Can players negotiate non financial items into their contracts?

jigglysquishy

Registered User
Jun 20, 2011
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Regina, Saskatchewan
I see in Messier's Canucks contract he requested wearing number 11.

Does the current CBA allow something like this?

What about other items? I assume things like real estate or vehicles are off limits, but what about something like charity? Could a player request a donation to the local homeless shelter from the team? It's money spent by the team but not to the player.

What about a team offering a luxury apartment rental for free? Or below market rate?

If teams feed players, is there a limit? Can a player get their entire family fed on the team's dime?

Or is anything besides dollars and terms off limits?
 

LeHab

Registered User
Aug 31, 2005
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CBA Article 26 - No Circumvention describes what is allowed and what is not. In particular:

(e) No Club or Club Actor may provide, directly or indirectly, any Player or Player
Actor, with anything of value from a Club or Club Actor other than his Player Salary and
Bonuses set forth in, and in accordance with the terms of, his SPC, and his share of Benefits and
Government Mandates/Other Programs, as set forth in this Agreement or as otherwise expressly
permitted by this Agreement. A Player or Player Actor may not receive, directly or indirectly,
anything of value from a Club or Club Actor other than his Player Salary and Bonuses set forth
in, and in accordance with the terms of, his SPC, and his share of Benefits and Government
Mandates/Other Programs as set forth in this Agreement or as otherwise expressly permitted by
this Agreement. Notwithstanding the fact that a Player must disgorge anything of value he may
have received in violation of the prior sentence, a Player shall not be guilty of a Circumvention
in the absence of knowledge that the entity from which he received something of value, was a
Club Actor. No Club or Club Actor or Player or Player Actor may engage in any conduct that is
intended to pay or provide, or has the effect of, paying or providing to a Player, anything of
value other than that which the Player may properly receive through his SPC, and his share of
Benefits and Government Mandates/Other Programs, or as otherwise expressly permitted by this
Agreement. For example, a Player is prohibited from entering into an agreement with a
broadcasting company that is a Club Affiliated Entity, in which the Player agrees to host a
weekly television show, for which he is to be compensated the fair market value of such services,
as this would be something of value other than which the Player may properly receive through
his SPC, or his share of Benefits and Government Mandates/Other Programs, or as otherwise
expressly permitted by this Agreement.

(i)Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Club shall be permitted to make certain
"miscellaneous business expenditures" on behalf of and for the benefit of
Players, provided that such expenditures are: (i) reasonable, (ii) intended
and reasonably related to the Club's business and the Player's positive
development as a hockey Player (e.g., paying for a Player's travel/hotel
expenses for participating in promotional activities for the Club, paying
for a skating instructor or ice time, paying for an English tutor, etc.), and
(iii) reviewed and approved by the League in advance.

Other leagues allow players to include additional clauses. Some MLB players had interesting one from what I recall.
 
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Jetsfan79

Registered User
Jul 12, 2011
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Winnipeg, MB
This may be different to what the OP is referring to but I'm pretty sure ownership is allowed to" help out". In certain circumstances.

For example, offering support and assistance with family emergencies. Like counseling or other social assistance. I believeI i remember hearing ownership was will willing to help players families with grocery shopping during the heart of the pandemic. Its the whole "we will take care of you," perk . This would be more of a word of mouth kinda of thing rather than something spelled out in a contact. I'm certain there some owners who "take care of their players and families" more so than others.

But no, nothing specific in the contract no cars, no paying for players kids education. Nothing that would be seen as an obvious "reward"
 
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mouser

Business of Hockey
Jul 13, 2006
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South Mountain
Teams can have employees help and assist the players and their families.

Using your example the team can't actually pay for the groceries.
 

aqib

Registered User
Feb 13, 2012
5,124
1,131
I see in Messier's Canucks contract he requested wearing number 11.

Does the current CBA allow something like this?

What about other items? I assume things like real estate or vehicles are off limits, but what about something like charity? Could a player request a donation to the local homeless shelter from the team? It's money spent by the team but not to the player.

What about a team offering a luxury apartment rental for free? Or below market rate?

If teams feed players, is there a limit? Can a player get their entire family fed on the team's dime?

Or is anything besides dollars and terms off limits?

giving them anything that has an obvious monetary value (like an apartment below market value) would violate the terms of an agreement but stuff like jersey number or even "doesn't have to travel for games he is scheduled to rest" would be ok
 

jigglysquishy

Registered User
Jun 20, 2011
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Regina, Saskatchewan
So how about charity? If a player asked for a million dollars/ season to the local children's hospital would that fit within the CBA? The player doesn't recieve any financial benefit.
 

LeHab

Registered User
Aug 31, 2005
15,956
6,259
Crosby used to live @ Mario's place for a few years but googling around can't find anything official regarding rent payment. On a somehow related note:

When asked about what it was like living with Mario Lemieux, Crosby shared an embarrassing story about the time the NHL legend had to clean up after his dog.
Crosby said the Lemieux family, for reasons unknown, encouraged him to buy a puppy early on his career. While he was a bit skeptical about whether he needed one, saying he could barely do his laundry, he obliged, and he still has the dog (Sam) today.
“I come back after a game and I could smell something. I’m like, ‘What is that? The puppy definitely shit somewhere in the house. I gotta find out where this is.’ So I’m looking everywhere, all over the house, and finally I come around the corner and (Mario) is cleaning up all this shit, like everywhere in the kitchen.”
“I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I was so embarrassed. Mario Lemieux is cleaning up my dog shit.”

Candid Crosby talks the Golden Goal, and the time Mario Lemieux cleaned up after his dog

What is the market value of having Mario clean after your dog? Probably priceless. :D
 
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jcs0218

Registered User
Apr 20, 2018
7,905
9,722
Not NHL, but in the NBA Kawhi Leonard was asking the Raptors and Lakers for a private jet and a mansion for his family to be given "under the table".

This would have constituted salary cap circumvention, and when he signed with the Clippers, both the Raptors and Lakers wanted the league to investigate the contract and whether circumvention took place.
 

Breakers

Make Mirrored Visors Legal Again
Aug 5, 2014
21,331
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Denver Colorado
I have heard numerous players speak of like Bieksa that his deal allowed him to have his own room on the road.
 

mouser

Business of Hockey
Jul 13, 2006
29,276
12,567
South Mountain
Crosby used to live @ Mario's place for a few years but googling around can't find anything official regarding rent payment. On a somehow related note:



Candid Crosby talks the Golden Goal, and the time Mario Lemieux cleaned up after his dog

What is the market value of having Mario clean after your dog? Probably priceless. :D

Crosby was required to pay rent to Mario that the NHL signed off on as acceptable.

I don’t recall a media disclosure of exactly how much that rent payment was though.
 
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tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
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So how about charity? If a player asked for a million dollars/ season to the local children's hospital would that fit within the CBA? The player doesn't recieve any financial benefit.

If the team is giving money to anyone in exchange for a service that benefits their business (e.g. playing professional hockey games) it is no longer a charitable gift. As far as the IRS and therefore the CBA is concerned, that money is compensation being paid to the player. Changing the name on the check doesn’t make a difference.
 
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mouser

Business of Hockey
Jul 13, 2006
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So how about charity? If a player asked for a million dollars/ season to the local children's hospital would that fit within the CBA? The player doesn't recieve any financial benefit.

Needs more context on the specific details of the Player & Club interaction as there are many potential scenarios.

If a Player agreed to sign with a Team on the condition that the team spend $1m on a charity then I’m confident the NHL would view that as a Circumvention. The team and the player would be entering into a financial agreement outside of the Standard Player Contract (SPC).

- Would the team paying a family member be okay? No

- Would the team paying a friend be okay? No

- Would the team paying some other business not associated with the player be okay? No

Does paying a charity instead of any of the above suddenly make the payment okay in the NHL’s view? I highly doubt it. That’s without even considering if the player’s individual marketing and brand value could increase as a result of demanding the charity payment.
 

patnyrnyg

Registered User
Sep 16, 2004
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When Messier came back to the Rangers for his 2nd stint, he has an agreement that he did not have to attend charity events and MSG had to provide staff for his charities events in the nyc metro area. Knew a few people who had to work them. Let's just say, they did not have anything nice to say about Messier or his family.
 

mouser

Business of Hockey
Jul 13, 2006
29,276
12,567
South Mountain
When Messier came back to the Rangers for his 2nd stint, he has an agreement that he did not have to attend charity events and MSG had to provide staff for his charities events in the nyc metro area. Knew a few people who had to work them. Let's just say, they did not have anything nice to say about Messier or his family.

Note this would have been before the Salary Cap era started in 2005. In addition to the cap the NHL strictly limited the types of contracts players could sign and what could be included in those contracts beginning in 2005.
 

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