Kansas City Mavericks game postponed as ECHL minor league players go on strike
Friday night’s game between the Kansas City Mavericks and the Tulsa Oilers was postponed after ECHL hockey players announced a strike earlier in the week.
Games throughout the ECHL schedule were also postponed Friday.
The Mavericks were scheduled to play the Tulsa Oilers in Oklahoma on Friday and have another road game scheduled for Saturday at the Allen Americans in Texas. The next home game for the Mavericks at Cable Dahmer Arena is scheduled for Wednesday.
The Mavericks said in a statement on social media Friday afternoon that the Oilers game was postponed because of “ongoing labor negotiations.”
“While this is disappointing news, the Mavericks organization will continue to operate with the same commitment to excellence our fans expect,” the team said. “Our focus remains on delivering a best-in-class experience both on and off the ice, and that standard will not change during this stoppage. At this time, our priority is and will remain to play hockey this Wednesday for our New Year’s Eve game. Our organization is working tirelessly and doing everything in our power to make that game happen.”
If more games are postponed, all tickets will remain valid, and fans will be refunded if a game cannot be rescheduled, the team said.
The news comes amid contract negotiations between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association, which represents minor league players. The league’s previous collective bargaining agreement expired in June, but games have continued this season. Earlier this week, the association announced that players had authorized a strike effective Friday.
In a statement on Monday, PHPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay said players were asking for “basic standards around health, safety and working conditions that allow the players to remain healthy, compete at a high level and build sustainable professional careers.”
“Our members have never been more united and remain ready to return to the bargaining table at any time,” he said. “We sincerely hope the ECHL will engage in good-faith negotiations so a fair agreement can be reached and any disruption to the season can be avoided.”
In a statement on Friday, the league said it made a “last, best, and final” offer to the players on Thursday and said it had heard from some players that they would not be reporting for their scheduled games.
Among the terms touted by the league were a 19.8% salary cap bump for this season and additional salary cap increases in future years.
“This deal rewards players and ensures the sustainability of our teams and league so that it can continue to offer an entertaining and financially accessible product to our fans, and provide our incredible players with as many opportunities to play and compete,” the league said.
