Getting an Icy Reception: Do Canadian Hockey League Players Deserve to Be Paid?

Abstract

(13 WIllamette Sports L.J., no. 2, 2016, at 39). This article considers whether high-level junior hockey players should be considered employees and thus paid for their participation in the leagues, focusing on the three Canadian Hockey League (CHL) leagues located in the United States and Canada. The article examines the progression of junior hockey from the mid-1960s to the present, including how American and Canadian courts have handled cases involving “amateur hockey.” The article looks at the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) rules on eligibility of ex-junior hockey players and analyzes the state of junior hockey in light of the recent O’Bannon v. NCAA decision. The article concludes by examining proposed Washington State legislation that would officially designate junior players for Washington’s four WHL teams as nonemployees.