Women's hockey players fear financial fallout of frozen Hockey Canada funding

The federal government suspending Hockey Canada's funding because of problems distant to the national women's team can still affect it.

The Canadian women's and para hockey teams rely heavily on federal funds to operate.

The bulk of training costs for men's teams are borne by pro or junior clubs who loan players to Hockey Canada for international tournaments.

So when federal sport minister Pascale St-Onge froze Hockey Canada's funding over its handling of an alleged sexual assault by members of the 2018 world junior men's team, the women worried about the financial fallout for their team.

"It's a concern for sure," forward Blayre Turnbull said. "We consider ourselves professional athletes without the professional paycheque.

"A lot of our money comes from the government and comes from other organizations like that. Our program would be greatly impacted if the freezing of funds continues to happen."

Among the 142 senior and developmental players currently participating in a Calgary camp are 19 women who won Olympic gold in Beijing in February.

The first women's world championship to be held in the same calendar year as an Olympic Games opens Aug. 25 in Denmark.

Canada's women will attempt to defend the world title won a year ago in Calgary where they edged the U.S. in overtime in the final.

Their Denmark preparation isn't curtailed, but the financial future of the women's program seems murky to the players under the current sanctions.

"It's a valid concern, especially long term," said Gina Kingsbury, director of hockey operations for Hockey Canada's women's teams, to The Canadian Press. "We're entering territory that we don't fully understand. I'm trying to focus on what I can control.

"Short term, the message from Hockey