On March 28, USA Hockey and the women’s national hockey team came to a contract agreement that had been under negotiation for 15 months. The agreement gives women’s hockey players the opportunity to make $71,000 annually and $129,000 on Olympic years for the next four years.

“I think it’s only fair that women get the same treatment as the men do,” St. Thomas women’s hockey player Leah Schwartzman said. “That would be cool to see in the future.”

Before they agreed on a deal, players were making roughly $1,000 a month. With this new deal in place, players will now be making $3,000-$4,000 a month, along with bonuses depending on how well the team performs.

“I think it’s great for equality,” St. Thomas women’s hockey head coach Tom Palkowski said. “We’ll see how it plays out, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

In 2000, the same type of agreement was negotiated, but no deal was made.

The current deal was reached after the U.S. women’s hockey players threatened to boycott by refusing to partake in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships until a deal was made. If they could not agree, USA Hockey was, according to USA Today, going to create a replacement team.

Schwartzman said that Hannah Brandt, senior forward at the University of Minnesota and member of the women’s national team, reached out to fellow St. Thomas teammate Becca Zarembinski about it.

“[Hannah] told [Becca] that they were boycotting and that they heard that the USA team was reaching out to D-III players,” Schwartzman explained. “They asked for us to stand with them.”

When asked what she would have done if USA Hockey asked her to come play on the replacement team, Schwartzman said: “It would be cool to play for team USA, but under those circumstances it is not worth it … I would say no and stand with the women.”

The new contract agreement hasn’t only united women’s hockey players across the nation, it also potentially opened the opportunity to expand both professional and amateur levels in the future.

“I don’t see a lot in the pro league,” Palkowski said. “I think at the amateur level and for growing the game that it will be awesome.”

The National Women’s Hockey League, or the NWHL, which began in 2015, is the first women’s hockey league in the country to pay its athletes, which is stated directly on their website. It currently has four teams competing in its league, combining for 91 total players.

“I’m hoping in the future that they get more support behind them and that it becomes a bigger deal,” Schwartzmann said. “As of now, they’re so little along the whole spectrum of professional sports that it’s hard to want to be a part of that.”

On April 5, just eight days after making the hockey agreement, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the women’s national soccer team also came to an agreement, in which the women will receive raises and bonuses, along with better travel benefits. The deal will be in effect until 2021.

“Things are starting to, hopefully, come to a level playing field,” Palkowski said. “Or at least a lot closer than they have in the past.”

Gamiel Hall can be reached at hall0211@stthomas.edu.