Stars fined $100,000 for violating CBA surrounding holiday on-ice activities
Published
The Dallas Stars were fined $100,000 by the NHL for violating a CBA rule that strictly prohibits on-ice activities and travel on specified dates during the holidays on Monday.
The Stars held an "optional" practice on Dec. 26 which players participated in.
According to Article 16.5 (b) of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, "December 24, Christmas Day and December 26 shall be off-days for all purposes, including travel, and no Club may request a Player's consent to practice on such days for any reason."
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters on Friday morning that he was "at the rink yesterday. We had an optional, and of course the young guys all show up for the optional like, you know, they're supposed to do."
In 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs were fined $100,000 under a similar ruling, as the team traveled to St. Louis on Dec. 26 the night before the holiday break concluded. The Philadelphia Flyers were fined for the same thing in 2015 for flying earlier than permitted to a game in Nashville.
The Stars sit fourth in the Central Division with a 21-13-1 record and hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks and two points up on the Calgary Flames.