The Canadian Women’s Hockey League is going out of business

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) will discontinue operations on May 1, the league announced Sunday.

“Unfortunately, while the on-ice hockey is exceptional, the business model has proven to be economically unsustainable,” the league said in a statement.

The CWHL was founded in 2007 with a mandate to increase interest in women’s hockey.

The league has six teams – four in Canada, one in the United States and one in Shenzhen, China.

Players are weighing in what this means for the future of Women’s Hockey:

Today the hockey league we played in and relied on to improve as players, folded. The support we felt throughout these years was tremendous & we would love to keep this momentum going. The future generations need to be able to see their role models on the ice. #noleague #cwhl

— Natalie Spooner (@natspooner5) March 31, 2019

I’m heartbroken at the news of the #CWHL folding. Hard to process this after our most successful season to date. Thank you to the builders, players, coaches, GMs, fans that made it possible for 12 seasons. We will rebound from this.

— Brianne Jenner (@briannejenner) March 31, 2019

The news comes a week after the 12th edition of its championship game, the Clarkson Cup.

The Calgary Inferno won the title game last Sunday, beating the Montreal Canadiennes 5-2.