Lawsuit Against NHL Brings Rare Test Of Critical Sports Law Concept

By Christopher R. Deubert, Senior Writer In February 2024, unions representing junior hockey players in North America sued the NHL and four Canadian junior hockey clubs alleging that agreements among the clubs had unreasonably restricted the labor market for the players’ services in violation of antitrust law. The NHL has filed a motion to dismiss the case, relying largely on a judicially created doctrine that is at the heart of the structure and operations of American sports leagues – th