Court Rules Against NHL Owners

A federal court in Minneapolis on Tuesday ruled against a suit filed by the NHL that was meant in part to protect the league from antitrust restrictions in the absence of a collective bargaining agreement with players.

Arthur Griffiths, vice-chairman of the Vancouver Canucks, said that if the NHL Players’ Assn. uses the ruling to challenge the league’s entry draft system, “It will kill the game in Canada and many places in the United States.”

The league had asked the U.S. District Court to clarify what the rights of the players and owners would be if the two parties failed to reach a contract settlement. Judge James M. Rosenbaum ruled that that clarification wasn’t necessary because “players from 21 of the 22 member clubs . . . deny any intention of suing the plaintiffs.”

However, Bob Goodenow, director of the players association, said: “It’s a huge win for us, and now all our options are open.”