WOMEN'S HOCKEY LEAGUE GETS A SHOT NEXT MONTH IN CANADA

          The "fledgling" Nat'l Women's Hockey League (NWHL) will
     "make its debut" next month in nine cities and towns across
     Quebec and Ontario, according to John Meagher of the
     Montreal GAZETTE.  Though its players "won't be paid," the
     NWHL is "carrying on like a professional outfit, lining up
     corporate sponsors and courting the media for much-needed
     exposure."  Meagher notes that the NWHL is "not affiliated"
     with the NHL, though Sainte-Julie Panthers President Andre
     Savard said that the NWHL "hopes to establish close ties
     with [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman."  Savard: "We want to
     work with the NHL, not against it."  The NWHL is "hoping to
     showcase its best players" this season during NHL All-Star
     "festivities" in Toronto (Montreal GAZETTE, 8/19).