TORONTO, April 1 -- The Canadian Women's Hockey League will discontinue operations on May 1, the league announced Sunday.

A week after the Calgary Inferno won the league championship and hoisted the Clarkson Cup trophy, the CWHL said here that the 12-year-old league will discontinue operations from May 1.

"Unfortunately, while the on-ice hockey is exceptional, the business model has proven to be economically unsustainable," the league said in a statement.

The CWHL was founded in 2007, and had six teams in North America and China this past season.

The league included national team players from the United States, Canada, Finland, Japan and China.

"I'm heartbroken at the news of the #CWHL folding," Calgary Inferno forward Brianne Jenner said on Twitter.

The CWHL operates like the MLS in that the league owns the teams.

The CWHL began paying its players' salaries in 2017-18 ranging from 2,000 dollars to 10,000 dollars, out of a total budget of 3.7 million dollars.

The addition of two expansion teams in China that season - since combined into one - was believed to have added significant dollars into the CWHL.

But the CWHL lost a major financial backer in November when longtime supporter Graeme Roustan withdrew the sponsorship of his venture capital firm Roustan Capital.

And the new coach of the Chinese women's team hinted recently that he hopes the players soon won't have to travel internationally to develop into better players.

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