Today In NHL History - 1992 NHLPA Strike Begins

On April 1st in 1992, NHLPA freshman boss Bob Goodenow announced the first player strike in NHL history. The labor strife was resolved after only 10 days largely owing to the assistance of US Federal Mediator John Martin.

The settlement provided a one year labor truce between owners and players in the form of a two year deal retroactive to the beginning of the season, resulting in several changes to the game, including the:

• addition of two neutral site games per team each season;
• increase in the number of regular season games (80 to 84);
• increase in player playoff bonuses ($3.2m to $7.5m);
• increase in player control over licensing of likeness; and
• tweaking of the free agency system.

Though no regular season or playoff games were lost due to the stoppage, the strike represented a major moment in owner/player relations and set the stage for the 1994 NHL Lockout. In response to the strike and in anticipation of future disputes, the owners removed NHL President John Ziegler replacing him with Gil Stein and ultimately Gary Bettman.

That's today in NHL history.