England head coach Eddie Jones is set to discuss his future with Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney in the coming weeks.

Jones is out of contract in the summer of 2021, but when asked if he will be in the post beyond that date he replied: "I don't know."

He did, however, reveal plans for potentially pivotal talks with Sweeney.

"We've got dinner organised in a couple of weeks so we may be able to chat about it," Jones said.

"It must be his shout. I'll take a Triple Crown to show him."

A 33-30 victory over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday secured that Triple Crown success - England's first since 2016 - and temporarily signed off a Six Nations campaign truncated by the coronavirus-enforced postponement of their final match against Italy.

On the eve of the tournament Jones stated that he would stay for as long as he felt the players were responding to his methods, but after Wales victory would only say: "I'm still judging. I'll judge for as long as I need to."

And Jones admitted that he struggles to take any enjoyment from his role beyond the immediate euphoria of victories.

"I never enjoy coaching. Winning is a relief. Anyone who tells you they enjoy coaching is lying," he said. "All you do is coach hard. If you win you feel good for 24 hours and then you're back into it. That's all it is.

"It's a choice you make. You get to coach these extraordinary, gifted players. You give them something that helps develop them as a player and a person.

"The joy you get from that is unbelievable, but generally any coach who says they find coaching enjoyable is probably not telling the truth."

Analysis

Chris Jones, BBC rugby union correspondent

Jones has been in a perplexing mood throughout this Six Nations: garrulous ahead of the France game, terse ahead of the Ireland match, and signing off with a stinging attack on the referee following the win over Wales.

Those comments may well be deemed inappropriate by both his bosses at Twickenham as well as Six Nations officials, but while Jones' England continue to be a dominant force in world rugby, how long he will continue in the job remains up in the air.

Jones' assertion that he isn't enjoying himself also appears at odds with his usual zest for coaching. Either way it's likely the extent of the RFU's commitment to Jones - and vice-versa - will be revealed before too long.

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Joey Logano survived multiple late-race restarts to earn his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.

The victory in the FanShield 500 was far from easy for Logano, who had to overcome an uncontrolled tire penalty during a pit stop early in the race as well as a a slow pit stop due to a broken jack late in the race.

In both instances Logano raced his way back through the field, eventually coming out on top to earn his 25th NASCAR Cup Series victory.

“We had more things go wrong today. Unfortunate situation with the jack braking. No one’s fault,” Logano said. “That was a pretty intense last 30 minutes or hour of the race.  A lot going on. Couldn’t be more proud of this team. Two wins already in the books. We’ve got to keep this thing rocking.”

The mayhem started with 60 laps left when Erik Jones spun into the turn two wall to bring out the caution flag. Kevin Harvick, the leader at the time, led most of the field down pit road for fresh tires. He retained the lead during the pit stops, with Logano following him off pit road in second.

When racing resumed with 55 laps left Logano was able to get around Harvick to take the race lead in turn one. Logano continued to lead until the next caution flag waved with 48 laps left when rookie Tyler Reddick crashed in turn two.

During the caution period most of the leaders pitted again for fresh tires, with Logano leading them down pit road. Harvick got off pit road first among those that pitted, with Logano falling back through the field because of a broken jack during his stop.

Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski had inherited the race lead by deciding to stay out during the caution period. When racing resumed Keselowski quickly found himself fighting polesitter Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson for the lead, with Larson briefly taking the lead before Keselowski got back by him.

Keselowski was still the lead when the next caution flag waved with 36 laps left when Chris Buescher crashed in turn one. Yet again several leaders hit pit road, with second-place Kyle Busch leading several drivers to the pits.

When racing resumed with 30 laps left Keselowski was still the leader and he was followed by Clint Bowyer and Logano, who made his way to third. The restart was brief, as Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall in turn one after contact with Aric Almirola to bring the caution flag right back out.

Racing resumed again shortly thereafter and again Keselowski maintained the lead on his older tires, but it wouldn’t be for long. Logano had made his way to second during the restart and was all over his teammate as they battled for the lead.

With 20 laps left Logano made his move, looking to Keselowski’s inside and clearing him in turn three to take the lead. Logano’s lead was erased with nine laps left when Ross Chastain spun just past the start/finish line.

The ensuing restart with four laps left had Logano leading Harvick, Busch and Larson. Keselowski, who was running third, opted to pit for fresh tires during the caution period.

The green flag waved and Logano quickly darted out into the lead, but the caution flag came back out moments later as several cars got together deeper in the pack. Rookie John Hunter Nemechek and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. both spun during the incident.

That set up a green/white/checkered restart with Logano leading Harvick, Larson and Busch. Logano was quick to pull clear of Harvick in turn one, but Harvick stayed right behind him coming to the white flag.

Harvick tried, but couldn’t get close enough to Logano to challenge him for the race lead on the final lap. Logano held on for his second win of the season and second at Phoenix Raceway.

Sunday’s event could prove pivotal for Logano and the rest of the field as the series champion will be crowned at Phoenix Raceway for the first time later this season.

“Everybody learned something out there today just whether it’s racing, the way this traction compound is, the awesome sauce (PJ1) up there, how that worked out, played throughout the race,” Logano said. “There’s a lot learned, for sure. We learned that this No. 22 Shell‑Pennzoil Ford team is just stout and is not going to get beat if we have the opportunity.”

Harvick, a nine-time Phoenix winner, settled for second despite feeling he had the better car.

“He just had control of the race,” Harvick said of Logano. “After we pitted there, I got stuck behind a couple of cars there, lost five or six spots. He got by and got control of the race. He got to restart where he wanted to. Our Jimmy John’s Ford was better, especially when we could put it in front of his. We just didn’t get the control of the race back there, and he was able to get by us on that restart where I got hung up.”

Busch was third at the checkered flag, followed by Larson and Bowyer.

For complete results, advance to the next page.

MEEKER, Okla. – Harley Hollan, Frank Flud and Ryder Laplante returned to victory lane during Lucas Oil National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Hi-Plains Building Division competition on Sunday afternoon at Red Dirt Raceway.

Hollan posted his second career series triumph during Stock Non-Wing competition as he topped Flud, who captured two of the first three races of the season. Seth Shebester placed third with Bradley Fezard fourth and Johnny Boland fifth.

Flud and Boland were the heat race winners.

Flud returned the favor in the Winged A Class main event by outlasting Hollan to remain undefeated during four series starts this season. Chase Brown rounded out the podium with Boland finishing fourth and 12th-starting Jade Avedisian fifth.

Flud, Bryant Wiedeman and Hollan each earned a heat race victory.

Laplante captured his 19th career Restricted A Class main event triumph to pull within one of the leader in all-time series wins. Brody Mclaughlin was the runner up with Avedisian third, Tyler Kuykendall fourth and Kayden Cole fifth.

Kuykendall and Laplante both picked up a heat race win.

BITHLO, Fla. – While the focus was on Pro Stock and Pro Mod at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing, the event also included racing in Pro 632, Top Sportsman, Super Pro and Pro ET.

Dillon Voss (Pro 632), Vonnie Mills (Top Sportsman), Stu White (Super Pro) and Troy Stafford (Pro ET) joined Pro Stock winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Pro Mod winner Alex Laughlin as the first World Doorslammer Nationals event champions.

Fourteen Pro 632 drivers battled it out at Orlando Speed World Dragway to compete for $10,000, more money than the Pro 632 class has ever seen before.

Voss and his 2016 Corvette had what seemed like the perfect weekend. He qualified No.1 after the first qualifying pass, held that position all weekend, and ended up in the winner’s circle on Sunday evening.

Voss said on Friday that he would be the No. 1 qualifier – and he was. He says that confidence played a big role in him getting the win this weekend.

“[Confidence is] big,” Voss said. “I came into this race knowing we had a car that could win, and knowing that I’ve been working on being a better driver. And it’s paid off tenfold. Confidence is the biggest thing and it worked out well this weekend.”

Voss says he struggled with his driving in 2019, but he’s worked hard on improving. And that’s evident by his reaction times in eliminations – starting off in round one with a .003 light and winning the final round with a .014.

That final round reaction time is the reason he ended up taking the win. Both he and his opponent, runner-up Chris Holdorf, both ran a 4.247-second passes, making them mathematically dead even at the stripe. But it was Voss’s reaction time, .014 compared to Holdorf’s .030, that put him in the winner’s circle.

It’s early in the year, but not too early for Voss to say that 2020 may just be his year.

“This feels better than my 2017 championship [PDRA Pro Outlaw 632], and if we carry this through the year I’m positive we’ll have another championship trophy on the shelf.”

Top Sportsman racerMills traveled more than 13 hours from her home in Maryland to Orlando Speed World Dragway this weekend for her first race of the year.

She came into the race to test ahead of Gainesville, not really knowing if she would be able to run the race. After qualifying sessions on Friday night, they decided her 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt was in a good spot and they were going to race.

Not only was her car in a good spot, but her driving was too. Out of her four elimination runs on Sunday, her worst reaction time was a .020. Her other lights included a .011 in round one, a .013 in round three and a very close-to-red light in the finals, a .000.

“We try to get as close as we can,” she said about her perfect reaction time in the finals. Not only was her reaction time perfect, she also ran dead-on her dial-in, a 4.196 on a 4.19, making the final round run a six-thousandths package, impressive by any standards.

Mills is a self-proclaimed “door car person” and says the World Doorslammer Nationals was a great one to come to, and that the atmosphere was awesome.

The runner-up in Top Sportsman was Stanley Albritton of Bradenton, Florida. He had a -.004 light in the finals, immediately giving the win to Mills.

In Super Pro, White took home the win in his ‘67 Camaro, running a 6.296-second run on a 6.29 dial with a .015 light. His opponent, runner-up Kenny Underwood of Delaware, Ohio, had a .029 reaction time and ran a 6.013-second pass on a 5.99 dial in his .92 Firebird.

In Pro ET, Stafford took him the win in his ‘73 Dodge, running a 6.980-second pass on a 6.97 dial. Runner-up, James Thompson went a little too fast and lost due to a breakout, running a 6.955-second pass on a 6.97 dial, with a .020 reaction time.

BITHLO, Fla. – NHRA Pro Stock star Alex Laughlin added another milestone moment to his doorslammer drag racing career Sunday evening when he turned on the final-round win light at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing.

Racing at Orlando Speed World Dragway, Laughlin defeated Todd Tutterow in the final round, recording a 5.671-second pass at 251.53 mph to Tutterow’s 6.362-second run at 146.21 mph.

Laughlin hadn’t even sat in the seat of Marc Caruso’s Caruso Family Racing ’69 Camaro before the World Doorslammer Nationals. But after a series of test runs, four rounds of qualifying and four passes in eliminations, Laughlin was cutting consistent reaction times and wheeling the roots-blown ATI Performance entry like a veteran.

“It sounds pretty crazy – let’s be real, it is real crazy,” Laughlin said. “We started off on the wrong foot. We struggled through every test run. Once we started qualifying, things started going our way. Once we started racing, things really started going our way.”

Laughlin qualified No. 3 with a 5.66-second pass at 251.77 mph. He moved on past the first round of eliminations by beating Jim Whiteley’s 5.738-second run with a 5.717-second pass at 249.76 mph. The Texas native caught a break in the second round when Sidnei Frigo slowed to a 10-second pass, allowing Laughlin to race on to the semifinals with a 5.825-second run at 248.16 mph.

Tuner Lee White stepped up for the semifinal matchup with Michael Biehle. Laughlin won on the strength of a 5.704-second pass at 250.64 mph.

Laughlin and Tutterow were both aggressive in the final round. Tutterow left the line first with a .042 light to Laughlin’s .045. It was an even race until Tutterow had to drive through tire shake, ultimately backfiring the supercharger downtrack. Laughlin made a clean pass down the Orlando quarter mile to take the win.

“Man, Lee White is definitely an underestimated crew chief,” Laughlin said. “The dude knows what he’s doing. He deserves all the credit for this. The Carusos have some of the nicest equipment money can buy in the class. Props to them, props to Lee. We just won the first-ever World Doorslammer Nationals and it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

In addition to racing in Pro Mod, Laughlin was also competing for $75,000 in Pro Stock. He qualified No. 9 in Pro Stock before falling to Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield in the second round. He was the only driver competing for the double-up in both classes.

“After qualifying third, I thought we absolutely had a shot at it,” Laughlin said. “The Pro Stock car was running pretty decent and this thing was running pretty decent, so I thought we had a shot at winning both – definitely a good shot at winning one, and it turns out we did.”

While Laughlin didn’t pull off the double-up, he did get to share the winner’s circle with another one of his Elite Motorsports teammates, Jeg Coughlin Jr., who won the $75,000 Pro Stock race.

“What a day,” Laughlin said. “Me and my teammate won both classes. That’s rad – raaaad.”

BITHLO, Fla. – Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s retirement tour has already racked up a number of incredible moments, but Sunday’s may be hard to top.

In an epic final round between two of Pro Stock’s biggest legends at Orlando Speed World Dragway, it was Coughlin who slipped past Greg Anderson in a side-by-side thriller to claim the $75,000 prize at the inaugural Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by CTech Manufacturing.

Coughlin’s run of 6.484 seconds at 212.36 mph in his RJ Race Cars JEGS Camaro edged out Anderson’s 6.485-second run at 213.81 mph in his Summit Racing Equipment Camaro, handing the five-time Pro Stock world champion the biggest single-race payout in the history of the class, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020.

“I’ve been fortunate to run a bunch of big-money bracket races in my career and I’ve seen the organized havoc like this, and it’s just badass,” Coughlin said. “There’s no more prideful feeling than pulling around for a final of a big-money race, and this one is right there at the top with them now. To see all the fans and all the teams crowded around to take in the moment, it’s pretty cool. You want to make it happen and fortunately we did that today.”

With the victory, Coughlin, who announced his retirement from full-time Pro Stock racing at the end of the season, continues to build on a spectacular run that includes two NHRA wins in the past three races dating back to last year, plus the history-making win on Sunday.

It took a trio of passes in the 6.40s to do it, as Coughlin beat Bo Butner, his nephew, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield before the titanic matchup with Anderson.

“We’re on top of the world,” crew chief Rickie Jones said. “To win this race is just huge. It was the throwdown of throwdowns right there, and nobody was holding anything back. It was neck and neck, and we were fortunate to come up on the right side of it. It was just an unbelievable job by the whole team. It was really special. We’re on a great roll now, so hopefully we can keep it going. This is definitely some great bragging rights and we’re going to take some time to enjoy this.”

Coughlin and Anderson met for the 23rd time in a Pro Stock final round (including one shootout final in 2009), as the two class legends treated fans to another classic duel. Coughlin edged past Anderson on the starting line with a .032 reaction time, staying just in front of the four-time champ down the track.

The winning margin was less than three feet, giving Coughlin a 12-11 advantage in final rounds over the 94-time event winner. It was a crushing loss for Anderson, who has thrived on success in shootout-type races, but he had nothing but praise for the incredible final round and weekend.

“I love racing Jeggie and we’ve had so many titanic battles every time we race,” Anderson said. “I respect the hell out of him and it’s just been a lot of fun for a lot of years. It was really a great weekend for Pro Stock. I think everybody that was down here enjoyed it.”

Coughlin qualified sixth with a 6.478-second pass at 212.76 mph during Saturday’s impeccable conditions, and he barely strayed from that during eliminations. He went 6.489 seconds at 212.16 mph to open the day, surging past his nephew a round later with an identical 6.489-second run at 211.99 mph. That put him against Stanfield, who had made the two previous best runs of the day (6.471 and 6.475) before the semifinal matchup.

Coughlin, though, drove his way to the finals, inching past Stanfield’s 6.502-second pass with a 6.501-second run at 212.36 mph, setting up the must-see matchup with Anderson.

Facing off with his longtime rival has become commonplace for Coughlin over the years, but doing it with $75,000 on the line was a first, making Sunday’s clash that much more special.

“Aaron was leading the pack all day and Rickie made some pretty aggressive changes to the car, and he had confidence in it,” Coughlin said. “We went out and snuck by Aaron, and we looked to get after it in the final round.

“We were a little more aggressive with it and felt like we could run high 40s. It was a hell of an effort and the right win light came on. It was very cool. Orlando Speed World (Dragway) didn’t disappoint. We’re going to hoist this trophy and hoist it proudly.”

For Anderson, there was plenty of positives to reflect on, including righting the ship after some major struggles to open 2020. That will be quickly forgotten after Anderson stayed in the 6.40s throughout qualifying and during every run in eliminations, beating Kyle Koretsky, Shane Tucker and longtime KB Racing teammate Jason Line to reach the finals.

That takes some of the sting of coming up just short of the monumental $75,000 prize, as did the fact that Anderson and his team had so much fun during the memorable weekend.

“It was disappointing but I had a lot of damn fun,” Anderson said. “It was really cool and, honestly, the first two races this year I didn’t even make it down the track in either one (in eliminations). This was a heck of an improvement and it’s been a great week of racing. I’m happy. We had major, major improvements and we made major gains. We’re going to still have to do work, and we just have to keep working.”

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi was fined $5,000 by the NHL Sunday for cross-checking Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry on Saturday, the league announced.

The fine is the maximum allowable under the league's collective bargaining agreement. Josi was given a two-minute penalty for high sticking on the play.

The penalty occurred in front of the Nashville net as Perry took a swipe at Josi's legs with his stick. Josi retaliated with the cross-check above the shoulders. The Predators went on to defeat the Stars, 1-0.

Josi has 16 goals and 63 points for the Predators this season and has been a key cog in their push for the postseason.

Columbus Blue Jackets rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins returned Sunday night against the Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia, making 26 saves in the team's 2-1 win.

Merzlikins, a surprise standout this season for the Blue Jackets who has the most shutouts among rookie goalies, had been out since Feb. 24 with a concussion.

Entering the game, he was 12-9-8 with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. His five shutouts are one shy of the league lead.

Sunday's win was Merzlikins' 13th of the season, and it vaulted Columbus into the No. 1 wild-card slot in the Eastern Conference with 81 points.

San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture was struck in the side of the head by a puck in the first period of Sunday's 4-3 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche and did not return.

Timo Meier, Couture's teammate, fired a shot that changed direction when it hit Colorado forward J.T. Compher's stick before making contact with Couture. The forward played in only five shifts, with 4:07 of ice time, before the injury.

In his postgame availability, Sharks coach Bob Boughner said the decision to keep Couture out of the game was precautionary and that the two-time All-Star went through the league's concussion protocol.

"I don't think it's anything serious," he said. "I think he's going to be fine."

Boughner was optimistic that Couture could play on Wednesday at Chicago.

It has been an injury-plagued season for Couture, who missed 17 games from Jan. 9 to Feb. 23 after suffering an ankle fracture against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 7. Despite the absences, Couture, 30, still has 16 goals and 29 points this season, his 11th in San Jose.

It has been nearly a year since the Canadian Women's Hockey League announced that it was folding and sent the women's hockey landscape into a tizzy.

Although there have been significant strides in the sport since then, the future of professional women's hockey is as murky as ever. The National Women's Hockey League is wrapping up its fifth season and shows no signs of slowing down.

The players who formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association (PWHPA) and decided to boycott in hopes of something larger are finalizing their 2019-20 Dream Gap Tour. The PWHPA was hoping this would be temporary, but because the pro league they desire has yet to materialize, they need to figure out what happens next.

As for the NHL? Although it has stepped up its women's hockey efforts -- including organizing a 3-on-3 women's event during the 2020 All-Star Game -- the league office is still hesitant to formalize a partnership.

Where does women's hockey go from here? Here is a primer on where things stand.

What's the status of the PWHPA?

The PWHPA has about 175 members, including some of the top players in the world, such as Team USA's Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker and Hilary Knight and Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin and Shannon Szabados. Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss have been serving as advisors. This past weekend in Arizona wrapped up the organization's Dream Gap Tour, a six-stop barnstorming tour across Canada and the U.S. during which players showcased their skills in exhibitions, did community engagement events and put on clinics to try to reach young girls.

"The reaction we've been seeing at each of the stops has been unbelievable," Canadian forward Sarah Nurse said in January. "I think we're opening a lot of people's eyes to what we're fighting for."

The PWHPA reported several sellouts, and by the final two stops, it picked up streaming partners in Monumental Sports Network (run by Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis) and ESPN. Each of the PWHPA's eight regional chapters also organized ice time for its players and put on scrimmages.

When the PWHPA formed, the hope was that the Dream Gap Tour would fill a short, one-season void without professional women's hockey.

"We would have loved for it to have been one year ... and then be at our ultimate goal of a truly professional league," said Hockey Hall of Famer Jayna Hefford, who oversees the PWHPA. "But it's going to take a little longer. In many ways, the idea that this would have been quick is not realistic. But we're moving in the right direction, and we're moving forward."

Added Decker: "What we've been working on this past year, it feels like visibility for our sport, and our mission of a sustainable, truly professional league has never been higher."

What's the status of the NWHL?

Amid the summer turmoil, the NWHL made several improvements to stay viable. It expanded the schedule to 24 regular-season games and increased the salary cap to $150,000 per team -- up 50% from $100,000 last season. The NWHL also promised players a 50% split of revenue from all league-level sponsorship and media deals. That includes the league's three-year streaming partnership with Twitch.

Although the league leaves salary disclosure up to the players, some players told ESPN that they signed for as much as $15,000, which means they'll make close to $20,000 with sponsorship and media deals. That isn't a livable wage, but it isn't bad for 24 games and two practices per week.

Those who chose to stay with the NWHL felt strongly that it was the best path for women's pro hockey.

"There was so much momentum and growth in women's hockey, especially after [Team USA] won the gold medal [at the 2018 Olympics]," said Boston Pride coach Paul Mara, a former NHL defenseman. "So to miss a season for things that are currently unattainable in the current climate, it's just sad to see these players not playing."

The relationship between the NWHL and its players' association has never been stronger, either.

"This year the [NWHL Players' Association] has created a narrative that we are a part of the conversation, we are in the largest deals on the sponsorship side, we are in the conversation there," NWHLPA director Anya Packer said this week during an interview on the Metropolitan Riveters' broadcast. "We know what's going on. We are actually part of the calls. We're involved. We've created subcommittees and boards that work on things like equipment, what players are needing for the future or what our schedule looks like. There's just so much that the PA is doing now that we didn't have access to before."

The Boston Pride, who finished the regular season 23-1, became the league's big success story, and it's no coincidence. They are the only team that is privately owned. A team of investors, led by Miles Arnone, purchased the organization this summer and funneled resources to the team.

Arnone said other potential owners have reached out to pick his brain, and he hopes other teams will have private ownership as soon as next year. What's more, the league is eyeing expansion for the 2020-21 season.

Are the NWHL and PWHPA at odds?

Let's begin with the fact that many players on both sides maintain friendships. Some PWHPA players have said they understand why their peers chose to sign in the NWHL this season.

"This summer, with everything going on, a lot of us really had to think," said Jillian Dempsey, the NWHL's all-time leading scorer. "It was a hard decision for a lot of players, but for me, it came down to just wanting to play hockey."

The players share the goal of a viable professional league in which players can make a livable wage. But there are disagreements on how to get there.

"We don't view [the NWHL] as competition for what we're trying to do," Hefford said. "We've been very clear on what we believe needs to be part of a professional league, and we haven't wavered on that at all. We hope everyone has the opportunity to succeed in what they want to do, of course. We just don't see it as a competition piece. I know a lot of people like to view it that way, but we are just focused on what we are trying to achieve."

Arnone doesn't see it that way.

"The PWHPA's objective was to obviate the NWHL, to eliminate it effectively, to cause it to fold or whatever in hopes of creating something new," Arnone told ESPN earlier this year. "So I knew that going in. I did a lot of my own research into a) whether that was likely or b) whether that was a good idea. I decided that no, it wasn't, and no, it wasn't."

Is there any chance that players from the PWHPA would go back to playing in the NWHL?

A handful of players who initially pledged to be part of the PWHPA ended up signing and playing in the NWHL this season.

"We've got 175 members, and it's hard for us to find opportunities for all of those players," Hefford said. "So there are players that initially were with us and chose to play in that league. And it's great if they're providing opportunities for those players."

For the large part, though, the PWHPA membership hasn't dipped much. Although the PWHPA includes players with varying levels of experience, the most elite players [American and Canadian national team players] seem steadfast in holding out for a different league.

Are there other professional opportunities besides the NWHL?

While some players joined the NWHL this season, another few -- including Finland national team goalie Noora Raty and U.S. forward Alex Carpenter -- signed in the WHL, which features teams in Russia and China. Carpenter and Raty are still considered "supporting members" of the PWHPA.

"They support the mission of what we're trying to do," Hefford said. "And although they don't play within our group, they're part of a communication list."

The WHL has been backed by the KHL since 2015, and the men's league shares its resources with the women -- everything from arenas to trainers to promotion (for example, they discuss women's hockey often on KHL TV, which is the Russian equivalent of NHL Network). It's similar to the model the PWHPA would like to have with the NHL. Carpenter and Rachel Llanes -- a former Northeastern University standout who played in the NWHL last season -- both said they are making a living wage in the WHL, and the salary would be considered a living wage in the U.S.

If most players in the PWHPA aren't going to play in the NWHL next season, what's the plan?

"We have to figure out what next season looks like," Hefford said. "We didn't plan any events outside of this season, so we'll take a break after this tour ends and plan for what's next. We want to continue the momentum because there seems to be a lot of positive talk and interest in women's hockey, and we want to build on that for next season. Hopefully we can do even more events with NHL club teams and provide even more opportunities for our players."

What does the PWHPA's vision of a pro women's league look like?

According to Hefford: "We've continued to say ultimately it has to have the infrastructure and resources for it to be sustainable. It can't just be someone investing money into it. Our ideal league would look like a WNBA alongside the NHL, just as the NBA supports the WNBA. I know the NWSL is the other successful women's pro league, but that's also aligned with U.S. Soccer and Soccer Canada. So we know we have to be aligned to have access to those resources and infrastructure."

Added Coyne Schofield: "I think the biggest misconception is that it's only about the money for us. Of course we want to make a livable wage playing hockey. But we also want good coaching, ice time, proper health coverage, access to trainers, help with marketing -- everything that a true professional league has that people sometimes take for granted."

It sounds like the PWHPA would like the NHL to step up and create a WNHL. Where does that stand?

The NHL has long held the stance that it doesn't want to be involved with women's hockey as long as professional opportunities exist.

"Our approach is the same," NHL deputy commissioner Billy Daly said. "We continue to try to be helpful where we can be, but other than that, we don't have much of a role."

The league invited women to participate in the NHL All-Star Game for the third straight year and upped the involvement. Coyne Schofield's participation in the fastest skater competition in San Jose in 2019 was seen as a watershed moment for women's hockey. "Kendall moved our sport ahead by like 10 years," Hefford said.

This year, the NHL invited 20 women to St. Louis and created an event for them in the form of a 3-on-3 exhibition. It was viewed as a huge success, and the NHL hinted that women's involvement at All-Star Weekend should be a staple going forward.

"It's been two years in a row now where women were really the talk of All-Star Weekend," Hefford said.

There is some mounting pressure on the NHL to make a decision, especially as the women gain supporters. Ahead of the 2020 All-Star Game, Wayne Gretzky told ESPN that the NHL did a "tremendous thing by bringing these women out."

"Exposure is everything," Gretzky said. "It's baby steps. You're not going to flood the market overnight. It takes time to get into the markets and get more youth girls to participate in hockey. It's very important that there's an understanding from the National Hockey League that we want to help grow women's hockey and make girls hockey bigger and better than it's ever been."

Still, the NHL remains hesitant to formalize the relationship. Sources told ESPN that the NHL continues to explore the logistics of getting more involved in women's hockey, and when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman met with the women's players before the All-Star Game, he told them that the league supported them and asked them to stay patient.

Sources also said the NHL will begin negotiating rights for a new TV deal in 2021. It is taking the temperature on how it might be able to bake women's hockey into the deal and whether networks are interested. There is also the possibility that the NHL won't form a women's league at all and instead will continue to use its platform to increase the visibility of women's hockey.

"We understand it's not an easy decision for the NHL to make," Hefford said. "It's not like all of a sudden, one day they're going to wake up and start a pro league. I imagine they need to have broadcast rights in place, they need to have partnerships in place, they need to have the buy-in from their owners in place. There's a lot of things that have to happen. And for them, it has to make business sense. We believe it does, but when they're ready, they'll make a decision of whether they will or not. I wish we had more control over it, but they have to make the decision that makes sense for their business, too."

Where do other stakeholders stand in the PWHPA's fight?

Hockey Canada and USA Hockey are what Hefford calls "supporting partners" that have a "great relationship" with the PWHPA.

"We do work through our insurance policies with them," Hefford said. "We share the same assets with them, which is the players. And for the players who do have the opportunities to play for national teams, we're supporting them when they're not with those teams."

However, neither organization provides funds for the PWHPA.

Several of the NHL's biggest sponsors are itching to get more involved with women's hockey but want to follow the NHL's lead. As excited as they might be about the untapped market, they don't want to overstep their boundaries with preexisting relationships.

Adidas -- which signed a seven-year deal with the NHL ahead of the 2017-18 season -- has been one of the most involved brands with women's hockey. After Coyne Schofield, Decker, Rebecca Johnston and Renata Fast participated in the 2019 NHL All-Star Game, Adidas signed the players to multiyear endorsement deals (then later added Nurse). Adidas has been active in supporting the PWHPA and provided on- and off-ice gear for everything the PWHPA does. Adidas also supplied uniforms for the 2020 NHL All-Star weekend.

"We're committed to the mission," said Dan Near, head of Adidas hockey division. "I see hockey being more inclusive moving forward and get out of some of the quicksand that the sport might have been stuck in. I think there is leadership at the league who believes in the mission and wants to see a better future for the sport and embraces partners like us who are trying to push the envelope."

What can we expect next season?

Look for more growth from the NWHL, which kicks off its playoffs this weekend. The NWHL will continue to recruit from the NCAA and promote the league as the only one in North America in which players can play post-college.

"I'm excited to watch the growth," Packer said on the Riveters' broadcast. "I think there's going to be a lot of growth in the offseason. There's a lot of conversations hosted today that will affect tomorrow. There's a lot of conversations that happened before the season began that are going to make some major strides and changes as we move into season six."

Although the NHL league office might not have a formal relationship with women's hockey, keep an eye on how individual NHL teams amp up their efforts to partner with the women's game. Seven NHL franchises have been formally involved with PWHPA events this season. The Anaheim Ducks set the standard when they hosted the finale of the 2020 Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canada and set an attendance record for women's hockey in the U.S., with 13,320 fans at the Honda Center.

"Over 85% of the buyers were not the primary account holder on season tickets," said Aaron Teats, the Ducks' president of business operations. "There might have been some overlap on analytics, but we're guessing we had about 80% new to file on folks that were taking this in."

The Ducks are the talk of the NHL for their efforts to promote the game, setting new best practices. That included arranging a publicity tour for women's players ahead of time, including flying Meghan Keller and Hilary Knight to Southern California to do a series of radio and TV interviews and appearances.

"I think what other teams can learn from this is the power of these women and what they can do from a promotional standpoint," Teats said, "as well as the power and growth of women's hockey."