Steve Ott is the latest NHL player to stand up in support of the U.S. women's national team.
The Montreal Canadiens described his experience living in another hockey hotbed and noted the benefits that the women's team brings to USA Hockey.
"I was in Detroit and they come to Detroit and it's sold out to watch them play," he told Sportsnet's Eric Engels on Tuesday. "Someone's making money off their backs, they deserve their cut."
The women were expected to vote on a tentative new deal sometime Tuesday afternoon, a source told A.J. Perez of USA Today. The 2017 Women's World Championship is slated to begin Friday in Michigan, and the American players were threatening to boycott unless they received a livable wage and increased support from USA Hockey.
From Ott's point of view, it's part of a necessary fight that's also happened several times in the NHL.
"I see it like I do the lockouts we had," Ott said. "They're setting things up for future generations of girls. Guys did that for us, and we've done it for younger guys. Women's hockey is really popular in the States. They deserve their cut."
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