Since its inception in 1967, Alan Eagleson was the first and only executive director of the NHL Player's Association (NHLPA). In December of 1991, Eagleson was forced to resign in the midst of numerous allegations including fraud and embezzlement. Many of the player reps felt Eagleson had gotten too cozy with the owners, so the union was now eager to chart a more distant course. Taking his place at the helm of the NHLPA, was Bob Goodenow, a former player agent. In many ways it was the beginning of a new era, as Goodenow came to power with a mandate to redress many of the perceived 'injustices' of the past.
Goodenow had only been on the job for a couple months when he was tasked with negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). As the previous CBA had expired prior to the start of the 91-92 season. Talks were underway, but they repeatedly broke off only to restart again with the two sides showing little progress.
Among the issues dividing the league and the union, were playoff bonuses, pensions, changes to free agency and an increased percentage of revenue from licensing player images. There was a boom taking place in the sports collectibles market, and up until now, the owners had always collected the lion's share of the revenue. That was all about to change as the players were now demanding a fair slice of the trading card pie.
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Month: 4