At last years National Womens Hockey League All-Star Game in Buffalo, commissioner Dani Rylan confidently predicted the fledgling league -- the first to pay players regular salaries -- had enough investor capital and sponsorship commitments to fully fund a second season in 2016-17.She was wrong.Citing cash flow problems and a drop-off in attendance, Rylan confirmed Friday that the league has asked players on its four teams to take significant salary cuts for the rest of the season. A person familiar with the leagues finances but not authorized to discuss them said the cuts are 50 percent, and follows two pay periods where direct deposits to some players arrived several days late.The leagues coaches, general managers and paid staff are not affected, Rylan said. Most of the leagues front-office employees are volunteers.Teams have a $270,000 salary cap with player salaries ranging from $10,000 to $25,000.We fell short on some projections, and we had to pivot and make a business decision, Rylan said on a conference call Friday. Unfortunately, we had to make this decision to save the season.Its a decision we did not take lightly. It came after trying everything we could from a business perspective to avoid it. Were doing everything we can to build the league, and sometimes that means taking a step back -- a step I have not wanted to take.The cuts, Rylan said, ensures the league will complete its 21-game regular season and the playoffs. (Teams have played between four and six games so far.) But the league did not consult with the NWHL Players Association.And the timing, more than a month into the season, angered many players.New York Riveters captain Ashley Johnston said the players had no inkling this was coming before Thursday night, when Rylan informed them by phone and email.To hear its something that needs to happen is a tough thing to hear, Johnston said on the same conference call as Rylan. Its kind of like going through different stages of mourning. Youre sad. Youre frustrated. All the things that you would expect.Said Rylan: The players reacted pretty emotionally. It was difficult news to receive. But many of them reached out to me directly, asking how they could help.Rylan offered one piece of encouraging news: Dunkin Donuts, the leagues first corporate sponsor, pledged an additional $50,000 to go directly to salaries.We believe in the league and we believe in the opportunity to give these women a chance to succeed, said Tom Manchester, the firms vice president of field marketing, in a telephone interview. As a sponsor, its not about dasher boards and signage and traditional marketing elements. We genuinely want these women to succeed in a sport where the men get paid a lot more money to play. We want these women to get an equal chance.The NWHL launched last season with great fanfare and expectations as the American answer to the Canadian Womens Hockey League, which paid bonuses but not salaries. U.S. national teams stars Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker and others eagerly signed up even though NWHL founder Rylan remained secretive about the leagues financial underpinnings. Only three investors were ever publicly identified, the first being Joel Leonoff, a Canadian entrepreneur whose daughter Jaimie tended goal for the Connecticut Whale.Players said the league met every payroll. But there were rumblings about late payments to vendors and venues. Former chief marketing officer Mike Moran sued the league and Rylan for breach of contract to recover a $200,000 investment. Last February the league cut ties with George Spiers, another executive and investor. Three franchises switched arenas after last season, leaving only the Buffalo Beauts in their original home.This season is considered pivotal for anyone aspiring to play in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Twelve U.S. national team players are skating in the league, including Knight, Duggan, Decker, Kelli Stack and the former University of Minnesota star Amanda Kessel. The league also features 10 Canadians, one Austrian and one South Korean.NWHL contracts allow players to opt out for virtually any reason, though its not clear whether any will. At this point, most have no other place to play.CHWL commissioner Brenda Andress did not immediately respond to an email asking if NWHL players would be welcome in her league.This is the place where we all want to play, said Johnston, who is not on the national team. Were all invested in this league. We all want to see it succeed.It would be easy right now for everyone to pack up their bags and go home, but Im never one to really think that the easy thing is the right thing to do. Its going to be figuring out the next step, where we go as a team and a league as a family from here.Though Rylan believes the league will ultimately succeed, the pressing need for more sponsors and investors puts that in doubt.After yesterdays news, it would be pretty foolish of me to guarantee anything, she said. But we have every hope and expectation the league will be around for many years to come. Ronald Seikaly Jersey . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. Derrick Jones Jersey . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. https://www.cheapheatonline.com/797h-udonis-haslem-jersey-heat.html . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Bimbo Coles Jersey .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Kendrick Nunn Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Michael Phelps goes for history -- again -- and Katie Ledecky is set up to make some of her own in the Olympic pool.Phelps will be doing double duty Thursday night. Hell swim the 200-meter individual medley final in pursuit of a record fourth consecutive title in the event and return about 30 minutes later for the 100 butterfly semifinals.No swimmer has ever won four golds in the same individual event in consecutive Olympics. Only two athletes, discus thrower Al Oerter and long jumper Carl Lewis, ever have managed the feat.Phelps qualified fourth fastest in 51.60 seconds for the 100 fly. If he gets through to Fridays final, hell also be seeking his fourth gold in a row in that event.Winner of three golds already in Rio, Phelps duels longtime friend and rival Ryan Lochte in the 200 IM. Phelps made a tactical error, though, in the 100 fly heats. He was aiming to get into the second semifinal, which would have given him some extra recovery time after the 200 IM final.But I screwed up, he said. I try not to even think about it because then I get focused on that. But Id like to have those extra seven, eight minutes in between.By competing in the first semi, Phelps has less time to warm down after the 200 IM.Obviously, the first one (200 IM), I need to take care of business, he said. Whatever I can do in the second one (100 fly) just to make it through is what Ill do.Joseph Schooling of Singapore topped the 100 fly heats in 51.41. Hungarys Laszlo Cseh was second quickest in 51.52, while American Tom Shields was third at 51.58. Also advancing were Chad le Clos of South Africa, James Guy of Britain and Santo Condorelli of Canada.Ledecky easily qualified first in the 800 freestyle, with an Olympic-record time of 8 minutes, 12.86 seconds. The 19-year-old American was nearly seven seconds faster than anyone else.If she wins the final on Friday, Ledecky will become the first swimmer since Debbie Meyer in 1968 to sweep the 200, 400 and 800 freestyles.I try not to think too much about the history of anything, said Ledecky, who didnt get to bed until after 3 a.m. after anchoring the U.S. women to victory in the 4x200 free relay on Wednesday. Its all just aabout doing my best every time.ddddddddddddBoglarka Kapas of Hungary qualified second for the 800 free in 8:19.43. Others making the final were Jazz Carlin of Britain, American Leah Smith, Lotte Friis of Denmark and Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain, who won the 200 butterfly on Wednesday.Andriy Hovorov of Ukraine was the fastest qualifier in the mens 50 free at 21.72. Two years ago, Russia annexed his home of Crimea and he rejected changing nationality. Helped by funding from Ukraines meager sports budget, Hovorov is in position to win swimmings glamour event.This has all been in my training plan since January, and I qualified with the top result, Hovorov said. Im going to keep it up.A pair of Americans, Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin, had the second and third best times in the heats. Adrian, bronze medalist in the 100 free on Wednesday, touched in 21.61. Ervin, the 2000 Olympic champion in the 50, was clocked in 21.63.Also advancing to the semis were defending champion Florent Manaudou of France, Cameron McEvoy of Australia, Vladimir Morozov of Russia, Santo Condorelli of Canada and Bruno Fratus of Brazil.The Iron Lady is chasing her fourth gold medal.Katinka Hosszu of Hungary qualified fastest for the 200 backstroke in 2:06.09. She already has won the 100 back, along with the 200 and 400 individual medleys.Hilary Caldwell of Canada had the second quickest time of 2:07.40. Maya DiRado of the United States, who has won gold, silver and bronze at her first Olympics, was third fastest in 2:08.60.Defending champion Missy Franklin advanced to the semifinals with the 11th-fastest time of 2:09.36. She missed the 200 free final in her only other individual event in Rio.Right now, Im taking it one race at a time, said Franklin, who is struggling to understand her puzzling lack of form this year. My goal is going to be making it into the finals.Franklin earned a gold medal as part of the 4x200 freestyle relay in Rio after swimming in the preliminaries.Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, a two-time Olympic champion in the 200 back, qualified ninth. ' ' '