HR in the NHL – A Power Play Between an Injured Player and Team Management

Andrea Hayman; Prescott C. Ensign

Andrea Hayman

University of Waterloo, Canada

Prescott C. Ensign

Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada

Volume 16: 2023, pp. 5-18; ABSTRACT

Conflict between management and an employee can have a ripple effect on an organization. The impact is felt by those who are directly and indirectly involved. Can this be changed using concepts from human resource management, communication and workplace negotiations? This case study focuses on a conflict between a men’s professional ice hockey player and his team’s management. The case starts with a serious neck injury to the team’s star player on March 7, 2021. The result is eight months of wrangling over choice of medical treatment. The case uses a progressive disclosure format. Students are asked to read and analyze the issues at three specific points in time: player injury and initial treatment; differences over medical treatment; and resolution of the impasse. The case frames the issues confronted with discussion questions for each point in time. Students are also asked to provide recommendations for dealing with these issues.
Keywords: human resource management, National Hockey League (NHL), player/team management relations, workplace confliction resolution strategies, negotiation process with injured professional athletes, constituencies communication