PHPA.com | July 10th, 2024
After over 30 years as Executive Director of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA), Larry Landon officially announced his retirement following the 2024 PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives.
“Every day of my life, I have tried to give back any way possible and I gave it all I had in leading the PHPA for 33 incredible years,” said Landon. “It was not without challenges, bargaining disputes, player uprisings, and an unprecedented pandemic. But with my wife Lynn and my family’s unwavering support, and the incredible team we have at the PHPA, we accomplished more than what I could have ever envisioned when I took over as leader of the PHPA.”
A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Landon was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens while on a hockey scholarship at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he was captain in both his Junior and Senior years. During his rookie season in the American Hockey League with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1981-82, he was elected by his teammates to serve as the team’s PHPA Player Representative. Landon continued to serve as a Player Representative and subsequently as a member of the PHPA Executive Committee while with the Sherbrooke Canadiens and St. Catharines Saints. While playing in the National Hockey League for Montreal and Toronto, Landon continued to assist players at the AHL level. Upon his retirement as an active player in 1985, he was hired by the PHPA as a part time staff member and later promoted to Deputy Executive Director in 1991. In 1993, Landon was formally elected as Executive Director, taking over from Curt Leichner who had led the PHPA since its inception in 1967.
During his tenure, Landon directed the restructuring of the Association, having created an internal benefits department, licensing and marketing programs, a Career Enhancement Program, three (3) Health and Welfare Trusts, two (2) Severance Trusts, a 401(k) plan, an Alumni Assistance Program, the digitization of all player files, and oversaw the purchase and renovation of an office building in Niagara Falls, Ontario which is now the permanent home of the PHPA.
He served as lead negotiator in the successful completion of 24 Collective Bargaining Agreements, resulting in marked improvement for players’ economic status, playing conditions, health benefits, and rights.
Under Landon’s direction, the Association grew in Membership from approximately 600 Members to over 1,800, having directed the labor certification of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1986, East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 1995, and Central Hockey League in 2008, joining them with the American Hockey League whose players have been represented by the PHPA since 1968.
“I have never taken this job for granted and have truly loved the journey. Being part of making a difference in the lives of thousands of players and their family’s has been very rewarding and incredibly awesome. I am so very proud to be part of the hockey family since turning pro in 1981.
I would like to thank RPI for providing me with the education and the confidence to excel in this role. A thank you to the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations who gave me the opportunity to live a dream that every kid has when they put on their skates. I would like to thank each and every teammate, trainer, equipment manager, and coach I ever had along this incredible journey. To the attorneys who have represented the PHPA so professionally and the outside Advisors who provided guidance along the way. To all the staff over the years for your dedicated passion and support of the players. To the many Executive Committee Members who sat beside me as we tried to navigate the PHPA to its current position within our storied sport. To all the Player Representatives over the years who stepped up and unselfishly represented their teammates. To the leaders of the Leagues I have had the pleasure of dealing with. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am forever indebted to the PHPA and the incredible hockey family.”
The PHPA plans to celebrate Landon and his impact on the sport at the 2025 PHPA Annual Meeting of Player Representatives. More information will be shared at a later date. Landon’s retirement is well deserved and all concerned wish him the very best in the years to come.
About the PHPA
Since its inception in 1967, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) has served as an advocate of player interests. Currently, the PHPA is the certified, U.S. National Labor Relations Board collective bargaining representative for over 1,800 players across 60 teams throughout the American Hockey League and ECHL. Further, the PHPA continues to serve over 10,000 former PHPA Members through its Alumni Network. Visit PHPA.com, follow the PHPA on Facebook (fb.com/thephpa), X (@thephpa), and Instagram (@thephpa) and tune into The PHPA Podcast.
