National Ringette League

National Ringette League

Sport	Ringette
Commissioner	Maurice Jean
No. of teams	19
Country(ies)	Canada
Official website	NRL.ca

The National Ringette League (NRL) is the top level ringette league in Canada. The NRL groups together the best nineteen-year-old players at least of the country. The NRL consists of nineteen teams distributed in two conferences - a western conference grouping together six teams and an east conference with thirteen teams. The NRL recovers directly from Ringuette Canada, the guiding organiasation for the ringuette in Canada. The great majority of the players come from Canada even if some players arise from the United States or from Finland.

NRL general regulation

The rules of the NRL follow mainly, in some details near, those of the International Federation of Ringuette. Characteristic fact of the North American sport the NRL is a closed league and so, there is no banishment towards minors leagues^[1]. The teams of the NRL are franchisings of this league. It is a league with annual draft during it between season^[2], which are the main front door of the new players in the league. The LNR Draft have the parculiary to be regional; there is so, in 2011, a draft for the region of Ottawa and Gatineau^[3], the other one draft for the Manitoba^[4], one draft for the Souththern Ontario^[5], or still one draft for the region of Montreal^[6]. Furthermore, the teams can be exchanged players and choices in the resit according to a calendar established by the league^[7].

History

Ringette is a Canadian sport that was first introduced in 1963 at North Bay, Ontario^[8]. Developed originally for girls, ringette is a fast-paced team sport on ice in which players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals. For ten years, play centered in Ontario and Quebec, however the sport quickly spread across Canada and is now played by 50,000 girls^[9] across Canada.

The creation of the National Ringette League is following the success of the 2002 Ringuette world championships at Edmonton where Canada took gained the golden medal. The first NRL season is thrown in November 2004 with 17 teams. There is no championship match after the first NRL season.

In 2005-06, the National Ringuette League is for its second season with 19 teams there (two new teams joined the league). These teams are now distributed in four conferences: the West Conference - five teams, Center Conference - five teams, Ontario Conferene - five teams and Quebec Conference - four teams. The dominant teams are then the Cambridge Turbos in the Division Ontario, Montreal Mission in the Division Quebec, in the western Division the Edmonton WAM! and the champions of the Central Division, the APFG Sixers. New fact: at the end of the regular season, there are qualifying rounds: eight teams which qualify themselves in the general standing, participate in the NRL Playoffs which crown the team champion of the league. The championship match of the LNR takes place in the Centre Étienne Desmarteau in Montreal, the April 1 2006 and Cambridge Turbos won the great victory.

The audience in the matches for certain franchisings is limited: during the inter-season 3 teams close for lack of adequate financial means..

In its third season (2006-07), the NRL consists of 16 teams distributed in three conferences: the West Conference - seven teams, Ontario Conference - five teams, all in Ontario, and Quebec Conference - four teams. The Championship finale match takes place in Halifax, on April 10th, 2007 and the Edmonton WAM! won champion's title of the League.

In 2007-08 season, the National Ringuette League is for its fourth season there. The League consists of 17 teams distributed in two conferences, Western Conference including seven teams, and East Conference including ten teams. The Cambridge Turbos won the NRL Championship by beating 2-1 Montreal Mission (the winning goal marked in extra time period).^[10] · ^[11].

In 2008-09 season, the National Ringuette League is for its fifth season there. The NRL contains 18 teams^[12], grouped together in a Western Conference with six teams and a East Conference with twelve teams. The NRL Championship Game takes place to Charlottetown, and the Cambridge Turbos^[13] won again the National Championship^[14] · ^[15]. A while later, takes place the first Ringuette World championship of the clubs to Sault-Sainte-Marie, Ontario. Four best NRL teams meet there to face two better clubs of Professional Ringette Elite League of Finland, the Ringeten SM-Sarja^[16]. The Cambridge Turbos won the world title having overcome in finale the Finnish champion team, LuKi-82 Luvia^[17] · ^[18].

In 2009-10 season, the National Ringuette League is for its sixth season with 18 teams grouped together in a Western Conference with six teams and a East Conference with twelve teams there. The competition remains very intense and it is the return of the ascendancy of differents west teams^[19]: Edmonton Wam! becomes again the NRL Championship after an eclipse of two years in depends on the Cambridge Turbos. Edmonton beats Cambridge 2-0 in National Finals^[20].

From March 27th till April 2nd, 2011, the NRL Championship Tournament takes place to Cambridge, Ontario. In Final game, the Edmonton WAM! triumph over the Cambridge Turbos^[21]

In 2011-12 season, the NRL enters its eighth season with 19 teams playing in two conferences. The NRL knows a new expansion, with the creation of 2 new teams^[22]: Atlantic Attack (of Moncton in New Brunswick)^[23] and Lower Mainland Ringette League ( LMRL Thunder of British Columbia).

The 2011-12 regular season began on October 15th, 2011 and will conclude on March 18th, 2012. All in all, thirty matches are competed by each of the teams during the regular season. Each of the teams faces only teams of his conference. This structure allows to reduce the costs of transport given the size of the Canadian territory covered by the league. At the end of the regular season, there is a break of a week when the various individual distinctions are awarded, then a NRL Championship Tournament.

Teams

Conference	Team	City/Area	Head Coach
Eastern Conference
East - Red	Gatineau Fusion	Gatineau, Quebec	Yvon Brault
East - Red	Gloucester Devils	Gloucester, Ontario	David Mainwood
East - Red	Ottawa Ice	Ottawa, Ontario	Al Bateman
East - White	Quebec City Cyclones	Quebec City, Quebec	Claude Guerard
East - White	Atlantic Attack	Moncton, New Brunswick	Julien Léger
East - White	Bourassa Royal	Bourassa-Laval-Lanaudière, Quebec	Yves Leclair
East - White	Lac-Saint-Louis Adrenaline	Lac-Saint-Louis, Quebec	David Singh
East - White	Montreal Mission	Montréal, Quebec	Daniel Dussault
East - White	Rive Sud Revolution	South Shore (Montreal), Quebec	Luc Plante
East - Red	Cambridge Turbos	Cambridge, Ontario	Glen Gaudet
East - Red	Richmond Hill Lightning	Richmond Hill, Ontario	Keith Jasper
East - Red	Waterloo Wildfire	Waterloo, Ontario	Doug Miners
East - Red	Whitby Wild	Whitby, Ontario	Ed Stepniak
Western Conference
Western	Calgary Rath	Calgary, Alberta	Cliff Lawrick
Western	Edmonton WAM!	Edmonton, Alberta	Kari Sadoway
Western	Lower Mainland Ringette League Thunder	British Columbia	Chris Wakefield
Western	Manitoba Jets	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Brian Timmerman
Western	Prairie Fire	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Rick Montsion
Western	Saskatoon Wild	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	Dwayne Andreen

NRL National Champions

In 2010-11 season, new fact, a NRL Championship Tournament replaces the Championship qualifying rounds, this tournament takes place in just one city. This allows to create a media event and to hold attention. Ten better teams in the regular season of the league, participate in this tournament which crowns the team champion of the league. The championship final game is broadcast on Rogers TV.

Starting in 2011-12, eight teams are playing a full round robin to determine the champion.

This is the list of NRL champions season by season:

• 2011-12 : LMRL Thunder!
• 2010-11 : Edmonton WAM!
• 2009-10 : Edmonton WAM!
• 2008-09 : Cambridge Turbos
• 2007-08 : Cambridge Turbos
• 2006-07 : Edmonton WAM!
• 2005-06 : Cambridge Turbos
• 2004-05 : No championship match

Awards and honours

At the end of each season (at the end of March) the League quotes its annuals awards during the week of break pre-tournament eliminating playoffs. The annual NRL honors reward the athletes having obtained excellent performances during the regular season. Each of 2 conference presents one athlete and a coach as finalist in every category, and the National Championship Tournament are chosen among these finalists.

Income and payment for the ringette players

In 2008, the budget of each NRL team of the oscillates between $ 15 000 and $ 20 000^[24]. The teams and the league contribute to cover all the transport spending, accommodation and rent of arenas. The players however have to find their own financiers to pay their equipment and their personal spending and aen't paid for play^[25]. The audience in the matches for several LNR team is limited to some supporters' hundreds. It's possible to believe that a bigger mediatization of this sport engendered a better budget to pay a salary to the athletes.

Development of young players

The NRL maintains a collaboration with the lower Ringette leagues as regards the development of the young girls players: So several teams of the NRL have affiliated development's teams Under 19 years old and Under 16 years old. The Canadians Championship U16 and U19 (usually in April) take place in the same place as the NRL playoff tournament eliminating^[26] · ^[27]. What allows the tracers of the teams NRL to identify the young talented players.

References

See also

• Ringette

External links

Women's sport portal

• National Ringette League Website
• Ringette Canada
• The site of the officials of the National Ringette League