After suffering three consecutive losses, the Dallas Stars have garnered more trouble for themselves as they are reported to be fined by the NHL after being found guilty of violating the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Earlier on Sunday it was reported that the NHL authorities lodged an investigation after the team was accused of hosting an optional practice session during the league's holiday break.
In a recent update, the club was found guilty of breaching Article 16.5(b) of the CBA, which mandates that December 24, Christmas Day, and December 26 must be observed as off days, and no team is allowed to ask their players to appear for practice on these dates.
Details of the fine and the final verdict
As per the recent reports, the Stars were fined $100,000 for their unacceptable on ice activities during the break. On Friday, December 27, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer accepted that the team had held the session, and he had even named the players who took part in the training that day.
"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," DeBoer said in his statement.
TSN's sportscaster Darren Dreger shared the update about the NHL's verdict on his X handle (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
"As expected, the Dallas Stars will be fined for violating a CBA agreement that strictly prohibits on-ice activities and travel on specified dates during the holidays. Stars players participated in what was described as an “optional” on Dec. 26th."
Similar violations that happened in the past
This was not the first incident when an NHL team was fined for violating the rules, as there were a couple of similar happenings in the Ice Hockey history where the Toronto Maple Leafs were fined the same amount in 2022 under similar circumstances. The Philadelphia Flyers also had to pay $100,000 for traveling earlier than permitted for a game in 2015.
The Stars must be focused on letting bygones be bygones and shifting their attention to the upcoming games where they are set to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night.
