Wednesday, October 10, 2012

NHLPA out of luck in Alberta

The application made on behalf of the National Hockey League Players' Association in the province of Alberta, saying that a lockout of its NHL players is illegal, has been struck down.

RDS of Canada was the first to break the news on Wednesday afternoon. Text of the decision itself is available here: http://www.alrb.gov.ab.ca/decisions/GE_06474.pdf 

Naturally, both concerned parties issued their thoughts.

"We are pleased with the Alberta Labour Board's ruling today that the lockout of Players is effective on a League-wide basis, including in Alberta, and we are extremely appreciative of the decisive manner in which the matter was handled, said NHL Deupty Commissioner Bill Daly in a statement. "We are hopeful that this ruling will enable both the League and the NHL Players' Association to focus all of our efforts and energies on negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to get our game and our Players back on the ice."

"The players are obviously disappointed with today’s decision," read an NHLPA issuance. "We will consider our further options with regard to this case." 

The 2012-13 NHL regular season was set to kick off tomorrow, with the Flyers hosting the Boston Bruins one of a handful of games on that date temporarily wiped off the master slate.

In mid-September, the Quebec Labor Board struck down the union's assertion that a lockout was illegal in the province, and that the Montreal Canadiens had a right to work and access to their home rink of Molson Centre.

A similar motion was presented in Edmonton last month, seeking the same for the Oilers and the Calgary Flames.

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