1992 NHL strike

Last updated

The 1992 NHL strike was the first strike action initiated by the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) against the National Hockey League's (NHL) owners. It was called on April 1, 1992, and lasted ten days. The settlement saw the players earn a large increase in their playoff bonuses, increased control over the licensing of their likenesses and changes to the free agency system. In addition, the season was expanded to 84 games and included provisions for each team to play two games per season in non-NHL cities. As a result of the strike, the owners removed John Ziegler as President, replacing him with Gil Stein. The strike fundamentally altered the relationship between the league and its players.

Contents

Background

The NHLPA was formed in 1967, and led by Alan Eagleson, who served as executive-director. Eagleson remained in that position until December 1991, when he was forced to resign after the players became uneasy with the relationship he had with the league's owners. [1] Three years later, in November 1994, the Law Society of Upper Canada charged Eagleson with numerous offences, accusing him of embezzlement, providing unauthorized loans using union funds to his friends and associates and of colluding with the NHL's owners. [2] In 1996, he faced similar charges from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and later the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States. In 1998, Eagleson pleaded guilty to the charges, earning him a C$1 million fine and eighteen-months in jail. [3]

Eagleson was succeeded as NHLPA executive-director on January 1, 1992, by former player agent Bob Goodenow. [1] He had served as deputy director of the NHLPA since 1990, and had spent his time instructing the players on the issues the union faced in its relations with the league. [4] As executive-director, Goodenow was tasked with negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, which had expired prior to the start of the 1991–92 NHL season. [5] Goodenow met with NHL President John Ziegler as the two attempted to negotiate an agreement on a range of issues including how free agency worked, the arbitration process, playoff bonuses and pensions. [6] The issue of how to share trading card revenue was considered to be one of the greatest stumbling blocks the two sides faced. [7]

Strike

The players called the first general strike in NHL history on April 1, 1992, after the union rejected the owners' last offer before their deadline by a vote of 560-to-4. [8] By calling the strike so close to the end of the regular season, the players felt they had the advantage, as the majority of owners profits were realized in the playoffs. [8] Playoff bonuses for players ranged from between US$3,000 for players on teams who lost in the first round, up to $25,000 for players on the Stanley Cup championship team. The owners, meanwhile, stood to earn $500,000 per playoff game played. [9]

Talks continued after the players walked out, though it appeared for a time that the season was lost after union negotiators rejected the league's "final offer" on April 7. [10] A United States Federal Mediator joined the negotiations the next day amidst pessimism over the two sides' willingness to negotiate. [11] While the two sides had reached an agreement on most issues, negotiations on how revenue from trading cards was to be split became a key sticking point as the owners hoped to increase their share of the $16 million in annual revenues. [9]

The strike ended on April 10 after the two sides reached an agreement on a two-year deal, retroactive to the beginning of the season, allowing the final 30 games of the regular season and the playoffs to go on. [12] As part of the deal, the following seasons were expanded from 80 to 84 games (later reduced to 82 games, after the 1994–95 NHL lockout), and the players received a large increase in playoff bonuses and changes to free agency and arbitration. [13] The two sides agreed to have each team play two games in neutral site locations, partly as a means of gauging interest in future expansion. [14] The players conceded to the owners demands on a one-year deal, immediately creating fears that the owners could lock the players out following the 1992–93 season. [12]

Legacy

Goodenow called the strike a "major moment", stating "I don't think the owners took the players seriously and it wasn't until the strike that they understood the players were serious." [13] The owners replaced Ziegler as president following the season, naming Gil Stein as interim president. [13] Stein was replaced in 1993 by former National Basketball Association vice-president Gary Bettman, who became the first Commissioner of the NHL. Working towards labour peace was among the tasks handed to Bettman when the owners hired him. [15] The spectre of a lockout was realized one year later than feared, as after playing the 1993–94 season without a valid CBA, the owners locked the players out on the eve of the 1994–95 season.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Hockey League</span> North American professional ice hockey league

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered to be the top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, with players from 18 countries as of the 2022–23 season. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also views the Stanley Cup as one of the "most important championships available to the sport".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Bettman</span> NHL Commissioner

Gary Bruce Bettman is an American sports executive who serves as the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bettman is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law. Bettman was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Hockey League Players' Association</span> NHL players union

The National Hockey League Players' Association is the labour union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) located in the United States and Canada. The association represents its membership in all matters dealing with their working conditions and contractual rights as well as serving as their exclusive collective bargaining agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHL commissioner</span> NHL highest executive position

The National Hockey League commissioner is the highest-ranking executive officer in the National Hockey League (NHL). The position was created in 1993; Gary Bettman was named the first commissioner and remains the only person to fill the position to date. Among other duties, the commissioner leads collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of the league and appoints officials for all NHL games.

The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play.

Robert W. "Bob" Goodenow is an American lawyer who served as the second executive director of the NHL Players Association from 1992 until his resignation on July 28, 2005.

Robert Alan Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, hockey agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the first executive director of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), which was initially lauded for improving the bargaining power of National Hockey League (NHL) players. He is also well known for providing the opportunity for professional players to compete in international hockey, by promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, and the Canada Cup. However, Eagleson was convicted of fraud and embezzlement and briefly imprisoned, after it was revealed that he had abused his position for many years by defrauding his clients and skimming money from tournaments. After his convictions, he was removed as a member of the Order of Canada and resigned from the Hockey Hall of Fame where he had been inducted in the builder category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the Olympic Games</span> Olympic-related ice hockey

Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games program in 1924, in France. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991–92 NHL season</span> National Hockey League season

The 1991–92 NHL season was the 75th regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 22 teams with the addition of the expansion San Jose Sharks. For the first time, the Stanley Cup Finals extended into June, with the Pittsburgh Penguins repeating as Stanley Cup champions, winning the best of seven series four games to none against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 1994–95 NHL lockout was a lockout that came after a year of National Hockey League (NHL) hockey that was played without a collective bargaining agreement. The lockout was a subject of dispute as the players sought collective bargaining and owners sought to help franchises that had a weaker market as well as make sure they could cap the rising salaries of players. The lockout caused the 1994–95 season to be delayed and shortened to 48 games instead of 84 or 82, the shortest season in 53 years.

Ted Saskin served as the third executive director of the NHL Players Association from 2005 to 2007. He assumed the title after Bob Goodenow resigned on July 28, 2005, but was unanimously fired by the NHLPA on May 10, 2007, after a union-commissioned report concluded Saskin had quarterbacked a campaign to hack into player email accounts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Hockey League</span> History of the NHL

The history of the National Hockey League begins with the end of its predecessor league, the National Hockey Association (NHA), in 1917. After unsuccessfully attempting to resolve disputes with Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto Blueshirts, executives of the three other NHA franchises suspended the NHA, and formed the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Livingstone team with a temporary team in Toronto, the Arenas. The NHL's first quarter-century saw the league compete against two rival major leagues—the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and Western Canada Hockey League—for players and the Stanley Cup. The NHL first expanded into the United States in 1924 with the founding of the Boston Bruins, and by 1926 consisted of ten teams in Ontario, Quebec, the Great Lakes region, and the Northeastern United States. At the same time, the NHL emerged as the only major league and the sole competitor for the Stanley Cup; in 1947, the NHL completed a deal with the Stanley Cup trustees to gain full control of the Cup. The NHL's footprint spread across Canada as Foster Hewitt's radio broadcasts were heard coast-to-coast starting in 1933.

John Augustus Ziegler Jr. was an American lawyer and ice hockey executive. Upon succeeding Clarence Campbell in 1977, he became the fourth president of the National Hockey League. Ziegler served as league president through 1992. His 15-year term was marked by the 1979 merger that integrated four teams from the rival World Hockey Association into the NHL, and by increasing labor unrest among the players. The first American to serve as chief executive of the NHL, he received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1984 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

The 1991–92 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 66th season. The season saw the Rangers finish in first place in the Patrick Division with a record of 50 wins, 25 losses, and 5 ties for 105 points. This was the highest points total in the league that season, netting the Rangers the Presidents' Trophy. This season marked the first time since the 1941–42 NHL season that the Rangers were the top team in the NHL. In the playoffs, they defeated their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in seven games in the Division Semi-finals before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Division Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Hockey League (1917–1942)</span> History of the Canadian league

The National Hockey League (NHL) was founded in 1917 following the demise of its predecessor league, the National Hockey Association (NHA). In an effort to remove Eddie Livingstone as owner of the Toronto Blueshirts, a majority of the NHA franchises suspended the NHA and formed the new NHL. The Quebec Bulldogs, while a member, did not operate in the NHL for the first two years. Instead the owners of the Toronto Arena Gardens operated a new Toronto franchise. While the NHL was intended as a temporary measure, the continuing dispute with Livingstone led to the four NHA owners meeting and making the suspension of the NHA permanent one year later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Hockey League (1942–1967)</span> History of the Canadian league

The Original Six era of the National Hockey League (NHL) began in 1942 with the demise of the Brooklyn Americans, reducing the league to six teams: Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. This structure remained stable for a quarter century; the era ended in 1967 when the NHL doubled in size adding six expansion teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Hockey League (1967–1992)</span> History of the Canadian league

The expansion era of the National Hockey League (NHL) began when six new teams were added for the 1967–68 season, ending the Original Six era. The six existing teams were grouped into the newly created East Division, and the expansion teams—the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Oakland Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues—formed the West Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Hockey League (1992–present)</span>

The National Hockey League (NHL) has endured a tumultuous period of history in recent years. It has grown from 22 teams in 1992 to 32 today, as the league expanded across the United States. Repeated labour conflicts interrupted play in 1992, 1994–95, 2004–05 and 2012–13; the second lockout caused the entire 2004–05 NHL season to be canceled, the first time in North American history that a sports league has canceled an entire season in a labour dispute. Nine franchises were added between 1991 and 2000, comprising the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild. The Vegas Golden Knights were added in 2017, and the Seattle Kraken in 2021. In addition to expansion teams, five franchises have relocated during this time: the Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars (1993), the Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche (1995), the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes (1996), the Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes (1997), and the Atlanta Thrashers became the second franchise known as the Winnipeg Jets (2011).

The 2012–13 NHL season was the 96th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began on January 19, 2013, and ended on April 28, 2013, with the playoffs to follow until June.

The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was reached on January 6, 2013, with its ratification and signing of a memorandum of understanding on the agreement completed by January 12, 2013, 119 days after the expiry of the previous CBA.

References

General

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Pincus, 2006, p. 169
  2. ↑ McKinley, 2006, p.301
  3. ↑ McKinley, 2006, p.302
  4. ↑ Murphy, Austin (March 22, 1992). "A striking change". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  5. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (January 4, 1992). "What's up inside the rinks and with outside issues". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  6. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (February 25, 1992). "N.H.L. and Union face off". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  7. ↑ Duhatschek, Eric (April 2, 1992). "Trading-card revenue isn't bubblegum issue". Calgary Herald. p. E1.
  8. 1 2 Lapointe, Joe (April 1, 1992). "Puck stops everywhere as players go on strike". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Wulf, Steve (April 13, 1992). "Season on ice". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  10. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (April 8, 1992). "N.H.L. players reject 'final' offer". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  11. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (April 9, 1992). "No promises, but federal mediator will attempt to resolve N.H.L. strike". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  12. 1 2 Lapointe, Joe (April 11, 1992). "Play hockey! Settlement ends 10-day strike". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  13. 1 2 3 Pincus, 2006, 170
  14. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (July 21, 1992). "If you freeze it, the N.H.L. will come". New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  15. ↑ Lapointe, Joe (February 2, 1993). "Opening day for N.H.L.'s first Commissioner". New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.