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USA Women’s Hockey could boycott IIHF World Championship

By Sammi Silber

ST. CATHARINES, ON - JANUARY 15: Team USA celebrate winning the Gold Medal in the final against Team Canada during the 2016 IIHF U18 Women's World Championships at the Meridian Centre on January 15, 2016 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
ST. CATHARINES, ON - JANUARY 15: Team USA celebrate winning the Gold Medal in the final against Team Canada during the 2016 IIHF U18 Women's World Championships at the Meridian Centre on January 15, 2016 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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The U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team announced they will not participate in the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship unless USA Hockey makes progress for equal pay and support.

The team has requested equitable support in many different areas, including financial compensation, youth team development, equipment and more, under the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act. The act aims to protect participation opportunities for Olympic athletes and helps athletes represent their best interests.

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    • The team has expressed that they want to represent their country; however, they want it to be under fair conditions.

    “Putting on the USA jersey represents the culmination of many years of hard work and sacrifice that reflect our love of both hockey and country. in making these requests, we are simply asking USA Hockey to comply with the law,” the statement said.

    According to ABC News, a law firm representing the players mentioned that USA hockey paid the female players $1,000 a month during their Olympic tenure, but the players received “virtually nothing” afterward.

    U.S. women’s hockey player Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson told ABC that though the team wants to represent their country, it is important for them to push for their equal treatment.

    “We all want to go play, but it’s been 14 months and we haven’t seen progress, so if there’s progress within the next week and a half, we’ll see,” Lamoureux-Davison said. “But there need to be significant steps taken and hopefully, USA Hockey finds this significant enough to want to start making progress with us.”

    Women’s ice hockey has made a significant push in recent years. The National Women’s Hockey League was founded last season, which showcases some of the best players through North America, including Hilary Knight. The CWHL, which represents women’s hockey in Canada, has also made a significant stride forward.

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    The U.S. women’s team has made the gold medal game every year since 1990 and won the championship last year when they defeated Canada 1-0.

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