TEMPE, Ariz. – Central Hockey League (CHL) Commissioner Duane Lewis announced today that CHL team owners have voted in favor of a proposed new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reaching an agreement with the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA) on a two-year deal.

Image credit: Central Hockey League

The ratification by the league’s owners occurred on September 3rd through voting from the member teams along with a majority of the players ratifying the agreement on behalf of the PHPA.

The new CBA will take place immediately and will run through the 2011-12 season establishing financial regulations for the players along with maintaining numerous player oriented programs. Among those programs are off-ice medical insurance, a Career Enhancement Program and free counseling services for players.

One change to the Agreement for the upcoming season deals with the number of veteran players teams can have increasing to six, of which, one must have played for the team during the 2009-10 season. A veteran is defined as a player with 301 or more combined professional games (included leagues identified in CBA).

The terms of the CBA will be in effect for former International Hockey League (IHL) teams who are now playing in the CHL after a joint collaboration between the two leagues that was consummated on June 1st, 2010. The IHL teams joining the CHL for the 2010-11 season are Bloomington, Dayton, Evansville (played in Muskegon in 2009-10), Fort Wayne and Quad City. 

“We are pleased to finalize this Agreement with the PHPA, utilizing the previous CBA as our base,” Lewis said. “These processes take time and patience, and the efforts made by both sides to get to this point are much appreciated. We look forward to the upcoming season in the CHL, and know that the fans will enjoy what this year has to offer.”

“Having the ability to reach this Agreement and continue to operate under stable labor/management relations was an opportunity that could not be overlooked,” Larry Landon, Executive Director of the PHPA said. “Both sides worked tirelessly to come to terms on an Agreement which built upon the existing framework negotiated in the inaugural CBA.”