Any self-respecting hockey fan knows that the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) has started preseason play and the regular season will be upon us in less than two short weeks.
The league launched in the spring with the promise of not only bringing quality hockey to fans, but also paying players a decent salary. In the months since, many have wondered exactly what that means.
And it seems we finally have an answer. The salaries of all 72 players in the league have been made public on the league's site. So, without further ado, here is a list of the 10 highest-paid players, all of whom are signed to one-year deals:
Kelli Stack, Connecticut Whale, $25,000
Megan Bozek, Buffalo Beauts, $22,500
Meghan Duggan, Buffalo Beauts, $22,500
Kacey Bellamy, Boston Pride, $22,000
Brianna Decker, Boston Pride, $22,000
Hilary Knight, Boston Pride, $22,000
Brianne McLaughlin, Buffalo Beauts, $22,000
Katia Smolentsveta, Connecticut Whale, $22,000
Emily Pfalzer, Buffalo Beauts, $21,000
Nana Fujimoto, New York Riveters, $21,000
On the other end of the spectrum -- because I know you're wondering -- the lowest salaries are $10,000. And while, sure, these salaries aren't enough to live solely on, they appear to be a step up from last season in the Canadian Women's Hockey League, where players had to PAY to play. So, progress, right?
(H/T to Matt Larkin of The Hockey News for bringing this this to our attention.)
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