(Niagara Falls, ON)  The Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) is pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2015, Executive Director, Larry Landon, has agreed to terms revising the final year of his current employment agreement as well as a 5-year contract extension which will see him continue to serve as Executive Director of the PHPA through the 2020-21 season. 

“On behalf of the PHPA Executive Committee, we are very pleased to announce that Larry Landon will continue to lead us for the next six seasons in his role as Executive Director,” said Mike McKenna of the Portland Pirates. “As with any organization or business, success begins with strong leadership.  We feel confident that Larry’s experience, passion, intelligence, and humility all make him the proper choice to continue leading the Professional Hockey Players’ Association into the future.  In a business where the only constant is change, we are fortunate to retain someone of Larry’s caliber and professionalism. We look forward to improving and growing the sport of hockey alongside him for years to come.”

The 2015-16 season will mark Landon’s 34^th year of involvement with the PHPA.  A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Landon was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens while on a hockey scholarship at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he was captain in both his Junior and Senior years.  While Landon turned pro at the end of the 1980-81 season, it was during his first full season in the American Hockey League with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1981-82, when he was elected by his teammates to serve as the team’s PHPA Player Representative.  Since then, Landon has been committed to the players, as he continued to serve as a Player Representative and subsequently as a member of the PHPA Executive Committee while with the Sherbrooke Canadiens and St. Catharines Saints.  While playing in the National Hockey League for Montreal and Toronto, Landon continued to assist players at the AHL level.  Upon his retirement as an active player, he was hired by the PHPA as a part time staff member, and later promoted to Deputy Executive Director.  In 1993, Landon was formally elected as Executive Director. 

Since that time, Landon has directed the restructuring of the Association, having created an internal Benefits Department, Licensing and Marketing programs, a Career Enhancement Program (“Life After Hockey”), three (3) Health and Welfare Trusts, two (2) Severance Trusts, an AHL 401(k) plan, the digitization of all player files, and oversaw the purchase and renovation of a state-of-the-art office building in Niagara Falls, Ontario which is now the home of the PHPA.

His knowledge of hockey has been demonstrated through his involvement as lead negotiator in the successful completion of 20 Collective Bargaining Agreements resulting in marked improvement for players’ economic status, playing conditions, health benefits, and rights.  Under Landon’s direction, the Association has grown in Membership from approximately 600 to 1600 Members, having directed the labor certification of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1986, East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 1995, and Central Hockey League in 2008, joining them with the American Hockey League whose players have been represented by the PHPA since 1968.  

“I can say with the utmost confidence and assurance that I will continue to put the best interests of our Membership at the forefront, and will continue to work diligently with all stakeholders in our industry to grow the sport of hockey,” said Landon.  “I am proud to be a part of this organization, as I have been since I was named a Player Representative in my rookie year.  I thank the Executive Committee as well as the entire Membership for putting their faith in me as we navigate through the challenges that lie ahead.”

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 1,500 players across 58 teams throughout the American Hockey League and ECHL.  Visit PHPA.com, follow the PHPA on Facebook (fb.com/thephpa), and Twitter (@thephpa), and register for the PHPA Insider E-Newsletter.