JOINT BARGAINING UPDATE

By Darryl Dionne  Published on: Friday October 10, 2008

Negotiating Committees from both the Central Hockey League (CHL) and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) met on October 8th and 9th, 2008 in Denver, CO and through productive meetings were able to reach several transitional agreements on a number of items.

Several of the key issues agreed upon include:

• a no strike / no lockout clause effective through the end of the CHL playoffs;
• an agreement on the weekly salary cap;
• an agreement on the minimum salary;
• an agreement on the daily per diem

The parties have also come to agreement on a number of transitional items which pertain to hockey operations (ex. veteran rule, reserve system, transacted players) which have been implemented immediately. Other non-transitional items have been agreed upon.

Both negotiating committees have committed to continue bargaining in good faith in an effort to reach a comprehensive CBA prior to the conclusion of the 2008-09 season, without any further labor disruptions.

We look forward to an exciting season of CHL hockey!

About the PHPA

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 certified U.S. National Labor Relations Board collective bargaining representative for over 1,600 players on 68 teams in the American Hockey League, ECHL, and Central Hockey League, respectively.

About the CHL

The CHL will be entering its 17th season of play this fall, with 16 member teams across nine states. The CHL saw more than 2.3 million fans attend games during the 2007-08 season and has led North American professional ‘AA’ hockey leagues in average attendance for six of the past seven seasons. In 2009, the CHL will welcome Independence, Missouri and Allen, Texas as expansion teams for the 2009-10 season. The CHL is administered by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corporation (AMEX: GEE), a company engaged in sports management, multi-purpose events and entertainment center and related real estate development, facility and venue management and marketing, and venue ticketing. For more information about the CHL visit the league’s website at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

Contacts:

Darryl Dionne
Director of Communications & Business Development
PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY PLAYERS’ ASSOCIATION
(905) 682-4800
ddionne@phpa.com

Bob Hoffman
Director of Communications
Central Hockey League
(480) 459-8600
Hoffman@centralhockeyleague.com