KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Wings are back on the ice after a brief strike by ECHL players ended with a new contract agreement, just in time for their New Year's Eve game.
Hockey players returned to the ice after striking for a couple of days, starting on December 26. The strike affected the entire ECHL league before players and management reached a new agreement.
"I'm glad that hockey is back. It had been a long road to get to this point," said Toni Will, general manager and governor of the Kalamazoo Wings.
The strike occurred as the previous contract expired, requiring negotiations between the league and the players union to find terms that worked for both sides.
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Players secured better pay and improved health and safety conditions as part of the new agreement, according to a press release from the Kalamazoo Wings.
Will emphasized that the entire Kalamazoo community benefits from having hockey back.
"We are creating jobs, not only for the players and the coaching staff, but the people who are working in the concession stands. Working in the parking lot. Working in security. Working in the front office. This is about job creation. It's about community," Will said.
The first game back is scheduled for 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve, and it's expected to draw a large crowd. About 80 percent of tickets were already sold by noon on December 30.
Ticket information can be found here.
"This isn't millions and millions of dollars we're talking about here. It is really, grassroots," Will said.
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