WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The ice is ready, the fans are excited, but the game won't be going on for the Utah Grizzlies on Friday night as the league and the players' union haven't been able to reach an agreement. The team tells FOX 13 News that Friday's game is being postponed, with other games hanging in the balance.
The team wrote on social media about the postponement, saying, "The union's decision to force our players to stop working means that we have to postpone tonight's game against the Idaho Steelheads. We are working to have a team on the ice for our next regularly scheduled game."
The Professional Hockey Players' Association announced Monday that its ECHL membership has served a strike notice effective December 26, 2025. The official notice was delivered on December 18.
On Thursday, the ECHL says it provided its last, best, and final offer to the PHPA and didn't receive a response back from the union. ECHL officials add that they believe that union leaders didn't submit their offer to a vote for members.
Complaints of the union include not allowing players to choose helmets that properly fit them, and clubs have been supplying players with used equipment. Players also claim to be told that days with nine-hour bus trips are considered days off.
However, ECHL leaders have pushed back on those claims, saying that they have made several proposals aimed at improving health and safety, including requirements for mandatory days off, addressing travel between back-to-back games, and modifying holiday and mid-season breaks.
ECHL says they have also added a 19.8% increase to the salary cap for this season, which would be paid retroactively upon ratification.
