200 hockey players commit to professional games in North America: NPR

Decrying the poor state of wages and support for women's hockey, about 200 players announced Thursday that they would not play this sport at the professional level in North America, as long as they would not have a league with "the resources that professional hockey demands and deserves".

"We can not sustainably earn our living in the current state of professional football" says the statement several players have posted on their social media accounts. "Having no health insurance and earning only two thousand dollars a season, players can not train properly and prepare to play at the highest level."

Forbes says the top ten players in the 2018-19 season have each won multi-million dollar NHL checks with lucrative endorsement contracts.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Women's Hockey League officially shut down, citing an economically unstable economic model, making the National Women's Hockey League the last remaining professional league in North America.

The NWHL was hoping to join the Canadian league and said Thursday that despite the boycott, it still plans to proceed to season five in October with its five teams.

As a concession to the players, the league announced that it "offers a salary increase and a 50-50 [split] sponsorship at the league level and media rights agreements ", adding that he remained open to communicating with players about their concerns.

Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield, who helped propel the US women's national team to win the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, as well as Canada's national team goalie Shannon Szabados.

"We obviously want to be on the ice, but I think that says a lot about the seriousness of the situation," said Szabados, who played for Buffalo Beauts of the NWHL, at the Associated Press. "We are more than 200 wanting to end their activities in 10 different directions and bring all our resources together under one roof."

After the announcement of the boycott, words of support for the players poured in.

"Female athletes deserve to live life imagined as such: to play the sport they love and make a living," tweeted Billie Jean King, first tennis player in the world.

Mary-Kay Messier, vice president of global marketing for ice hockey equipment maker Bauer, called on the NHL to intervene: "In order to develop a viable long-term professional hockey league, the NHL must be in position of owner, "she said in a statement.

The NHL has provided limited funding to women's teams, but has so far resisted calls to do more. The players designed the announcement on Thursday, in part, to get the NHL to act, reports ESPN.

However, in a statement sent to NPR, the NHL says that if it supports the goals of the NWHL and the players, it is in no hurry to do anything. "We will need some time to better understand the bigger picture and its implications," said Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

Commissioner Gary Bettman told AP that the NHL still wanted the NWHL to "pull out" and that it does not want to interfere at the moment, even though it could change if "it turns out that there is a void".

But the players say that the void is already there and they will not resume their stick until it is settled.