Hockey Parents Sue Black Bear Sports Group Over Stay to Play Hotel Policy and Junk Fees
Were you told that your child’s team could not take the ice unless you booked a hotel room through the tournament’s official housing platform? Did the policy seem unfair? You were right to question that practice.
Almeida Law Group, together with Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise LLP and DeLeeuw Law LLC, has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Black Bear Sports Group deceptively coerces hockey parents into booking rooms through a designated platform as a condition of their children’s participation in tournaments, showcases and league events. Black Bear runs those events under the brand names Defender Hockey Tournaments, Tier 1 Hockey Federation and National Girls Hockey League.
According to the lawsuit, Black Bear tells parents there are “No exceptions” to its Stay to Play policy while concealing two facts: not all players on a team have to comply with the policy for the team to compete, and families who prefer to stay somewhere else can pay a buyout fee instead.
What the lawsuit alleges
The plaintiffs are parents of competitive hockey players who were told that they were required to book hotel rooms through a designated platform under a so-called Stay to Play policy. They were also told their children’s teams would not be eligible to compete unless they booked as directed.
The Complaint alleges that Black Bear Sports Group:
- Deceptively coerces parents into booking hotels through a designated platform
- Tells all parents there are “No exceptions” even though there are exceptions
- Conceals the buyout fee option that would let a family opt out of the policy
- Adds mandatory fees to every reservation that carry little or no benefit to families and conceals those fees
- Subjects parents to inflated hotel rates compared to what they would have paid if they had booked directly with the hotel or another booking platform
About the case
The lawsuit is Oliver et al. v. Black Bear Sports Group, Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-01106-UNA, filed on September 1, 2026 in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. A copy of the Complaint is available below.
If you booked a hotel room through the official housing platform for a Defender Hockey Tournament, Tier 1 Hockey Federation or National Girls Hockey League event, you may be entitled to recovery. Please fill out our case review request form to request a free consultation. Note that we are primarily looking to speak with parents who are residents of Delaware or Massachusetts.
“Families were told their kids could not play unless they booked the room they were told to book. The lawsuit alleges that Black Bear Sports Group knew that was not the rule but chose to deceive partents so that it could collect fees from them.”
Booked through a Black Bear housing platform for a Stay to Play hockey tournament, showcase or league event? Complete this form to request a free case evaluation.
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