Sarah Nurse: 'We're very close' to women's hockey league in Canada

Women's hockey Olympic goal medallist Sarah Nurse expressed optimism for the prospect of a professional women's hockey league in Canada on Friday afternoon.

Speaking in a press conference at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field ahead of the NHL Heritage Classic, Nurse said she was looking forward to having the world's best hockey players play professionally at home.

"We're very close and we're very optimistic," Nurse said. "In this next coming year there's been so much momentum and so much work being done behind the scenes."

"I know that people want to know more and they want to know details but there's so much going on behind the scenes that doesn't always get out and so I can just say that I'm so excited about where things are looking and where things are going."

Speaking in Hamilton, Nurse stated that her hometown would be a great environment for a professional women's hockey team to thrive.

"I think the prospect of a franchise in Hamilton, there's so much hockey here," she said. "It's a hockey hub for not only boys hockey but also girls hockey as well. So I think it would be a great market for that."

Nurse also thought that the uptick in sponsorship geared towards women's hockey has been a great sight for herself and her teammates.

"It's been great to see different brands, different organizations, really look to women's hockey and say: 'These athletes are marketable, we can push what they're what they're putting out,'" she said. "And so I think the increased opportunities for myself and as well as all of my teammates has been pretty awesome."

Nurse is involved with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Associations and will take part in the PHWPA's Rivalry Rematch of Beijing's gold medal game between Canada and the USA in Pittsburgh on March 12.