Financial records for Medicine Hat Tigers revealed as part of CHL lawsuit
MEDICINE HAT, AB — Financial statements appear to show the Medicine Hat Tigers earned $205,236 in net income during the 2015/16 hockey Western Hockey League season, according to newly released documents as part of a potential class-action lawsuit.
The information, recorded in unaudited financial records and obtained by CHAT Television, was ordered unsealed earlier this month by Justice Robert Hall in Calgary. Hall will rule on whether to certify a $180 million class-action lawsuit which would allow hundreds of current and former Canadian Hockey League players to seek a minimum wage.
The CHL, which includes the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, has said most of its teams either break even or lose money, and paying its players would cause many smaller teams to go out of business.
The CHL has said the players in the league are amateur student athletes, similar to the NCAA or the CCAA, citing scholarships provided to players and the emphasis the league puts on education. The players in the lawsuit argue they are employees and are not making minimum wage.