The NHL is looking into the Dallas Stars for potentially violating the collective bargaining agreement by holding an optional practice during the league’s holiday break.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer told reporters Friday morning, in advance of that night’s game against the Minnesota Wild, “I 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.”
He even elaborated later by naming the young players he saw at the rink.
According to Article 16.5 (b) of the CBA, “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.”
An NHL official told The Athletic early Saturday morning that the league is looking into the facts. The question is likely if this was an actual “optional practice,” with coaches involved, or if DeBoer misspoke and the Stars just had ice available to any player who wanted it. This is DeBoer’s 17th year as an NHL head coach, so one would think he knows teams are supposed to be completely off Dec. 24-26.
In the NHL, “optional” practices include coaches and are generally considered mandatory for young players, as DeBoer intimated in saying that they were supposed to be there.
A Stars spokesperson told The Athletic, “The team is conducting an internal investigation into the matter and is fully cooperating with the NHL.”
The Wild, who rallied from 2-0 down in the third period of the game before winning in overtime, were not pleased when they learned that the Stars potentially practiced on Thursday’s mandatory off day. Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin got wind of DeBoer’s comments during the third period.
Wild coach John Hynes said after Saturday’s Wild practice in St. Paul that he didn’t hear DeBoer’s comments until after the game and it was a discussion amongst the Wild staff. He said deep down he’d give DeBoer the benefit of the doubt and wonders if he misspoke and that ice was just available and no one was there.
Asked if he’d be upset if the Stars knowingly broke the rules, Hynes said, “Obviously the rules are in place for a reason. The league is so competitive and so tight in terms of the schedule, you’d like everyone on an even playing field. The rules are the rules, right? But, again, I don’t know exactly what he meant. I got a lot of respect for Pete, so I would lend myself to think that maybe he made a mistake.”
The Wild abided by the CBA and had players wake up in Minnesota bright and early Friday morning. Players and staff had to be at the airport by 7 a.m. for a 2 1/2 hour flight to Dallas’ Love Field for the 7 p.m. game.
The Stars posted pregame access videos of select players to their website Friday but not DeBoer’s news conference, as they typically do.
Dallas could face a steep fine if the league deems the organization broke the rules.
In 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs were fined $100,000 for flying to St. Louis the night before the holiday break concluded. In 2015, the Philadelphia Flyers were fined the same amount for flying earlier than permitted for a game in Nashville.
(Photo of Pete DeBoer on the Stars bench: Jerome Miron / USA Today)
