Mel
10-03-05, 4:46 PM
Nobody's talking much about this... and I don't blame them because we just spent a whole year talking about the labor situation.
But I didn't realize that the anti-Saskin movement in the NHLPA has been growing so much... The Rangers are one team who has voted against naming Saskin executive director so far.
I have to admit, if I was a player, I think I'd be wondering why Ted Saskin deserves to make 2 million per over the next 6 years. A lot of them are still miffed it seems over the way the labor stoppage panned out.
from the NY Post (http://www.nypost.com/sports/rangers/28757.htm)
The Rangers have voted against ratifying Ted Saskin as Executive Director of the NHLPA while the Islanders are withholding judgment until the NLRB rules on the complaint filed against Saskin by a group of dissatisfied players that is growing by the day, sources from both clubs told The Post prior to last night's exhibition match at the Garden.
"We talked about this and decided that there are far too many questions for us to vote for Ted at this time," one Ranger said before the Islanders' 3-2 victory last night that was decided by a shootout. "And not only questions about the process of him getting a six-year contract for more than $2M a year, but also about how we wound up with this [collective bargaining agreement].
"Everything we were against is in the deal. A lot of us have questions we'd like answered before we decide to give a long-term commitment to the person who negotiated the agreement."
Chris Chelios and Trent Klatt led the original 28-player bloc that hired attorney Bob Lanza to investigate irregularities with the process by which Saskin's six-year contract was first approved by the PA Executive Committee and then ratified by a vote of player reps on a lengthy and rancorous Aug. 31 conference call. Numerous other players ? including Brian Leetch and Eric Lindros ? have since added their names to the swelling protest movement.
"I want to know at what time in the negotiations did the hard-liners become moderates and the moderates become soft," Lindros, whose Maple Leafs are well represented in the movement, told The Post yesterday afternoon. "How and why did that happen and why were the rest of us kept in the dark until it was too late to do anything about it?"
Saskin, who apparently negotiated the contract that was put to the conference-call vote with PA president Trevor Linden, has acknowledged that the secret-ballot procedure mandated by the union constitution was not followed. Thus, the union is now conducting a club-by-club review that in effect will conclude with an up or down vote of confidence in Saskin, who had been Bob Goodenow's right-hand man in the talks until he assumed the lead role in negotiating the triple-cap CBA.
"We're going to wait for a better understanding of the whole picture before we make any decision as a team on Ted," one Islander said. "We all have questions that need to be answered."
Saskin, The Post has learned, was challenged yesterday over conduct of the negotiations by several Red Wings players during a contentious meeting in Detroit.
The questions are not only about the process and neither are they only about the negotiation that produced the CBA. They are about the essence of the NHLPA and the job of the Executive Director under this agreement.
"Why do we need to hire anybody for six years?" one Ranger wondered. "As far as a lot of us can tell, the only thing the Players' Association does now is make sure all the money is counted.
"Maybe it would be better for us to hire the best accountants we can find instead of voting on Ted or anybody else."
But I didn't realize that the anti-Saskin movement in the NHLPA has been growing so much... The Rangers are one team who has voted against naming Saskin executive director so far.
I have to admit, if I was a player, I think I'd be wondering why Ted Saskin deserves to make 2 million per over the next 6 years. A lot of them are still miffed it seems over the way the labor stoppage panned out.
from the NY Post (http://www.nypost.com/sports/rangers/28757.htm)
The Rangers have voted against ratifying Ted Saskin as Executive Director of the NHLPA while the Islanders are withholding judgment until the NLRB rules on the complaint filed against Saskin by a group of dissatisfied players that is growing by the day, sources from both clubs told The Post prior to last night's exhibition match at the Garden.
"We talked about this and decided that there are far too many questions for us to vote for Ted at this time," one Ranger said before the Islanders' 3-2 victory last night that was decided by a shootout. "And not only questions about the process of him getting a six-year contract for more than $2M a year, but also about how we wound up with this [collective bargaining agreement].
"Everything we were against is in the deal. A lot of us have questions we'd like answered before we decide to give a long-term commitment to the person who negotiated the agreement."
Chris Chelios and Trent Klatt led the original 28-player bloc that hired attorney Bob Lanza to investigate irregularities with the process by which Saskin's six-year contract was first approved by the PA Executive Committee and then ratified by a vote of player reps on a lengthy and rancorous Aug. 31 conference call. Numerous other players ? including Brian Leetch and Eric Lindros ? have since added their names to the swelling protest movement.
"I want to know at what time in the negotiations did the hard-liners become moderates and the moderates become soft," Lindros, whose Maple Leafs are well represented in the movement, told The Post yesterday afternoon. "How and why did that happen and why were the rest of us kept in the dark until it was too late to do anything about it?"
Saskin, who apparently negotiated the contract that was put to the conference-call vote with PA president Trevor Linden, has acknowledged that the secret-ballot procedure mandated by the union constitution was not followed. Thus, the union is now conducting a club-by-club review that in effect will conclude with an up or down vote of confidence in Saskin, who had been Bob Goodenow's right-hand man in the talks until he assumed the lead role in negotiating the triple-cap CBA.
"We're going to wait for a better understanding of the whole picture before we make any decision as a team on Ted," one Islander said. "We all have questions that need to be answered."
Saskin, The Post has learned, was challenged yesterday over conduct of the negotiations by several Red Wings players during a contentious meeting in Detroit.
The questions are not only about the process and neither are they only about the negotiation that produced the CBA. They are about the essence of the NHLPA and the job of the Executive Director under this agreement.
"Why do we need to hire anybody for six years?" one Ranger wondered. "As far as a lot of us can tell, the only thing the Players' Association does now is make sure all the money is counted.
"Maybe it would be better for us to hire the best accountants we can find instead of voting on Ted or anybody else."