FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — The Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) and the ECHL announced that a tentative agreement has been reached on a new collective bargaining agreement, signaling a potential end to the labor dispute that led to multiple game postponements across the league, including more than one Fort Wayne Komets game.
This agreement between the two entities remains subject to ratification and approval by the ECHL Board of Governors. Although the deal is not yet final, players are still expected to report to their teams in good faith and prepare for return to play while the ratification process moves forward.
The announcement comes after weeks of uncertainty surrounding the ECHL schedule. A week prior, the PHPA said its ECHL members had overwhelmingly authorized a strike mandate after negotiations with the league stalled. The authorization allowed the union’s bargaining committee to call a work stoppage if talks failed to progress, increasing pressure on both sides to reach a deal…