## Facts

- Scott Gomez was a center for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).
- At the time of the salary arbitration, Gomez had played six seasons in the NHL.
- In his rookie season, Gomez won the NHL’s award for outstanding rookie (the Calder Memorial Trophy).
- Gomez was also a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team.
- After the season, Gomez became a restricted free agent under the NHL–NHLPA collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
- Gomez elected salary arbitration to set his compensation for the next season.
- The Devils submitted a salary figure of $3.5 million for the upcoming season.
- Gomez sought a salary of $6 million.
- The arbitrator issued a one-year award setting Gomez’s salary at $5 million for the season at issue.

## Issues

1. Under the NHL–NHLPA CBA’s salary-arbitration standards, what one-year salary should be awarded to restricted free agent Scott Gomez for the next season when the Devils propose $3.5 million and Gomez seeks $6 million?

## Decision

- The arbitrator set Scott Gomez’s one-year salary at $5 million for the season at issue.

## Legal Principles

- NHL salary arbitration is a CBA-based process that sets a restricted free agent’s compensation when the player elects arbitration and the club and player do not reach agreement.
- The arbitrator’s task is to determine a player’s one-year compensation based on the CBA’s salary-arbitration criteria and the evidence presented by the parties.
- Salary-arbitration decisions commonly evaluate the player’s on-ice performance and overall contribution, length of NHL service, honors and recognition, and compensation of comparable NHL players.
- In NHL salary arbitration, the award is a single-season salary determination, not a long-term contract.
- A player’s major awards (such as the Calder Trophy) and international selection (such as Olympic participation) may be considered as part of the player’s record when assessing compensation.

## Conclusion

In *New Jersey Devils and Scott Gomez, NHL-NHLPA Arb. (2006)*, a CBA salary arbitrator resolved a restricted free agent pay dispute by awarding Devils center Scott Gomez a $5 million one-year salary after the team offered $3.5 million and Gomez requested $6 million, based on the arbitration criteria applied to Gomez’s six-year NHL record, including his rookie-of-the-year award and Olympic credentials.
