The structure of professional women’s hockey is still to be defined, but an element of the ecosystem is gradually being put in place.
Agencies are indeed beginning to establish themselves in the area. After the all-powerful CAA – where Pat Brisson works – it is the turn of the Quebec firm Quartexx to announce the development of a sector dedicated to female players.
Quartexx unveiled its project on Wednesday, confirming at the same time that the player Karell Émard will be at the head of this new women’s division.
“A National League player won’t need as much visibility as a girl. The needs are different, ”recalls Émard, in a telephone interview.
“That’s why Gio [Giordano Saputo, chef des opérations de Quartexx] wanted me to lead this project. It’s fine to have agents who come from the male side, but they don’t know the female side. I’m getting old, but my 30 years of experience in women’s hockey will help me! »
Two weeks ago, CAA confirmed to ESPN the creation of a women’s section which included eight players, including Canadian Blayre Turnbull.
For its part, Quartexx is not announcing its new clients for the moment. “In the coming weeks,” assures Émard. However, she gave more details about her role and mission.
“It’s to ensure that players in the Montreal and Toronto regions have access to an ice rink, a gym, coaches. I will be a bit of a guide, an adviser, if they need an opinion before signing a contract. Innocuous things, which are covered in the guys, but where the girls are left to their own devices. »
Émard knows something about it, having experienced the transition between the NCAA – she played in St. Lawrence – and the life after. That’s why she listened when Giordano Saputo contacted her.
“I loved the idea, I thought we needed representation. I told Giordano that if he wanted to make a difference, he had to invest in development, the level just below the national team, to know where to train, with whom. I fell in there. Once you’re cut from national teams, there’s no support. The 21.02 Center aims to eliminate this kind of void. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Daniele Sauvageau
Danièle Sauvageau, President and CEO of the Center 21.02, is delighted with the arrival of Quartexx in the landscape.
“They want to help the players to be represented, which we don’t do,” recalls Sauvageau. We are performance oriented.
“It comes to increase by a notch what is already in place. The agencies recognize that these athletes are professionals, if only in their training. It’s five days a week, they play showcases. The environment we offer in training is professional. Then, these girls must be represented and, ideally, seek sponsorships. »
“No Discrimination”
After the activities of Les Canadiennes de Montréal ended, Émard joined the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). She was actively involved in the movement from the start in this rival organization of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), where the Montreal Force plays.
In a press briefing in Montreal last month, the commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, had recalled his “concern” to see “two organizations which fight instead of uniting” within women’s professional hockey.
Despite her past involvement, Émard does not close any doors: she will represent the players regardless of the league. “No discrimination! In an ideal world, I would like the two leagues to coexist. Both leagues deserve to live,” she said.
It will be interesting to see where the project ends up. For now, “it’s more of an investment that we make, wanting to help more than the elite. The vision is very different,” she says. “Different” compared to the image that we generally have of agencies, a lucrative industry where the income comes from commissions on the wages of the players.
The most cynical will say that the agencies are seeing revenue on the horizon and are starting to place their pawns. As an example, EA Sports included Canadian Sarah Nurse on the cover of the game NHL 23.
But last month, Daryl Watts of the Toronto Six (PHF) revealed she would earn US$150,000 next season, making her the highest-paid player in women’s professional hockey history. Brother Martin Leclerc.
The creation of a female component will certainly not harm the image of Quartexx. But as Émard reminds us, “contracts are not about millions of dollars. It’s not to make money on the backs of the players.