The Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) recently hosted its 2018 Annual Meeting of Player Representatives at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort where over 150 attendees comprised of PHPA Player Representatives, Executive Committee Members, staff, Advisors, and special guests took part in the opportunity to review the past year and provide input and direction with respect to the Association’s strategic plan.
During the meetings, one Player Representative from each American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL team participate in open discussion on a variety of Collective Bargaining and other League and PHPA issues.
PHPA Executive Director, Larry Landon presented a ‘Year in Review’ which looked at the many different aspects of the Association’s fiscal operations from May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018 including a comprehensive look at the professional hockey landscape.
During an interactive forum, PHPA Hockey Operations staff, including Matt Salewski, Baron Bedesky, Jim Wiley, plus PHPA Legal Counsel Bob Riley and Jason Jaros examined select disputes and grievances that occurred throughout the year, including how each issue was resolved.
Darryl Dionne, Director of Communications and Business Development for the PHPA provided players with an in-depth look into various marketing, sponsorship, and communications initiatives undertaken by the PHPA over the past year, including a thorough review of how the Association celebrated its 50th Anniversary and upcoming Golf Classic.
Senior Advisor to the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), Richard Berthelsen moderated a panel discussion on the subject of workers’ compensation. Included on the panel was PHPA Workers’ Compensation attorneys Jim Aven, Ben Boscolo, Gerry Herz, Bert Villarini, and Robert Wisniewski, NFLPA General Counsel Tom DePaso, NFLPA Associate Counsel Ned Ehrlich, and Rodney Cross from the Fairly Group. The panel helped educate all players about the workers compensation process for professional athletes and the importance of reporting and documenting injuries when they occur.
AHL President and CEO, Dave Andrews as well as ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna provided a “State of the League Address” on behalf of their respective leagues, followed by a closed-door meeting with players.
Other guest speakers and presentations during the week included:
All attendees were invited to take part in the annual BFL CANADA Risk and Insurance Services, Inc. Golf Tournament at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria Golf Course where club rentals were provided courtesy of Sutton Special Risk.
The week was capped off with a closing banquet where the PHPA presented the 2018 PHPA Curt Leichner Distinguished Member Award to Bob Riley, followed by an unforgettable performance from world renowned hypnotist Danny Zzzz!
The PHPA sincerely appreciates the contributions of presenting sponsors BFL CANADA Risk & Insurance Services Inc., Meridian, Meritain Health, IOA, Lifeworks, Programmed Insurance Brokers (PIB), Endicott College, BDO International, Sutton Special Risk, and MStyle Marketing for allowing the PHPA to host a professional and informative meeting for all players and their families.
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