66-Year-Old Photo Celebrates a Historical Moment in Hockey History

The history of the NHL dates back to 1917 when no one was sure for how long the league is going to last. However, here we are, 100 years later, and still witnessing the epic league that holds a tome of history. In those 100 years, important decisions were made, records were created only to get broken later, and rules were refurbished. Nevertheless, one such prominent decision was made in 1957 that advanced the ice hockey league in many ways.

It’s been 66 years since two ice hockey rivals befriended each other to create something iconic. On 11th February 1957, with only 6 hockey teams in tow, the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) got established by two arch-nemesis. Interestingly, today marks the 66th anniversary of the NHLPA. 

66th Anniversary of NHLPA

66 years ago today, Detroit Red Wings forward Ted Lindsay and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Doug Harvey put their on-ice rivalry aside and concerted to form a players union. Interestingly, the Twitter handle of the Vintage Hockey Showcase shared the still from 1957 when the union was signed by the dignitaries.

In 1957, after the league denied to release the pension plan’s financial information written in the players’ contracts, Lindsay and Harvey joined forces to help the players understand their contractual rights. Moreover, during its first installment, Ted Lindsay was elected as the first president of the association.

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However, the NHLPA got dissolved after one year of its launch, as the players who were in the union came under intense pressure from the team owners. Lindsay himself got traded from Red Wings to Chicago Black Hawks for moving forward with his idea of NHLPA.

NHLPA came to fruition in 1967

10 years after it got established, NHLPA again came to fruition. The efforts of Toronto Maple Leafs’ Bob Pulford and Canadian lawyer Alan Eagleson set the NHLPA in motion once again. To prevent the new NHLPA from suffering the fate of its predecessors, Pulford made new reforms to the policies of the NHLPA. The new rule asserts that no player of the union will be punished for being a member.

After implementing the idea of the NHLPA in 1957, it took another 10 years for the union to function again. Now on 11th February 2023, the NHL celebrates the 66th Anniversary of NHLPA. The idea that first sparked in the minds of two great players.

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