The NHL and NHL Players Association agreed on Monday to continue funding the Senior Player Benefit program through 2013 regardless of the on-going collective bargaining negotiations.
NHL, NHLPA agree to continue Senior Player Benefit program in 2013
The NHL and NHL Players Association agreed to continue funding the Senior Player Benefit program in 2013.
Rob Carr
The Senior Player Benefit program acts as a supplemental source of income for retired NHL players 65 years of age or older. Originally created during the 2004-05 lockout, the program is sustained by annual contributions of $2 million by both the NHL and NHLPA. Those contributions are then distributed amongst the retired players, with each player receiving $1,380 for each season they played in the NHL (payments are made in February and September).
Once the collective bargaining agreement expired on Sept. 15, so too did the letter of agreement to continue the fund. Prior to Monday, the league and union remained unwilling to make a commitment to continuing the program due to the labor negotiations.
While a formal vote will still be required if a new collective bargaining agreement is not in place by January, NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly both confirmed that the two sides will continue contributing to the program.
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