1992 NHL players ' strike The 1992 NHL players ' strike was the first strike action initiated by the National Hockey League Players ' Association ( NHLPA ) against the National Hockey League ' s ( NHL ) owners . It was called on April 1 , 1992 and lasted ten days . The settlement saw the players earn a large increase in their playoff bonuses , increased control over the licensing of their likenesses and changes to the free agency system . In addition , the season was expanded to 84 games and included provisions for each team to play two games per season in non - NHL cities . As a result of the strike , the owners removed John Ziegler as President , replacing him with Gil Stein . The strike fundamentally altered the relationship between the league and its players . Background . The NHLPA was formed in 1967 , and led by Alan Eagleson , who served as executive - director . Eagleson remained in that position until December 1991 , when he was forced to resign after the players became uneasy with the relationship he had with the league ' s owners . Three years later , in November 1994 , the Law Society of Upper Canada charged Eagleson with numerous offences , accusing him of embezzlement , providing unauthorized loans using union funds to his friends and associates and of colluding with the NHL ' s owners . In 1996 , he faced similar charges from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and later the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States . In 1998 , pleaded guilty to the charges , earning him a $ 1 million fine and eighteen - months in jail . Eagleson was succeeded as NHLPA executive - director on January 1 , 1992 by former player agent Bob Goodenow . He had served as deputy director of the NHLPA since 1990 , and had spent his time instructing the players on the issues the union faced in its relations with the league . As executive - director , Goodenow was tasked with negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement , which had expired prior to the start of the 1991 – 92 NHL season . Goodenow met with NHL President John Ziegler as the two attempted to negotiate an agreement on a range of issues including how free agency worked , the arbitration process , playoff bonuses and pensions . The issue of how to share trading card revenue was considered to be one of the greatest stumbling blocks the two sides faced . Strike . The Players called the first general strike in NHL history on April 1 , 1992 after the union rejected the owners ' last offer before their deadline by a vote of 560 - to - 4 . By calling the strike so close to the end of the regular season , the players felt they had the advantage , as the majority of owners profits were realized in the playoffs . Playoff bonuses for players ranged from between $ 3 , 000 for players on teams who lost in the first round , up to $ 25 , 000 for players on the Stanley Cup championship team . The owners , meanwhile , stood to earn $ 500 , 000 per playoff game played . Talks continued after the players walked out , though it appeared for a time that the season was lost after union negotiators rejected the league ' s " final offer " on April 7 . A United States Federal Mediator joined the negotiations the next day amidst pessimism over the two sides ' willingness to negotiate . While the two sides had reached an agreement on most issues , negotiations on how revenue from trading cards was to be split became a key sticking point as the owners hoped to increase their share of the $ 16 million in annual revenues . The strike ended on April 10 after the two sides reached an agreement on a two year deal , retroactive to the beginning of the season , allowing the final 30 games of the regular season and the playoffs to go on . As part of the deal , the season was expanded to 84 games from 80 , and the players received a large increase in playoff bonuses and changes to free agency and arbitration . The two sides agreed to have each team play two games in neutral site locations , partly as a means of gauging interest in future expansion . The players conceded to the owners demands on a one year deal , immediately creating fears that the owners could lock the players out following the 1992 – 93 season . Legacy . Goodenow called the strike a " major moment " , stating " I don ' t think the owners took the players seriously and it wasn ' t until the stike that they understood the players were serious . " The owners replaced Ziegler as president following the season , naming Gil Stein as interim president . Stein was replaced in 1993 by former National Basketball Association vice - president Gary Bettman , who became the first Commissioner of the NHL . Working towards labour peace was among the tasks handed to Bettman when the owners hired him . The spectre of a lockout was realized one year later than feared , as after playing the 1993 – 94 season without a valid CBA , the owners locked the players out on the eve of the 1994 – 95 season .