Richard Berthelsen Named Recipient of 2024 PHPA Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award
Darryl Dionne, Director of Communications & Business Development, PHPA | February 8th, 2024
(Niagara Falls, ON) The Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) is pleased to announce that Richard Berthelsen has been voted by the PHPA Executive Committee as the 2024 recipient of the PHPA Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award.
The award, named in honor of former PHPA Executive Director, Curt Leichner, is presented annually to a recipient who has made significant contributions toward the advancement of professional minor league hockey on behalf of the players.
Berthelsen’s 40-year career with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) spanned from 1972 to 2012 where he served as General Counsel as well as Interim Executive Director following the passing of Gene Upshaw. As General Counsel, Berthelsen was a valued member of the NFLPA negotiating team through several collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the NFL, in addition to his role as counsel in numerous landmark cases that helped advance player rights. Berthelsen developed the NFLPA Workers’ Compensation Panel of Attorneys, a group of lawyers based in each NFL team’s state appointed to assist players with workers compensation claims while protecting their rights to future medical care for injuries sustained during their playing career. Berthelsen extended the panel to include other professional player associations, including the PHPA, which has since assisted hundreds of PHPA Members obtain workers’ compensation benefits.
Berthelsen has served as an Advisor to the PHPA toward the advancement and protection of workers’ compensation for its Membership since the PHPA Workers’ Compensation Panel of Attorneys was formed in 1993. He has presented at every PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives since then to help educate PHPA Members about the workers’ compensation process and the benefits they are entitled to receive.
“The contributions that Richard has made on behalf of not only National Football League players, but by extension, professional athletes across all sports is immeasurable and truly remarkable,” said PHPA Executive Director Larry Landon. “The amount of support that Richard has provided to me and the PHPA over the years through the formation of the Workers’ Compensation Panel of Attorneys cannot be overstated. I am thankful to our Executive Committee for recognizing Richard who is truly deserving of this Award given the impact he has had on our sport.”
“This Award means a lot to me and I am truly humbled to be recognized,” said Berthelsen. “I always enjoyed my job, believed the work I was doing was for a just cause, and received a great deal of satisfaction from helping the athletes we represented.”
Berthelsen will be presented with the Award this June at the 2024 PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives.
Previous recipients of the Award include Doug Messier (2008), Don Cherry and Ron MacLean (2009), Arlo Goodwin (2010), Darcy Regier (2011), Ron Jaros (2012), Claude Julien (2013), Ted Nolan (2014), Karen Bender (2015), Rick Gorman and Phil Mazzone (2016), Brad Treliving (2017), Bob Riley (2018), Glenn Patrick (2019), and Peter Vandermeer (2020).
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, the PHPA is the certified, U.S. National Labor Relations Board collective bargaining representative for over 1,800 players across 60 teams throughout the American Hockey League and ECHL. Further, the PHPA continues to serve over 10,000 former PHPA Members through its Alumni Network. Visit PHPA.com, follow the PHPA on Facebook (fb.com/thephpa), X (@thephpa), and Instagram (@thephpa) and tune into The PHPA Podcast.
