Four days ago, the New Jersey Devils dissolved their partnership with the Metropolitan Riveters one year early. Yesterday, Madison Packer re-signed with the Riveters. In between, there has only been one public statement on it from the Devils. Everyone else has been silent – the Riveters organization, the NWHL, or any of the current or former players
The Devils statement, as given to Emily Kaplan when she broke the story, is as follows:
"“Recognizing the current landscape, we believe the best way to support the future of women’s hockey is by reallocating our resources to focus strategically on grassroots initiatives that positively impact female youth hockey players in our area… while leveraging our resources to help train, support and develop women’s hockey players competing at the highest levels.”"
This tells us little to nothing about the relationship, outside the implication that the Devils are getting ready for the NHL to make their move in the women’s hockey space.
Meanwhile, there have been many posts from many accounts about Packer coming back for another season.
“I’m confident in the direction our sport is headed, and in the plan the NWHL has laid out for a strong season and positive experience for players and fans. It’s important to build off the momentum created by the league’s success last season." - @madison_packer_ pic.twitter.com/q9cLYqTEKX
— PHF (@PHF) May 20, 2019
Many of the members of the #ForTheGame movement have been vocal about specific frustrations with the NWHL, but none – specifically none of the Rivs on hiatus – have mentioned the Devils partnership. This is striking in part because partnerships with NHL teams have been major factors in how the NWHL has developed, but the focus always seems to be on the NWHL itself.
Even after scouring the social media feeds of each current and former Riveter, none have mentioned anything about it on Twitter or Instagram. None have even liked any tweets about the partnership.
As such, it’s worth asking: why all the silence on the partnership?
Part of the answer is, in all likelihood, people like me. The players and the league both understand that they are under a microscope right now, and thus sportswriters are going to be searching for any opening they can find. This includes many writers who normally wouldn’t cover women’s hockey, or at least aren’t connected in the field as the tight-knit group that does.
There’s also likely some concerns about missteps. As an example, last week Kendall Coyne Schofield mentioned the lack of technology in the NHWL. This turned out to be inaccurate, at least for other teams, and there was a not-insignificant amount of Twitter discussion wondering if she missed anything by practicing with the Whitecaps only part time. It was an embarrassing 24 hours that they – understandably – haven’t acknowledged and probably want to move past.
Players who aren’t part of the #ForTheGame movement are also likely reluctant to take sides. Last week, Erica Ayala at The IX (subscription required but recommended) interviewed an NWHL player who had strong reservations about the movement. The important part to note is that the interview was anonymous – stars can often say what they want, but there’s reason to believe the rank and file are scared of rocking the boat.
Another factor is the announcement of the PWHPA yesterday. This was clearly in the works for a long time, and any bitter comments could have derailed what’s meant to be a positive step forward. It’s not the ideal time to talk about the failings of the past, even if it’s the not-so-distant past. Perhaps the biggest reason the team itself hasn’t said anything is the start of NWHL free agency.
As I reported on 5/15, there are at least 13 other players currently in talks with NWHL GMs for contracts. Given what we've seen on social media, neither Fratkin or Packer signing was a surprise, but both are popular players who have been in the NWHL since year one.
— Mike Murphy (@DigDeepBSB) May 20, 2019
Packer re-signing with the Riveters seemed inevitable – she’s easily the biggest name on the team left, and she’s been openly skeptical about #ForTheGame – but there’s a lot of holes left to fill on that roster. Having their franchise player in place projects a return to some kind of normalcy, which is exactly what a team and league rebuilding would need. It’s certainly a stronger pitch than publicly stating that their partnership dissolved and they may be looking for a new home rink. It seems a bit harsh but it’s the reality, and they want free agents to look for any kind of stability in an unstable league.
No matter the reason – or, as outlined above, reasons – why nobody from the Devils, the Riveters, or the NWHL are talking about the dissolved partnership. It’s hard to imagine that they can avoid the elephant in the room much longer, though.