Metropolitan Riveters, New Jersey Devils Role In #ForTheGame

A few days ago, over 200 women’s hockey players shocked the sports world by declaring that they wouldn’t play in any North American league until they get the resources and support they need. Going by the hashtag #ForTheGame, it’s been making waves, building momentum, and dividing fans and players alike. Since then, the #ForTheGame movement has picked up powerful supporters, including Billie Jean King, Bauer, CCM, and even the NFLPA. The NWHL – including the Metropolitan Riveters – are being affected.

More detailed coverage on the movement as a whole can be found on SportsNet and at the indispensable Ice Garden, who are keeping a running list of #ForTheGame participants. This is a New Jersey Devils – and thus by extension Metropolitan Riveters – website, so we’ll cover the story from that angle.

We’ll examine three aspects today: how the Metropolitan Riveters roster stands today, what current and former Rivs are saying, and what the New Jersey Devils can do to help.

Where The Riveters Roster Stands

Right now, assuming the league manages to have a new season, the Riveters are one of only a couple teams that might still make a roster. It’s still early, so there’s no telling how many more women will join the boycott or what the implications will be for people choosing not to join it. Assuming there’s no social or political consequences – which, to reiterate, is an assumption, not a statement of fact – the Riveters wouldn’t have much trouble filling the gaps. The biggest holes are the goaltender spots – Katie Fitzgerald and Kim Sass are hard talents to replace – but the team still has plenty of offensive punch and a solid blueline.

The Riveters also have a strong fan following outside of their star players. The core rooting for them now are by and large the same people who were there for them in Brooklyn during season one. Many of their most recognizable names – Kessel and Packer in particular – have been part of the roster on and off for numerous reasons. It’s early and anecdotal, but the fanbase itself doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Though this can’t be driven home enough – the list is changing, and there’s a real chance that by the time you read this more people will be off this list. It also doesn’t account for any players privately supporting the movement, or what their individual beliefs are – it’s just a reaction to the information in front of us now.

What Current & Former Riveters Are Saying

Many NWHL players – and, relevant to this piece, many Riveters have been candid for years about both issues with the league and issues with women’s hockey in general.

The most recent breaking point was likely the plane cancellation fiasco and the public response to it. Right around then, a misguided fan asked why the women couldn’t just take one more vacation day to cover the rescheduled game. Former Rivs captain Ashley Johnston – who works as an engineer and commuted from Albany during her playing days – responded in detail:

Goalie Kimberly Sass in particular has been vocal about the women’s game. She was one of the players who couldn’t make it to the rescheduled playoff game. She also revealed that in 2018 she paid more to play pro hockey than she earned. Sass tweeted that she’s sad she might have played her last pro game, but that it’s time to “push the pace of change.”

Former Riveter forward Tatiana Rafter just came back to North America after playing a season in Russia and quickly joined the #ForTheGame movement. After the league cut pay, she used her SB Nation column From The Rafter to explain the situation was and almost quit the league. After winning the Isobel Cup with the Riveters last years, she spoke about how the NWHL needed more funds and exposure, and also suggested that the NHL guide the path to one league. She raised the issue of insurance coverage for hockey players when posting her #ForTheGame statement.

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Madison Packer, one of the leading scorers in NWHL history, has not publicly taken a side, but recently tweeted in defense of players for have not taken the #ForTheGame pledge. Her tweet was fav’d by Katie Fitzgerald.

It’s worth noting that Packer is engaged to NWHLPA director Anya Battaglino, who has been vocally skeptical of #ForTheGame and claims she was left in the dark about it. That said, any agreement or disagreement between them has yet to be made public and isn’t necessarily our business.

Defender Jenny Ryan offered support for Sarah Nurse’s statement on the issue.

Former Rivs forward Harrison Browne also chimed with words of support for the movement.

Amanda Kessel, one of the biggest stars in women’s hockey and one of the public faces of #ForTheGame, was interviewed on CBC Radio One’s As It Happens. Like Sass, she noted that several of her teammates lost money playing the game. “It’s called ‘professional’ but unfortunately its not.” She states that #ForTheGame is looking for a “good partner… potentially the NHL” to get more funding and guidance.

Her salary decreased over the course of her two seasons from $26,000 to $13,000 after cuts, and this year she made $8,000 – a number interviewer Carol Off correctly called “pathetic,” while noting that Kessel was still one of the highest paid players in the league.

As a member of the National Team, she’s offered resources that allow her to train full time, but that leaves out the vast majority of players. “We’re not asking for millions,” she clarifies, “it’s to make a salary that you can live off of.” She also takes the long view, noting that their requests might not make a huge difference now but could set the foundation for players to get a livable income down the line. She ended by noting the sad fact that even sitting out a season isn’t giving up much but believes they’ll be successful.

There’s a few other current and former Riveters who have yet to make a statement of their own, but have supported others in less overt ways. Johnston has liked the Instagram posts of many of her former teammates pledging, former Rivs Nana Fujimoto retweeted Shannon Szabados’s statement, and Alexa Gruschow liked Billie Jean King’s endorsement of #ForThePlayers on Twitter. While retweets and likes are famously not endorsements, they’re worth noting for posterity.

What The Devils Can Do

Pucks And Pitchforks is a New Jersey Devils website and the Riveters are partnered withthe New Jersey Devils. As such, it’s our responsibility to ask what the Devils can do here.

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For starters, Harris and Blitzer – billionaires both – could pony up some money to support the NWHL directly or whatever takes its place. It’s unlikely and foolish to say that they could or should fund an entire league itself, of course, but money goes a long way. They could also help secure more funding, both from fellow NHL owners and other business associates. Nobody succeeds alone, especially not in business or sports. Anyone who thinks that the NHL funds itself to this day should take a closer look at who pays for new stadiums. (Hint: a lot of the money is collected on April 15th.)

The New Jersey Devils organization could also put more pressure on the NHL to step up and help. Most proposals for what comes next involve the NHL in some way, but both Gary Bettman and Bill Daly have repeatedly said that they don’t want to get involved. They often claim that they don’t want to “bully” the NWHL, but they’ve also claimed that if there were no women’s league they’d consider filling in the void.

If these sound a bit contradictory, remember that’s the Bettman Special. Either way, there’s one league left and possible no league soon, and the Devils are one of 31 voices in a league full of people too quiet. The NHL doesn’t necessarily have to run the league – and there’s reason not to trust them – but they need to get off the sidelines.

It’s also our responsibility as fans to make the Devils know this is a priority. Let them know – from the front office to the fourth line – that we’d like to hear them publicly comment on this. They have a stake in this, but ultimately we’re the customers and we need to vote with our dollar – or at least our twitter accounts.