Is the APHP an idea?

[Slats432]

The Association of Professional Hockey Players.

Why couldn't someone start a competitive players association try to recruit players to play in the NHL. Make a collective bargaining agreement with the NHL and off you go.

The concept of blackballing any agent that isn't certified by the NHLPA seems a bit outlandish to me.

What do you think?

Click to read more...

 

[djhn579]

The Association of Professional Hockey Players.

Why couldn't someone start a competitive players association try to recruit players to play in the NHL. Make a collective bargaining agreement with the NHL and off you go.

The concept of blackballing any agent that isn't certified by the NHLPA seems a bit outlandish to me.

What do you think?

I mentioned this idea as a remedy to the NHLPA deciding to decertify. Tom seems to think that decertification will trump anything the NHL could do, but I'm thinking that any group of players can come together, form a union and offer their services to the NHL. The only objection was that they have to be employees to form a union. If the players starting the new union had contracts with the NHL, I think that that would qualify them as employees.

As for starting a union now, I don't think there is any problem with that. The CBA has expired, so the clause about negotiating only with the NHLPA probably doesn't apply. As long as the players have contracts with NHL teams, they can quit the NHLPA and form a new association.

I'm not a lawyer though, so there could be more to it than that...