NHL embraces holiday roster freeze as a popular tradition
Greg Millen thought he had an extension from the St. Louis Blues to celebrate at Christmas in 1989.
Instead, he was traded. So there he was, sitting in the living room with his family as a Quebec Nordiques executive brought logo-covered pyjamas and gifts for his three young daughters to convince the goaltender to report to his new team.
“It was very close to Christmas when that happened,” Millen said. “I think I reported right afterward on my own, which was very difficult. It was all during the holidays this was going on. That was a tough one.”
The very next year, on Dec. 21, 1990, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Rob Brown to the Hartford Whalers for Scott Young, and on Dec. 23, 1991, the Los Angeles Kings traded Corey Millen to the New York Rangers for Randy Gilhen.
No deals have been made that close to Christmas in the decades since thanks to an oddity in major North American professional sports: The NHL’s holiday roster freeze, which allows players to breathe easy for more than a week each December. Teams can’t trade, waive or loan players to the minors from Dec. 18 at 11:59 p.m. to Dec. 27 at 12:01 a.m., save for a few injury exceptions.
“It’s kind of a common-sense thing, and I think it’s good for hockey,” Young said. “What does it turn into if there’s no trade freeze at all? It turns into who’s going to outwork the other guy and make a deal on Christmas morning when his kids are opening up presents? You don’t want it to be like that.”
Players can be traded or waived in the NBA and released in the NFL on Christmas Eve or on the holiday itself. The NBA’s Houston Rockets waived guard Jeremy Lin on Christmas in 2011, the New Orleans Pelicans traded Ish Smith to the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Eve in 2015 - leading to the release of Tony Wroten and the Pittsburgh Steelers cut running back Daryl Richardson last year on Christmas Eve.
The NHL’s closest trade to Christmas in recent years came in 2015 when the Montreal Canadiens dealt Ben Scrivens to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 28 after the freeze ended. Coaching moves are more common. Toronto’s Ron Wilson announced his long-sincesigned contract extension on Christmas 2011 and the New Jersey Devils fired Peter DeBoer on Dec. 26, 2014.