NHLPA's leadership falling apart

[Iced Tea]

Sportsnet.ca (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20051119_164240_4896) says
Larmer resignation targets Players' Association

Sportsnet has attained Steve Larmer's emotional resignation letter to all 30 player representatives and newly appointed Executive Director Ted Saskin.

Sportsnet.ca -- The tumultuous handling of the Ted Saskin appointment and its process has forced one of the league's most respected former players, Steve Larmer, to resign from his position within the NHLPA, Sportsnet has learned.

Steve Larmer's resignation letter:

I have worked for seven years at the NHLPA, for six of those years I am proud to say I worked for one of the most powerful organizations in pro sports, but what has happened over the last nine months and more so in the last 90 days has led me to make a tough decision. I feel I must resign. I am resigning because this organization has taken a giant step backwards, back to the days of Eagleson where a select few made decisions for the group. Where there has been misinformation and denial of information to the players which is totally disrespectful. This is something that I and many others worked so hard to get rid of in our organization and it has all returned. This is wrong. Honesty and transperancy should be the foundation of this organization and that has been torn away.

I remember the Eagleson days when the PA was ruled by the minority and the majority was kept in the dark. Our group of players challenged it, demanded change and received it. We all vowed those days would not return but low and behold they have. For the past seven years I have travelled and spoken to many players, my role was to challenge them to ask questions, get answers so they could make both personal and collective decisions. To let them know that this is there organization. Without the right information it is tough to make decisions, lately the guys are having trouble getting answers to their questions.

What has taken place since Bob (Goodenow) was let go is unaccecptable. No matter how you look at it it shows a total disregard for all of the players. An organization has to be governed by its constitution and bylaws, when it is not it becomes self serving. When Bob was asked to step down in late July some members of the executive comittee hired Ted right away. They did so relying on information given to them by Ted. They did not follow the constitution or the bylaws. They were misled and made a wrong decision . A small group of players does not have the authority to do what they did, the full board should have been consulted prior to making any decisions.

When a few players got wind of what was going and started to ask questions a conference call was set up to vote Ted in. Without prior information as to what the call was about after 2 hours a vote was held on whether or not to vote, it was 17 to 17. The called should have ended there, a warning to proceed slowly and do it right. Two hours later Ted was voted in but some how this did not seem right , not even to Ted. Then we have the "not so secret ballot vote" were there is some active soliciting of these votes taking place. This is totally wrong once again. I was around during the Eagleson days guys and this is reminds me of how Eagle operated. The Constitution and Bylaws are there to protect the organization from any of this happening. This should have been dealt with right away and because it hasn't leads me to believe that everyone thinks it will go away and everything will be alright. What is even more disheartening is that those on the executive comittee refuse to do what is right so as an organization we can begin the healing process. Ted is relying on the players playing the game and not paying attention to a most important matter that could effect many players for many years going forward.

We are a tattered union to say the least and it will take along time for the players to trust those that are left to run the PA.

I had a wonderful time working for all of the players , the best group of athletes anywhere. I have had the chance to learn a great many things from alot of people in the last 7 years working at the PA and will without a doubt miss everyone. I feel that under the present conditions with all that is happening I cannot be associated with what is going on.
Signed,
Steve

Steve Larmer played 1,006 games in the NHL, with the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers. He was a member of the 1994 Rangers team which won the Stanley Cup and as a rookie won the league's top honour, the Calder Trophy.
I have to agree with Steve. The youngsters on this forum may not remember the Eagleson days but I still have nightmares about them.

The last thing the NHLPA needs is division, animosity and an out of control board. Personally, Saskin should be named interim leader and a search should start for a few candidates to lead the NHLPA. Saskin could be one of them. Then next summer, a vote of the entire NHLPA could occur and a new leader elected.

Who knew Trevor Linden could pull such sneaky, underhanded power play garbage? :eyebug:

[charlio lemieux]

Quick! Somebody Guard the Pension Fund! The Eagleson days are back.

It is dangerous in any organization to have a small sellect few making the choices which will impact many. Hopefully the players can get things straight, and find a siutable leader.

[a4l]

If Larmer is right then the NHLPA had better take a good look at itself. What happened under Eagleson should never happen again. Maybe the players should talk to Bobby Orr, Jean Beliveau and a few others to find out how things were under the old regiem.

[Amoroq]

Quick! Somebody Guard the Pension Fund! The Eagleson days are back.

It is dangerous in any organization to have a small sellect few making the choices which will impact many. Hopefully the players can get things straight, and find a siutable leader.They had one, His name was Bob Goodenow. But thats long history. The real problem, Ted Sakskin is probably the right guy, however what is leaving a bad taste in everyones mouth is how this whole thing was handled. Only a select few know how the 'Saskin CBA' and his appoinment as leader came about. Its probably all above board and legit and that there were no payoffs bribes and the like.

Probably. A mathimatician and probabilites could have a long and loving relationship, but when it comes to a Union and its Constitution, they should always deal in cold hard facts and follow the rules etched in stone by their own hands.

Not that this will ever happen, but I get the sence that if the NHLPA does decide to hold tryouts for the job and Bob Goodenow were to put his hat back in the ring, he would win over Saskin, simply because he has never had the stink off possible impropriety on him.

[Newfie John]

The NHLPA is falling apart? Music to my ears. Who cares, hockey's back.

[KB in Kelowna]

The NHLPA is falling apart? Music to my ears. Who cares, hockey's back.

Why is that music to your ears? It wasn't the PA that lead the decline in hockey it was ownership and management. They may have "won" the latest CBA round, but they were the one's who created the unbalanced salary structure, the bad tv deals and the expansion and relocation to non- traditional hockey markets. The sniping amongst the ranks about the PA leadership is inevitable. The lockout did not go the way Goodenow predicted, and the deal was not one that fit in his "vision" so he resigned. Saskin his most likely successor was hired to fill this leadership vaccum. What would have happened if he hadn't, remember it was around the time of the draft and the free agent frenzy? Who could have stepped in. The PA could have done a better job on the openess factor with regards to the hiring, but frankly the majority of the sniping has come from malcontents like Tie Domi, who made the most noise at a time his brother's activities in Toronto City Hall wee under scrutiny :conspire: ) and Chris Chelios. If you judge somebody by the qualit of thier enemies well I rest my case.
The PA leadership is due for a shakeup, but I doubt it will return to the cronyism and graft of the Eagleson regieme.

[Newfie John]

It's music to my ears because of the way they handled the lockout. They wasted a whole year of hockey. The owners made their mistakes, but it should never be music to anyone's ears that they are falling apart because that would spell the end of the NHL. If it wasn't for the NHL owners, the PA wouldn't have all the things they have. Players got greedy during the whole process. Sure they were willing to give some back, but not enough. It took them a year without hockey, without their 6 and 7 figure salaries for them to realize they had to play. Poor players, they're still making 6 and 7 figure salaries. They should have just accepted a cap from the get go, instead of doing the damage they cost the game in their year of worthless posturing.

[charlio lemieux]

Hey NJ you don't care about the NHLPA falling apart because hocey's back?
What if the current CBA is thrown out because players feel they where misreprsented or misinformed or under duress or some other stupid loophole that gets taken to court? You know something along the lines of, the person who finalized the deal was not duly elected and had no right to negotiate for the players. Or the collapse of the unoin brings a wildcard strike? The number of players unhappy with the new CBA gets larger every payday as they see not only a 24% wage rollback but also a deduction for the escro account, which, because of shabby Television deals in the States, the players will never see again.
Labour unrest is the last thing hockey needs right now at any level. We just suffered through two years of CBA crap, the last season which was filled with bold statements and sparring in the media, and a complete year of no hockey at all. If labour problems start to dominate hockey headlines again people will tune out.

[Rusty]

John, the players were locked out from playing NHL hockey, they didn't walk out.

Me I find that Saskin is starting to align himself and cuddle up to the NHL brass a wee bit too much, that really reminds me of the Eagle days.

Some of the players rattled the cages when Saskin was "voted" in but a lot of people just blew them off. There are rules and constitutions to prevent this thing, but the "braidn trust" felt that they were above it!

[Newfie John]

Hey NJ you don't care about the NHLPA falling apart because hocey's back?
What if the current CBA is thrown out because players feel they where misreprsented or misinformed or under duress or some other stupid loophole that gets taken to court? You know something along the lines of, the person who finalized the deal was not duly elected and had no right to negotiate for the players. Or the collapse of the unoin brings a wildcard strike? The number of players unhappy with the new CBA gets larger every payday as they see not only a 24% wage rollback but also a deduction for the escro account, which, because of shabby Television deals in the States, the players will never see again.
Labour unrest is the last thing hockey needs right now at any level. We just suffered through two years of CBA crap, the last season which was filled with bold statements and sparring in the media, and a complete year of no hockey at all. If labour problems start to dominate hockey headlines again people will tune out.

If this shady hiring of Saskin happened during or before the lockout then I'd see your standpoint.

[Newfie John]

John, the players were locked out from playing NHL hockey, they didn't walk out.



They didn't walk back in without a long drawn out worthless fight either.

[Iced Tea]

TSN.ca (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=143969&hubname=) says
Dissident NHLers make their case
Canadian Press

11/21/2005 2:18:54 PM

Ted Saskin forged ahead Monday, flying to Philadelphia to meet with players on the Tampa Bay Lightning while his tenure as executive director of the NHL Players' Association continued to face challenges.

The issue of how Saskin was appointed returned to the forefront on the weekend when NHLPA director of player relations Steve Larmer unexpectedly resigned.

Then on Monday, a complaint on behalf of a dissident group of players went in front of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board in New York.

It's not clear when a decision would come from the NLRB. The body investigates disputes between employers and employees, which isn't exactly what's going on here. But should it feel this case had merit, it can issue an official complaint, requiring a response from Saskin and the NHLPA that would lead to a series of ongoing legal exchanges.

But the NLRB could also dismiss the charge.



Former player Trent Klatt and 27 other NHLers, including Chris Chelios, Eric Lindros, Ed Belfour, Dominik Hasek, Glen Murray, Dwayne Roloson, Brian Leetch and Shawn McEachern, filed the NLRB charge on Sept. 28. In it they outlined what they believe was the improper hiring of Saskin, who succeeded Bob Goodenow.

The group - believed to number around 60 in total - has also filed a complaint, yet to be heard, with the U.S. Department of Labor. That body investigates disputes or wrongdoing in U.S. union elections, although it's not clear whether the Toronto-based NHLPA would fall under the Department of Labor's jurisdiction.

After Bob Goodenow stepped down, Saskin was elected Aug. 31 on a conference call vote by the player reps and executive committee. The vote was 31-6.

NHLPA bylaws stipulates a secret ballot, prompting unhappiness in some player quarters.

Saskin tried to appease the dissident group when he decided to hold another vote on his hiring as executive director.

Players reps around the league were sent ballots in the mail in mid-September and most of them have been returned but not all. It's believed Toronto, Minnesota, Detroit and the New York Islanders are among the dissenting dressing rooms who have withheld their votes.

Larmer, a former star winger who worked seven years for the NHLPA and was director of player relations, was blunt in his criticism of the Saskin hiring process.

''We are a tattered union to say the least and it will take a long time for the players to trust those that are left to run the PA,'' he said in his letter, also comparing the current administration with that of former union head Alan Eagleson.

That did not sit well with some in hockey circles.

''I'm confused by his comments, I'm not sure he was referring to the previous executive or the current executive,'' veteran agent Don Meehan said Monday. ''The comments suggesting a relationship between the Eagleson era and the current executive and director in my view lack any credibility.''

Kevyn Adams, player rep for the Carolina Hurricanes, said he respects Larmer but doesn't agree with his point of view.

''Steve Larmer has a right to have his opinion and has a right to voice his opinion, but I just think the way he kind of lumped the people that are running things and in charge now with (Alan) Eagleson - that's just unfair,'' Adams said Monday from Raleigh, N.C.

''And I think it's wrong, to be honest. I just don't think these people (Saskin, NHLPA president Trevor Linden) in any way, shape or form should ever be lumped in with Eagleson, that's just not right.''

Added Adams: ''When a lot of people read that letter they might assume that things are going on that aren't right, or illegal, and that's just unfair to the people in charge. It's an unfair way to paint Ted Saskin and the rest of the guys.''

Saskin has travelled from city to city to meet with players and answer their questions. He was berated on Long Island by Isles goalie Garth Snow during one visit but in general has received a positive reception on most of his stops.

''A lot of questions were asked and I think everybody feels good about Ted and what he brings to the table,'' St. Louis Blues centre Doug Weight said after a Nov. 3 meeting between his teammates and Saskin. ''I think there's just questions about how things were handled and why they were handled that way and we voiced our opinion on what it should have been like.

''But everything was good today.''

In Adams' eyes, Saskin can't do much more now that he's held the re-vote.

''That's where I'm at,'' Adams said. ''I honestly don't understand this. The way things went down a few months ago, it's been out in the open, it's been talked about and hashed out over and over again. If you had a concern or had an opinion, you had many opportunities to do so. And now that we've had the vote again, I just don't understand where there's an issue now.

''If you wanted to vote a certain way, you had that right.''

The size of the dissident group seems about the same as the number of players who voted against the new CBA when players ratified the deal in July. Out of 532 votes, 464 (87 per cent) voted in favour while 68 (13 per cent) votes against it.

[Iced Tea]

Heated exchanges at NHLPA meetings

TSN.ca Staff

12/13/2005 5:55:21 PM

The civil war within the NHL Players? Association went to a new level of nastiness on Tuesday in Chicago, where certified agents representing NHL players got together for two separate but stormy meetings.

About 30 agents met in the morning with former NHL player Trent Klatt and lawyer Bob Lanza, who are heading up a dissident group within the NHLPA that wants a full independent investigation of all NHLPA affairs, from the negotiation of the new collective bargaining agreement to the firing of executive director Bob Goodenow to the hiring of Ted Saskin as his replacement. About 50 agents met in the afternoon with Saskin as part of a sanctioned NHLPA agents? meeting.

Both meetings involved some bitter and angry exchanges.

Saskin, accompanied by NHLPA lawyers John McCambridge and Bob Riley, attended the morning session with Klatt and Lanza and that resulted in a spirited exchange between the NHLPA?s executive director (Saskin) and the litigation lawyer (Lanza) who is representing a group of players who have filed complaints over Saskin?s hiring with the National Labour Relations Board and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Sources say Lanza told Saskin that if Saskin were to agree to step aside during an ?independent review? by a law firm of the dissidents? choosing, Lanza said the dissident group would stand down and not pursue any further action until the conclusion of the review. Sources say Saskin emphatically rejected that notion, which prompted Lanza to threaten a federal lawsuit against Saskin and the NHLPA.

Sources told TSN that Lanza told Saskin the dissident group is less than two weeks away from filing the lawsuit against the NHLPA and Saskin. Lanza said the lawsuit would mean depositions would be taken from Saskin as well as NHLPA executive committee members and staff and that NHLPA internal documentation would be subpoenaed as part of the lawsuit.

Those attending the morning session said Saskin reacted angrily to that, leading to a nasty verbal exchange between the two.

Saskin told the morning gathering that any response from him to the dissident group would come only at the NHLPA-sanctioned meeting in the afternoon, which Klatt and Lanza were permitted to attend. Neither, however, chose to attend the official agents? meeting.

But that doesn?t mean it didn?t have nasty overtones to it.

Sources say Saskin, along with executive committee member Vincent Damphousse, spent most of the afternoon session giving detailed explanations of the CBA negotiation process as well as the decision-making process to dismiss Goodenow and hire Saskin.

The afternoon session, sources told TSN, was punctuated by verbal exchanges between Saskin and Edmonton-based player agent Ritch Winter, who Saskin accused of orchestrating the dissident group within the NHLPA.

As of late afternoon, the sanctioned NHLPA agents meeting was ongoing.Link (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=146848&hubname=)

Dang, this is getting bad. Maybe they need to go on Jerry Springer. :D :laughing:

[charlio lemieux]

Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!

We just need some nasty, toothless trailer trash to take off her shirt, and we would have a show.

[Iced Tea]

Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!Jerry!

We just need some nasty, toothless trailer trash to take off her shirt, and we would have a show.:laughing:

As long as Steve breaks up a fight between Trevor Linden and Trent Klatt, I'll be happy. :laughing:

[a4l]

yada Yada Yda. I am so sick of the politics of hockey. Most players are as stupid as sh!te and it shows. I bet the average hockey schmuck has no idea of what is actually going on.