New NHLPA/PHPA strategic alliance includes shared legal resources for collective bargaining

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) announced “a new strategic alliance” on Wednesday that will allow them to share administrative and legal resources to “ensure the best representation for all members, including in collective bargaining.”

“We are very pleased and excited to announce that we have entered into a strategic alliance with the NHLPA that will support the tight unity between our organizations,” Brian Ramsay, executive director of the PHPA, said in a press release.

According to the joint statement, close to 90 percent of NHLPA members were PHPA members at one point, having played in the AHL or ECHL.

“This agreement will better align our organizations to serve the needs of our players at all stages of their careers,” NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the PHPA to advocate for and improve the lives of the professional hockey players we serve.”

Despite the new partnership, “the PHPA and NHLPA will remain separate, fully autonomous entities with each maintaining their own governance and operational functions,” the press release stated.

According to the PHPA’s website, it’s the only minor league players’ association within a major sport, and one of the largest player unions in all of professional sports, with approximately 1,800 members playing for 60 teams across North America.

The PHPA was founded in Portland, Ore., in 1967, and is now headquartered in Niagara Falls, Ont. It has represented all AHL players since 1968 and all ECHL players since 1995. It has represented players in the former Western Hockey League, the Central Hockey League and the former International Hockey League.