Paul Kelly Officially Fired

[StevieY9802 6]

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/darren_dreger/?id=289357

The NHLPA is a total cluster f**k. I actually thought he seemed like a good leader for them. Guess they didn't feel the same.

[stevkrause 1,247]

this is why they can't ever put up a strong enough fight against the BOG, they can't stay united...

[Redline 0]

I nominate the measured, think before you speak, Chris Chelios as his replacement!

[b.shanafan14 733]

I nominate the measured, think before you speak, Chris Chelios as his replacement!

Cheli's first act would be declaration of war against the Board of Governors. But he could work to make the league nervous and pave way for the comparatively milder Shanahan when he retires.

[VM1138 1,921]

Cheli's first act would be declaration of war against the Board of Governors. But he could work to make the league nervous and pave way for the comparatively milder Shanahan when he retires.

Chelios and Shanahan could set this league right, damnit!

[Yzerfan1999 81]

This is embarrassing for the NHLPA. I actually feel bad for Paul Kelly - now I don't know the details behind all this except for this rumour that Kelly wasn't 'close enough' (wtf?) with some of the representatives, but I'd give Kelly the benefit out the doubt when dealing with a bunch of friggin' hockey players.

Its like Kelly didn't invite them all over for a beer this summer and they got pissed.

[South Dakota wings fan 7]

This is embarrassing for the NHLPA. I actually feel bad for Paul Kelly - now I don't know the details behind all this except for this rumour that Kelly wasn't 'close enough' (wtf?) with some of the representatives, but I'd give Kelly the benefit out the doubt when dealing with a bunch of friggin' hockey players.

Its like Kelly didn't invite them all over for a beer this summer and they got pissed.

I don't want to sound like chicken little on this one, but a lot of the reporting on this story makes it sound like they want to bring in another hard-liner to head the union. This should make every hockey fan nervous for the prospects of another lockout. I think we all love this sport, but it is just not near popular enough to survive another work stoppage. I love the game, but if it happens again, it would be really hard to come back.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I don't want to sound like chicken little on this one, but a lot of the reporting on this story makes it sound like they want to bring in another hard-liner to head the union. This should make every hockey fan nervous for the prospects of another lockout. I think we all love this sport, but it is just not near popular enough to survive another work stoppage. I love the game, but if it happens again, it would be really hard to come back.

another lockout would effectively kill the NHL... if this happens, expect fishing and competitive darts to get better ratings...

[SweWings 45]

another lockout would effectively kill the NHL... if this happens, expect fishing and competitive darts to get better ratings...

Another lockout = pan-european league

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From TSN :

According to SportsBusiness Journal, Ian Penny has been unanimously named as Interim Executive Director of the National Hockey League Players' Association.

He had previously held the role of General Counsel for the union.

[miller76 463]

xm reported this earlier today, stating that all the reps got together and voted this year, like they do every year. And he was overwelmingly voted out this time. There was no reason given, but stated there was rumor of this last week.

[mjlegend 155]

I hope the NHLPA realizes that salaries didn't go up this year by 10 per cent because the global economy is in a giant clusterf**k. Something tells me that wouldn't even cross the mind of your average Martin St. Louis-type.

If Buzz Lightyear is elected in as the new leader, I guarantee there will be a strike.

[HenryMalredo 2]

Very suprised. I was always impressed by the job Kelly was doing, but who knows what was going on behind the scenes. The NHL blew their oppurtunity to crush the NHLPA in the last lockout, but if the NHL will finally crush them this time if they don't have a strong leader.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From Toronto Star :

...

But Kelly, a decent, honest and well-intentioned man, did nothing wrong.

He got fired, apparently, because he didn't do enough right.

Or, more precisely, Kelly got fired because somebody convinced the 30-player executive committee that he hadn't done enough in less than two years on the job and therefore couldn't be trusted to lead the next collective bargaining battle.

Those who successfully plotted against him breached constitutional procedures, fudged internal reviews and used a variety of dirty tricks worthy of Watergate to finally triumph at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

What self-respecting organization fires a key executive at 3:30 in the morning?

If there's a single smart player on the executive committee, they've already figured out they've made an awful mistake by being convinced to axe a good man, thereby putting their futures in the hands of Machiavellian suits they wouldn't trust as teammates.

...

In less than 20 years, the union has gone from a one-man totalitarian organization to one in which there's almost too much democracy, or at least too many cooks.

Players like Robyn Regehr, Andrew Ference and Shawn Horcoff are now powerful forces, but the reality is none of the league's stars – Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Martin Brodeur – are significant figures in the union.

...

I couldn't agree more with these obervations.

[stevkrause 1,247]

From Toronto Star :

...

...

...

I couldn't agree more with these obervations.

In less than 20 years, the union has gone from a one-man totalitarian organization to one in which there's almost too much democracy, or at least too many *****.

Players like Robyn Regehr, Andrew Ference and Shawn Horcoff are now powerful forces, but the reality is none of the league's stars – Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Martin Brodeur – are significant figures in the union.

there I fixed that quote... because that's really what it comes down to - too many people with ego problems, making decisions for the whole.

[VM1138 1,921]

Dumbasses. They're going to kill this league for the sake of some minor role players? Guess I better start following a KHL team if I want to see pro hockey.

[kidish 0]

Not that Billy is who fans here want to hear from, but he says it right on...not a bad article:

Bill Guerin was surprised at first, then just plain angry. The firing of Paul Kelly, the executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association not make any sense to him.

Kelly, in his mind, was doing a good job for the players. He was doing exactly what he had been hired to do by the NHLPA in 2007, or so Guerin thought, right up until the wee hours of Monday morning when the association's executive board relieved Kelly of his duties.

"Paul has been done a huge injustice here," Guerin, an NHL veteran and a former NHLPA vice president, said from Long Island, N.Y. "Maybe I am not educated enough on the situation, but I think there are people out there with ulterior motives that wanted Paul out. That's what I was led to believe with my information.

"I just feel that there are people involved here with ulterior motives, and I think it is a bad time for our union to be doing this and a bad direction that we are going in."

Guerin opted not to point any fingers at the people he feels are behind the union's internal putsch. Reports suggest that the NHLPA's inner sanctum has been a house divided for some time now, and that the bid to remove Kelly was brewing long before the executive board - consisting of the 30 team representatives - gathered in Chicago and ultimately decided Kelly's fate after 10 hours of meetings.

Members of the anti-Kelly camp reportedly include Eric Lindros, the former NHLPA ombudsman. Lindros resigned from the position last February and was replaced by Buzz Hargrove, the former Canadian Auto Workers firebrand. Hargrove addressed the team representatives in Chicago before they cast the vote sealing Kelly's fate. Ian Penny, the legal counsel to the NHLPA, has been appointed as Kelly's interim replacement. Penny is another name reported to be among the anti-Kelly faction.

But in the end, it was the team representatives who decided to fire the union boss.

"We are potentially only two seasons away from the expiration of the CBA and we feel now is the best time to make a move to ensure that we have optimal leadership in place to improve and protect our members' rights in the collective bargaining agreement," Chris Chelios, a member of the executive board, said in a release distributed Monday.

Details were sketchy. Chelios said the decision was made after a review of the "overall health of the office and the association," without getting into any specific transgressions Kelly may or may not have made. Several reports suggested players were unhappy with the allegedly cozy nature of Kelly's relationship with the NHL, and with commissioner Gary Bettman. There was speculation he had not done enough to get to know his membership, and a perception that he was not tough enough to take on the league when the current CBA expires in 2011. One player agent suggested it was the absence of a clear platform that failed to inspire support.

"The decision made was in part the result of the checks and balances we now have in our constitution," Chelios said in the release. "While it is unfortunate things didn't work out with Paul Kelly, we made an informed decision, it is the right decision and we know what we did what was best for our association."

Guerin disagreed. He smelled a rat and was at a loss to explain why Kelly was fired after fewer than two years on the job. Kelly talked about his desire to work with the NHL on the day he was hired in October 2007. He said he would not be the one to "fire the first shot" across the league's bow, and that he was not interested in fighting another labour war. His task would be to build bridges between the players and Bettman while always watching out for the best interests of his constituents.

"Paul was doing that to a T," Guerin said. "I think some people still think it is 1994, and in the 1994 [NHL lockout] we had to be [combative] and that was the call then, and it was the right call to make. It was necessary.

"But now, in this world - and this is just my opinion - it is necessary to have a good relationship with the league and deal with them as much as you can on certain issues, and when it comes time to be tough and hold your ground, you do it.

"You know, it is not holding hands and singing Kumbaya, but it's not always about bringing your six-shooter to every meeting."

http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1948588

[StevieY9802 6]

I have great respect for Billy Guerin. I am 100% with him on what he said. Hardliner will not do it. You need to work with the league. You saw what happened last time when you didn't. Again, the owners can wait this out as long as they want, they have the money.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From TSN :

The next head of the NHL Players' Association must be free to work and make decisions without the fear of being fired at any moment, says former union vice-president Vincent Damphousse.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Tuesday, Damphousse said Paul Kelly, who was fired by the association's executive board Monday, was victim of "a kind of paranoia in the group.

"For the new guy coming in, the players need to let him work. There was maybe too much leeway before and now it's like the guy is in handcuffs. He's got to be able to work with confidence."

[kidish 0]

Lindros' parents will bully anyone who doesn't let him work.

[jellytoast 1]

make way for Jellytoast!

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From Toronto Star :

As the smoke clears from the stunning dismissal of NHL Players' Association boss Paul Kelly, some intriguing facts have started to emerge.

First, veteran defenceman Andrew Ference of the Boston Bruins has been clearly identified by several sources as the key player who led the charge against Kelly that culminated in his 4 a.m. firing in Chicago 11 days ago.

"This was a well-planned, well-thought-out coup d'état," said one prominent NHL star yesterday, requesting anonymity. "Players are starting to realize what happened in Chicago."

Second, while anti-Kelly forces are trying to portray him as a second coming of Ted Saskin for gaining access to minutes from a closed-door meeting, left out of the story so far is how the players learned of Kelly's supposed misconduct.

He told them about it himself.

Third, more and more sources are suggesting that while former union ombudsman Eric Lindros was not involved in the Chicago meetings, Ference is viewed by many as a Lindros confidante. Many believe Lindros will soon rejoin the union after quitting eight months ago.

...

[Jake Ryan 1]

I hate how the league starts all this crap while Detroit is in their period of dominance. The Canadiens never had to battle through a bunch of crap like this when they held all the good players in the league. And as a result, they've got the most cup wins by a landslide. Imagine if Henri Richard and Believeau were stripped from Montreal because Maurice Richard, Dough Harvey, and Jacque Plant were tying up cap space. That would have RUINED that era of hockey. The NHL has screwed itself again with all this nonsense. If the bottom teams can't compete revenue wise, then lower the number of teams. Socialism should NOT be a part of sports.

[Donaldjr2448 43]

Jake Ryan,

Socialism does NOT belong in Sports! You are 100% correct. I have always said that if teams cannot field a team that makes money, then they should fold, not get money from the Redwings or Leafs, or whoever! I hate the fact that the only reason Atlanta, Nashville, Florida, Tampa Bay, Phoenix all are still playing because The Redwings/Leafs/Canadiens make all of the money and have to hand out welfare checks to these crap teams!

Back on the subject, I think the firing could be a mistake because they have no one to replace Paul with! Sure they have an intern sitting in, but he is not going to do anything to make the situation better. I would love to see a Chelios, Shanahan type as NHLPA leader, I think all the players would come together if they had on of their own leading them!

I hate how the league starts all this crap while Detroit is in their period of dominance. The Canadiens never had to battle through a bunch of crap like this when they held all the good players in the league. And as a result, they've got the most cup wins by a landslide. Imagine if Henri Richard and Believeau were stripped from Montreal because Maurice Richard, Dough Harvey, and Jacque Plant were tying up cap space. That would have RUINED that era of hockey. The NHL has screwed itself again with all this nonsense. If the bottom teams can't compete revenue wise, then lower the number of teams. Socialism should NOT be a part of sports.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From TSN :

Donald Fehr's days as head of Major League Baseball's players' association are winding down.

Fehr announced his retirement in June after 25 years of service to the MLBPA.

Fehr is considered one of the most powerful men in professional sports, so it should come as no surprise the National Hockey League players association has reached out to him.

Fehr wouldn't comment on any discussions he's had with the NHLPA, nor would he discuss the potential of any future role he may have with the PA when recently contacted by TSN.

However, sources say Fehr was conferenced in to a meeting in Chicago on Monday, following Paul Kelly's firing as executive director.

Sources say the PA's executive board, advisory board and interim executive director, Ian Penny wanted Fehr's advice on how the group should proceed in the search for Kelly's replacement.

...