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Published on September 30, 2003 under ECHL (ECHL)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies News Release


ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL are proud to announce that the Professional Hockey Players' Association has notified the ECHL governing body that it has ended its 41-day strike against the league after coming to an agreement on a framework for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Bullies and the rest of the ECHL will now move forward and quickly prepare for the 2003-04 season, which begins in 17 days.

"I'm extremely excited that the two parties (the ECHL and the PHPA) have come together to get this agreement done," said Dan Belisle, Bullies Vice President and General Manager. "I believe that the deal is very fair to both sides, and I now hope that we can put this behind us and move on to defending our Kelly Cup Championship.

Major principles of the CBA have been agreed upon, but are subject to finalization by the counsel of both the ECHL and the PHPA.

"The agreement is an extremely positive step for the ECHL and our players," said Brian McKenna, ECHL Commisssioner. We would like to thank the fans for their patience throughout this process. It is now time to focus on hockey and our fans can look forward to an expanded and more competitive league in what promises to be our most exciting season ever.

The PHPA had been on strike since August 20 after talks between the players and the league on a new CBA had progressed very little. The old CBA expired at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season.

"I'm happy for this thing to finally get settled," said Head Coach Mike Haviland. "It's great for not only the organization, but for our fans that have shown us tremendous support since we've been here. We're now looking to move forward and kick off training camp Saturday on a positive note.

In a separate statement, Belisle added, "We've remained quiet throughout the entire negotiation process, honoring the positions of both sides. Rest assured that our coaching staff has been hard at work putting together a championship team, one that we plan to unveil to our fans in the coming days.

The defending ECHL Kelly Cup Champion Boardwalk Bullies open Season Three against the Texas Wildcatters on Friday, October 17, at Boardwalk Hall. Season tickets, flex plans, group tickets, and "Shoobie Packages" for the 2003-04 regular season are on sale by calling (609) 348-PUCK. For more information on South Jersey's only professional hockey team, visit www.boardwalkbullies.com For more information on the conclusion of the PHPA strike, contact Dan Weiss at (609) 348-7809.

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