NHL Investigating the Dallas Stars for Potential Breach of the Collective Bargaining Agreement
The NHL's CBA can be broken in many ways, and according to a recent report, the Dallas Stars may have done just that by holding an optional skate before it was allowable under the CBA, with the league now investigating the potential breach.
Over the holiday break, NHL teams were not permitted to practice between the 24th and 26th of December, giving some teams a much needed break three months into the NHL season.
That ruling comes directly from the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is up for negotiation in the coming years which could lead to plenty of changes, but for now, teams know the rules.
Somehow, the Dallas Stars may have seemingly broken that rule, as a report from Robert Tiffin of Stars Thoughts has revealed that the team held an optional practice on Boxing Day, which would be in direct violation of the CBA.
In his report, Tiffin notes that this potentially happened and hasn't guaranteed it, but according to him, the team are conducting their own investigation and are fully cooperating with the NHL through this time as they look to get to the bottom of the matter.
Given that the team were eligible to practice again a day later, it's tough to see exactly why they would have held a practice a day early, as they now face a major investigation from the NHL that could lead to plenty of sanctions, including a huge fine.
For now though, it's unclear exactly what happened to lead to this investigation and whether or not the practice took place, but if it did, this would be a very pointless violation from a Stars team that struggled before the holiday break, and now find themselves fighting for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
