Embattled forward Corey Perry cleared unconditional waivers on Wednesday, paving the way for the Chicago Blackhawks to terminate his contract, which the team said it would do “effective immediately” for what it only described as a “workplace matter” and “conduct that is unacceptable.”
Now what? The Blackhawks claimed in a statement on Tuesday that Perry was “in violation of his Standard Playing Contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.” The big question lingering is whether Perry’s alleged misconduct has risen to the level of a material breach of his contract. For the test of time, NHL player contracts have been ironclad agreements that guarantee employment with only vaguely worded and limited exceptions that grant teams the right to terminate.
Given the lack of detail provided by the Blackhawks, it is impossible to know whether Perry’s conduct met that mostly unprecedented level of material breach. Teams have previously sent players home and continued to pay them until the expiration of their contracts, but there does not appear to be one example in recent NHL history of an active player’s contract being terminated for conduct that may be inappropriate but not illegal. The Los Angeles Kings attempted to terminate Mike Richards’ contract in 2015, four months after he was charged with attempting to cross the border in possession of controlled substances, but even then the Kings were forced to pay cap recapture penalties and termination fees to Richards totaling $10.5 million over 17 years through 2032.
According to sources, an alcohol-fueled incident involving Perry was alleged to have occurred during an event that included corporate partners and team employees in attendance. It remains unclear what allegedly took place, who witnessed it, and who reported it to the team.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said that the front office learned of the allegation while in Columbus last week and “immediately pulled” Perry from the lineup prior to a Thanksgiving eve game against the Blue Jackets. Davidson declined to provide any detail about the allegation or subsequent investigation before resulting in the termination that was scheduled to be completed on Wednesday.
“As this is an individual personnel matter, I will not be able to disclose any details relating to the initial reporting, investigation or the findings,” Davidson said in prepared remarks on Tuesday before taking questions.
However, we can glean from Perry’s placement on waivers and Davidson’s answers to questions, a few pertinent facts: 1) Perry’s alleged misconduct does not involve a criminal investigation; 2) the NHL was made aware of the Blackhawks’ investigation but this was a “team incident and team decision;” 3) Perry has not been suspended by the NHL and if he was claimed on waivers on Wednesday presumably would have been free to continue playing.
That has left many other team executives and agents to wonder whether Perry’s alleged misconduct would have risen to the same level in any other organization outside of Chicago, which is still reeling and sensitive from a 2021 independent investigation revealed that Blackhawks executives covered up an alleged sexual assault committed in 2010 by team video coach Brad Aldrich.
When asked on Wednesday whether the NHL Players’ Association would move to file a grievance in defense of Perry and, ultimately, all players with a potential precedent setting termination, an NHLPA spokesperson said that that the union was “reviewing the matter.” The NHLPA has 60 days from the date of termination to file a grievance. Perry’s agent, Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management, did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to Section 2 (e) of a Standard Players Contract, all NHL players agree “to conduct himself on and off the rink according to the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play and sportsmanship, and to refrain from conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club, the League or professional hockey generally.”
In the same contract, it says in Section 14 (a) that teams may terminate a deal if a player shall at any time: “fail, refuse, or neglect to obey the Club’s rules governing training and conduct of Players, if such failure, refusal or neglect should constitute a material breach of this SPC.“
Typically, that clause has only been invoked for players who fail to report or fail to keep in good physical condition. It has rarely, if ever, been used to terminate a player who violates team rules for conduct. The most recently published version of the joint NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement also lists a “Form of Standard Club Rules,” which does not specifically mention anything relating to workplace conduct.
The Blackhawks also referenced Perry’s violation of “internal policies,” which may or may not be permissible as determinant for player conduct under the CBA. According to Exhibit 14, Note 2: “Each Club may make up to three (3) modifications and/or amendments to the Standard Club Rules. Clubs shall submit proposed modifications and/or amendments for consideration by the NHL and the NHLPA at least ten (10) days prior to the commencement of Training Camp.” It is unclear whether the Blackhawks submitted amendments to the NHL and NHLPA prior to the beginning of training camp.
“The organization is committed to a culture of accountability and upholding our values across our employees and players both on and off the ice,” Davidson said. Davidson appeared visibly choked up when discussing the situation, acknowledging “it’s been very tough. It’s been a tough couple days.”
Neutral league observers suggested the Blackhawks’ termination of Perry was an easy and smart step to take as a way to rebuild trust and credibility in the community. The team learned of alleged misconduct, pulled him from the lineup, conducted an investigation and moved to terminate him in a span of six days. Since Davidson said the NHL was apprised of the investigation and end result, clearly the Blackhawks received the backing of the league in their interpretation. And if Perry or the NHLPA challenged their decision via grievance, even if the end result was a settlement between player and team, at least the Blackhawks and NHL came out with a hardline stance against workplace misconduct in the meantime.
Meanwhile, agents and players expressed concern to Daily Faceoff this week about the potential of Perry’s termination becoming precedent setting for conduct that may be improper but not illegal. After all, there are players who have run afoul of the law and never received discipline rising to the level of termination. The Los Angeles Kings terminated defenseman Slava Voynov’s contract in 2017 after he had been suspended indefinitely by the NHL and served 90 days in jail for domestic assault. The San Jose Sharks terminated Evander Kane’s contract in 2022 for failure to report and presenting a fake vaccination card; Kane and the NHLPA grieved the matter, resulting in a settlement that bridged the gap between what he was due to earn in San Jose and his earnings on a new contract in Edmonton.
As one source asked: “Perry was in some ways disposable because he is 38 and not the face of the franchise. But what if he was 25 and had just signed a $70 million extension last summer? Can that just be washed away now with no questions asked? What about guys who are signed to long-term deals that are overpaid and underperforming? Can teams conveniently terminate those because a guy does something vaguely immoral on the road one weekend?”
About the only thing the Blackhawks revealed publicly was that there was zero validity to a disgusting rumor floating through social media over the last week, with Davidson saying: “I do want to be very clear on this one point: this does not involve any players or their families. And anything that suggests otherwise, or anyone that suggests otherwise, is wildly inaccurate and frankly, it’s disgusting.”
Short of that, the only thing the hockey world has been left with are more questions than answers, including exactly what Perry is alleged to have done, whether the Blackhawks have the juice to terminate his deal, and whether Perry or the NHLPA have the inclination to grieve a mostly unprecedented move.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
