With the advent of the professional women’s league (LPHF) and the numerous international meetings, the schedule of the best players in the world is getting heavier. So much so that the LPHF asked the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to move the World Championship to November.
In an interview with Radio-Canada Sports, IIHF president Luc Tardif confirmed that this was the league’s preference.
They have made a request to see if there is a shooting window in November, he said when reached by telephone on Thursday.
Currently contested in April, the women’s world is stuck between the end of the Rivalry Series – a series of duels between Canada and the United States – the end of the LPHF season and the start of the series. A condensed, busy schedule, which could become problematic for the players or at least for the best among them called upon to wear the colors of their national team.
The international federation is not closed to the idea of moving the Women’s World Championship, but is not excited about the month of November either.
Before going there, I would like there to be a little stability [dans la ligue]. If the LPHF adds two teams and we change the entire calendar [pour les accommoder]but that their season starts earlier…, launched the president, leaving his sentence hanging.
We need a little perspective, added Tardif.
Moving the tournament would ensure the IIHF the presence of the cream of Canadian and American women’s hockey, as well as a few hand-picked Europeans who play in North America, but would complicate things considerably for the other delegations.
The European leagues are in full swing in November: they will therefore have to be put on pause. Not to mention that some nations, in the secondary divisions, are fighting to be promoted or avoid relegation during the World Championship.
Ultimately, many more players will suffer the consequences of a schedule change than those affected by the status quo. That said, Tardif insists: the federation is nevertheless exploring this possibility.
Before making a decision, we want to have a vision of what will happen. Does that mean that if they expand, they will start their season earlier? Before changing [les dates du tournoi]I would like to see what will happen so that we do not have to move again, he explained.
The LPHF must reach cruising speed to allow us to arrive at a lasting solution.
A quote from Luc Tardif, president of the IIHF
According to the president, the league also requested that there be no World Championship during Olympic years.
If we do that, behind, there are four divisions which will not play any competition. We think about the whole thing, we want to keep our rhythm, argued Tardif.
Heavy loss
The recent injury to American star and Montreal Victory defender Cayla Barnes highlighted the rigors of this program and, perhaps, the need to adjust it, although discussions on this subject began several months before this incident.
On November 6, in San José, during the first game of the Rivalry Series between Canada and the United States, Barnes came into contact with the woman who will be her captain in Montreal, Marie-Phillip Poulin, and injured his right leg when he hit the belt.
She was not at her post on the first day of the Victoire training camp on Thursday, in Verdun, but could return to the game in the medium term, according to general director Danièle Sauvageau, who specified that the news was encouraging in her case.
A question of days, weeks, a colleague asked him? Between the two, she replied, for what that means.
Between these high-caliber international matches that the players love, the World Championship and the LPHF, a compromise will have to be found.
Everyone agrees that it’s too much right now and that it’s rather disappointing to lose a pillar of your team before the start of training camp during an exhibition game.
The Rivalry Series was originally created to allow the best Canadians and Americans not to lose control while awaiting the creation of a high-caliber professional league. This is done, so what future for this confrontation?
Already, the number of matches has gone from seven to five this year.
I think this adaptation will allow us to breathe a little more, said goalkeeper Ann-Renée Desbiens. It’s a good change.
These are international commitments that were made two, three years ago […] At the same time, it was international hockey that created the level of play that you know at the base.
A quote from Danièle Sauvageau, general director of Victoire de Montréal
With the arrival of the league, there is discussion about whether the World Championship should remain in April. Should it be pushed to May, should it even take place at the beginning of the year, in September, in October? Everything is on the table at the moment, she continued.
With the players’ association cap screwed on their heads, Montreal union representative Laura Stacey assures us that they talk about it all the time.
We have the interests of the players at heart. Health and safety are major issues. It’s still a difficult question because we like to compete in this series and it’s an honor to represent our country. It’s a fine line, she admitted.
Between the lines, we understand that there are contracts to be respected between now and the next Winter Olympic Games in Milan, in February 2026.
Whether for the World Championship or the Rivalry Series, the status quo seems untenable.
