NORFOLK, Va. — The ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) have announced a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending the players’ strike that brought professional hockey in the league to a standstill.
Players, including those with the Norfolk Admirals, walked off the ice Friday, halting games across the league. The Admirals’ matchups scheduled for Friday and Saturday were canceled.
At the heart of the dispute were concerns over player safety, travel conditions, scheduling, and pay. Players pushed for limits on lengthy bus trips between consecutive games, guaranteed rest days, improved and properly fitted safety gear, and scheduling changes designed to minimize fatigue and injury risks. They also sought salary increases that keep pace with inflation.
The ECHL said in a statement that the agreement still requires ratification by the PHPA membership and approval from the league’s board of governors. In the meantime, players will return to their teams to prepare for a resumption of play “in good faith.”
The ECHL is a developmental league, two tiers below the NHL, with 30 teams spread across the United States and Canada.
