neilson Boynton said, 鈥淲e knew going in it was a gamble.鈥�
鈥淲e stuck by a very strict protocol, and there鈥檚 human error,鈥� NWHL Players Association executive director Anya Packer said.
Tumminia added, 鈥淒efining the origin and placing blame right now is not really our game.鈥�
The expansion Toronto Six finished with the league's best record at 4-1-1.
"We don't have many words right now but what we do know is that we couldn鈥檛 be more thankful for all of the support we've received over the last 10 months," the Six tweeted. "From launch on April 22nd to our first ever puck drop. We can't thank you all enough.
"We will be back."
Two semifinal games Thursday and the final Friday were set to be televised nationally in the U.S. on N小蓝视频 Sports Network, putting women's hockey in a prominent spotlight a year away from the Beijing Olympics.
Despite not doing that, Tumminia called the NWHL season 鈥渟uccessful.鈥�
鈥淚 actually see it as a success, she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud where we got to this point.鈥�
The end of the NWHL bubble experiment came on the same day the rival Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey Players Association announced it will play a game at New York City鈥檚 Madison Square Garden on Feb. 28. The PWHPA is made up of 125 of the sport's biggest stars, including members of the U.S. and Canadian national teams, who banded together in the hopes of forcing the creation of a new pro league.
The game at MSG comes 13 months after PWHPA players took part in NHL All-Star Weekend. It will be the first professional women鈥檚 hockey game at the storied arena.
鈥淭his is a major milestone for women鈥檚 hockey and young girls who aspire to play professional hockey but don鈥檛 have the option to make it a career today,鈥� said Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford, an operations consultant for the PWHPA.
The NHL鈥檚 New York Rangers are hosting the women's game with the team playing at Buffalo that day. Rangers president John Davidson said the team is 鈥渆xcited to play even a small role in helping elevate visibility for the women鈥檚 game.鈥�
鈥淭he talent level of women鈥檚 hockey is simply incredible," Davidson said. 鈥淲e all love this sport so much and any opportunity the Rangers have to participate in its advancement is something we want to be a part of. It鈥檚 a win for everyone involved.鈥�
The game in New York is set to be the first stop on the second 鈥淒ream Gap Tour,鈥� with others around the U.S. and Canada to be determined. The announcement was made on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
鈥淚nvesting in and advancing women鈥檚 hockey strengthens the game overall and creates a range of professional opportunities for women as coaches, front office executives and athletes,鈥� said Bauer Hockey
鈥� With files fromThe Canadian Press.
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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
