Cassie Campbell-Pascall has resigned as a governor of the CWHL.
According to The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell, the two-time Olympic gold medallist and Hockey Night in Canada reporter resigned from her position with the league over the weekend.
A league spokesperson confirmed to Sportsnet that Campbell-Pascall has resigned as a league governor but wouldn’t offer any further comment on the matter.
Campbell reports that Campbell-Pascall stepped down as director of the CWHL two years ago and actually didn’t want to be a governor of the league but was asked to stay on and over the past two years she’s worked mainly to try to secure sponsorships for the league rather than her official governor duties.
This resignation comes on the heels of comments NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made shortly after the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Games concluded in regards to women’s hockey and the two rival North American leagues: the CWHL and NWHL.
“If those two leagues didn’t exist, we would probably start our own women’s league to work in conjunction with our existing clubs,” Bettman said.
“There isn’t enough talent for three leagues right now and we’re not looking to get into a competition with the two women’s leagues. If at some point they both want to work with us in ways we haven’t been able to so far, we are open to that conversation.”
To Campbell-Pascall, that conversation has to start with the two leagues joining forces and doing what’s best for the women’s game.
“To me it’s a no-brainer,” she told Sportsnet 960 the FAN after Bettman’s comments came out. “Both commissioners know exactly what needs to happen and the fact that it’s been almost three or four years now since the initial conversation started and nothing’s happened you have to point the finger at both commissioners.
“It’s a hard thing for me to do publicly. I’ve spoken to both of them, been in meetings with both of them. Enough is enough. Let’s take women’s hockey to the next level. If I’m commissioner and I finally hear Gary Bettman come public and finally say those comments what am I waiting for? And, what am I doing? For them not to be in a room every single day trying to figure out how this is supposed to happen, I don’t get it. To me, they’re both not doing their jobs.”
Strong comments, and not ones Campbell-Pascall can make when affiliated to one of the leagues in question. Thus, it makes sense that she’s stepping down from her official involvement with league.
Campbell-Pascall will be a major part of Sportsnet’s broadcast of the Clarkson Cup final between the Kunlun Red Star and Markham Thunder this Sunday at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.
