Messier Honoured at PHPA Annual Meeting

By Darryl Dionne  Published on: Tuesday June 24, 2008

St.Catharines – Doug Messier was honoured at the Professional Hockey Players’Association’s Annual Meeting of Player Representatives, Saturday, June 14, 2008, as the inaugural recipient of the Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award.

The award, named after the former Executive Director of the PHPA, Curt Leichner, is awarded each year to a Member of the hockey community who has made significant contributions towards the advancement of professional minor league hockey, and has continued to diligently serve the sport.

Messier, who played the majority of his professional hockey career in the now defunct WHL (Western Hockey League) is considered to be one of the “Founding Fathers” of the PHPA. It was his vision during the mid 1960’s that a Players’ Association for professional minor league hockey players was needed, which ultimately led to the hiring of Curt Leichner to legally form the Association in 1967. Messier would serve as the PHPA’s first Executive Director from 1967-1969, before Leichner assumed the Executive Director’s role from 1969 until 1993.

“Doug was the player that said ‘Let’s create this thing,’ and Curt was the lawyer that did it,” said PHPA Executive Director, Larry Landon. “There is a leadership award in the NHL named after the Moose, and obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

On hand to represent the Leichner family and present the inaugural award to Messier were Leichner’s daughters Sharon Sinclair and Jenny Burton. “This is quite an honor for both of us and our family,” said an emotional Sinclair. “My Dad would have been very humbled to have an award such as this named after him.”

“He lived, ate, and breathed PHPA for many years. He is here with us tonight and would be proud,” added Burton.

Leichner, who passed away in May, 2006, was instrumental in forming the players’ union, and negotiating the first Collective Bargaining Agreements between the PHPA and WHL, AHL, and CHL. Thousands of professional hockey players have had their rights advanced and enforced as a result of his vision for a better workplace environment.

Messier, in front of Player Representatives, guests, as well as a number of his family members in attendance at the Regal Sun Resort, in Orlando FL, addressed the crowd, noting the early battles faced by the PHPA during the formative years of the PHPA. “This table would be too big for our first meeting,” joked Messier. “We were trying to set up a pension fund and make sure players were taken care of when they retired, as well as assist players who were starting families. It was a difficult challenge, but a lot of fun and I really enjoyed getting into it,” added Messier.

Since its inception in 1967, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) has continued to serve as an advocate of player interests. Currently, it is the U.S. National Labor Relations Board recognized collective bargaining unit for over 1,700 players on 70 teams in the American Hockey League, ECHL, and Central Hockey League, respectively.