Guess who served as a catalyst!

NHL, Europe re-open player transfer agreement

Dec 13, 2007 10:44 AM
Kevin McGran

The NHL has its work cut out for itself to make a deal with European-based hockey leagues.

The IIHF-affiliated national ice hockey associations and leagues decided Thursday to give notice to the National Hockey League, exercising their right to re-open the current IIHF-NHL player transfer agreement (PTA).

The representatives from the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland met in Zurich and the decision was unanimous. The decision to re-open is mutual as the NHL informed the IIHF on Dec. 11 that the league decided to exercise the same right.

Russia has long balked at signing the deal, which guaranteed teams $100,000 per player that signed with an NHL team. Sweden recently withdrew.

That creates uncertainty between NHL teams and disgruntled players. Without an agreement, a player unhappy that he didn’t make an NHL roster, could bolt to Russia rather than play in the AHL. That scenario played out this fall when Tony Salmelainen bolted the Toronto Marlies after he was cut by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“We listened to the reasons from the associations and their leagues and discussed in depth the most important concerns,” IIHF president René Fasel said in a news release.

“Following the discussion it became obvious that the concerns made it legitimate to exercise the right to re-open.”

Well done, Pikku!