Toews Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 After the unsealing of frank and provocative e-mails between top National Hockey League officials on Monday, the league has two problems. Or, fairer to say, two more problems. The 2011 e-mail chains, first revealed by TSN’s Rick Westhead, show the NHL in the midst of a slow-rolling existential crisis. At this point, a class-action lawsuit by former players is still months in the distance. There isn’t any panic in the tone. Rather, it’s one of unguarded curiosity. The “smoking gun” conversation is started by then-vice-president of player safety Brendan Shanahan. He sends league commissioner Gary Bettman a link to a story by The Globe and Mail’s Eric Duhatschek, headlined Getting rid of hockey’s goons. The piece wonders whether a more concerted effort by the league to eliminate the role of enforcer might have saved the lives of former players Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard and Wade Belak. All three deaths have been tied to the effects – both emotional and physical – of their brutal work. “An interesting question is whether being an NHL fighter does this to you (I don’t believe so) or whether a certain type of person (who wouldn’t otherwise be skilled enough to be an NHL player) gravitates to this job (I believe more likely),” Mr. Bettman responds, in part. This is the quintessential Bettman. He is a lawyer, thinking and operating like a lawyer – “What can be proved?” “Who can be blamed?” And not necessarily in that order. Later in the discussion, Mr. Shanahan, speaking like a former player, is less equivocal. “Fighters used to aspire to become regular players,” he wrote. “Train and practice to move from 4th line to 3rd. Now they train and practice becoming more fearsome fighters. They used to take alcohol or cocaine to cope. (Kordic) Now they take pills. Pills to sleep. Pills to wake up. Pills to ease the pain. Pills to amp up. Getting them online.” (John Kordic refers to the deceased former Toronto Maple Leaf.) That is the image the league desperately does not want to portray – of a conglomerate pushing a group of half-shattered employees out onto the ice night after night to kill themselves by inches for the sake of entertainment. Mr. Shanahan seems to confirm that the worst rumours about hockey’s combat culture are a reality. In other missives, the current Toronto Maple Leafs president comes off as the man pushing hardest for change from within. Here he is in 2012: “I believe that fighting as a tool or strategy is leaving the game of hockey and that we can either lead or follow.” His philosophic opposite is Colin Campbell, his predecessor in the league’s executive. In response to the comment above, Mr. Campbell replies, “Not so sure how drastic we take that lead if that is what your [sic] suggesting.” Mr. Bettman remains above the fray. In a 2011 note, he cuts off a group conversation about Mr. Shanahan’s public comments on curbing fighting with, “I think we went too far. This is sensitive territory and we need to be very careful.” The e-mails are a problem in two senses. First, legalistic. Do they prove the league acknowledged a problem and did nothing about it? That question will be decided in a Minnesota courtroom, where the class-action suit has been filed. That’s a simple money play. And the league has plenty of money. The more pernicious issue is one of perception. That’s an ongoing existential threat. From the outset of this crisis, Mr. Bettman has been exceedingly careful in his public pronouncements. “From a medical science standpoint, there is no evidence yet that one necessarily leads to the other,” Mr. Bettman said during last year’s playoffs, speaking specifically about CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). “I know there are a lot of theories, but if you ask people who study it, they tell you there is no statistical correlation that can definitively make that conclusion.” If that’s the case, you wouldn’t know it from the NHL’s cultural drift. Five years ago, fighting was a main feature. Though it still exists today, it’s been relegated to the fringes. The Age of the Enforcer wasn’t ended by a fiat from head office (as Mr. Bettman correctly guessed). Rather, a few simple rule tweaks and a large measure of public disgust simply made it untenable. In the end, hockey’s own gladiator class – Mr. Boogaard, Mr. Rypien et al – did more to end fighting than Mr. Bettman ever could have. That’s a good thing resulting from a very bad outcome. This latest public stumble can be another. There is no longer any point in maintaining Mr. Bettman’s public line – that we don’t know what we don’t know, no matter how many broken men come forward to tell the stories of their precipitous late-in-life decline. While there remains some doubt in parts of the research community (because very little can be “definitively” proved when it comes to the vagaries of the human mind), there isn’t any left in the real world. Getting hit in the head over and over again can eventually kill you, or cause you to kill yourself through a variety of destructive behaviours. In the e-mails, we see that even Mr. Bettman is willing to be convinced on that score. Mr. Shanahan and Mr. Campbell sit on either shoulder, gently pushing and pulling. It’s a simmering battle between the past and the future. But if Mr. Bettman still requires convincing, the majority of hockey’s customers do not. The next step is acknowledging the truth they’ve already been convinced of, and taking the moral leap that logically follows. Unlike the National Football League, the NHL is well down the road to solving the parts of the problem that can be solved. Fighting is fading away. Head shots are being steadily and more harshly punished. Players are being pushed – often unwillingly – to accept that hiding a head injury is no longer a sensible part of the tough-guy code. In relative terms, the culture of the game is changing remarkably quickly. Where hockey lags behind professional football is in acknowledging a debt of responsibility to players who didn’t have the benefit of better information and/or a public crusade. The e-mails reveal no obvious bad acts or bad actors. Taken in sum, they show the game’s caretakers doing in private what everyone else has been doing publicly – looking for answers. They should be obvious to the NHL by now: Embrace the majority opinion of medical science. Become the first professional league to acknowledge without caveats that head injuries can kill and that real harm was done. Settle the suit. And apologize to the people who were hurt while building the league into a multibillion-dollar giant. To do otherwise would be to try to separate a game that thrives on its history from its own past. Hockey has plenty of issues. This should be an elementary one to solve. All it requires is that Mr. Bettman and his colleagues put aside their lawyerly concerns, and begin to think about this like people. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/kelly-unsealed-emails-show-an-nhl-in-midst-of-an-existential-crisis/article29419071/ The Globe and Mail has also made the emails searchable to make it easier to find you are looking for. I would post the link but I am having trouble doing so on my phone. Perhaps someone can do it. They are on Document Cloud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Vintage Canuck- Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Some highlights: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squamfan Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 i wish we can see the emails about the bruins in 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HC20.0 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 1 hour ago, -Vintage Canuck- said: Some highlights: Sorry to quote a long post, but these emails are just disgusting. Campbell should be barred from anything hockey related. Just Disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squamfan Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 12 minutes ago, HC20.0 said: Sorry to quote a long post, but these emails are just disgusting. Campbell should be barred from anything hockey related. Just Disgusting. makes u wonder about what happened in during 2011 season when he was in charge of suspensions. ''We can suspend Chara harder for the bruins o make the playoff and if no playoff no cup for my boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 The emails reads like a discussion in forums here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khay Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 $hit, those emails are disgusting. No professionalism whatsoever. Now all those suspensions contradicting itself makes total sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Building Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Bill Daly can't even write. How the hell does someone like that ever make it as an attorney, then suddenly find himself in a top position in the NHL? Colin Campbell though, wow. It's pretty easy to judge these people based upon [what they thought were] private conversations when there is a consistently arrogant, glib, and "20 miles uphill both ways" feel to the content. Seriously, what a bunch of slapd%!cks. I'd love to read more of these private emails, even beyond what has been released, but I worry about how I'd feel about the sport moving forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon45ca Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Gotta admit, I got a chuckle out of calling Nonis "mini-Burkie" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 2 hours ago, Green Building said: Bill Daly can't even write. How the hell does someone like that ever make it as an attorney, then suddenly find himself in a top position in the NHL? Colin Campbell though, wow. It's pretty easy to judge these people based upon [what they thought were] private conversations when there is a consistently arrogant, glib, and "20 miles uphill both ways" feel to the content. Seriously, what a bunch of slapd%!cks. I'd love to read more of these private emails, even beyond what has been released, but I worry about how I'd feel about the sport moving forward. Campbell is quite literally the worst. The man is an idiot but thinks quite highly of himself. Shame on BMac, he comes off as a shill in most of these. The man is clearly intelligent as he has carved a career as the most respected media personality. He has done it by shying away from ever having a controversial opinion and avoiding making enemies in the front office. Even Dreger shows more stones than him when the head office tries to stomp away on a survey. Anyway nothing in the emails is particularly shocking. One thing is clear is that the league believes that the pace of the game has an effect on injuries and hence we have seen clutching and grabbing make its return. It's interesting that Shanahan wants to do away with fighting especially considering the kind of player he was. As far as the actual case is concerned there appears to little here that supports the suit. I still believe that both sides should sit down and come to a middle ground. Ultimately I don't believe that the NHL was involved in any cover up but trying to strong arm the former players or even taking the case to trial would be very damaging for the league's reputation. Even if the league may not have knowingly caused these players harm, they are part of the league's history and them sacrificing their bodies is part of the reason for this league's success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinatcc Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 1 minute ago, Toews said: Shame on BMac, he comes off as a shill in most of these. The man is clearly intelligent as he has carved a career as the most respected media personality. He has done it by shying away from ever having a controversial opinion and avoiding making enemies in the front office. Even Dreger shows more stones than him when the head office tries to stomp away on a survey. Yeah really surprised at him didn't know he had that aggressive side in him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 13 minutes ago, Toews said: Campbell is quite literally the worst. The man is an idiot but thinks quite highly of himself. Shame on BMac, he comes off as a shill in most of these. The man is clearly intelligent as he has carved a career as the most respected media personality. He has done it by shying away from ever having a controversial opinion and avoiding making enemies in the front office. Even Dreger shows more stones than him when the head office tries to stomp away on a survey. I've always known that BMac, while incredibly respected in the hockey world, is one that doesn't cause waves. Thus, why is everyone in hockey loves him. Trustworthy and plays nice. As for Dredger, very interesting to see. Though I never believed this, I always got a chuckle at the idea that he existed merely to promote Nonis and Burke. However, to see his incredibly professional response, and one that has journalistic integrity, certainly changes my opinion on him. Quote Anyway nothing in the emails is particularly shocking. One thing is clear is that the league believes that the pace of the game has an effect on injuries and hence we have seen clutching and grabbing make its return. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 7 minutes ago, iinatcc said: Yeah really surprised at him didn't know he had that aggressive side in him The man has his opinions. I think his status allows him to avoid saying anything controversial and he essentially manages to remain in everyone's good books. Guys like Botchford need to stir up controversy to remain relevant. I don't blame him for anything he said about Perry. Unless you are a Knights or Ducks fan there is no reason to cheer for that prick. I still expect BMac to back away from these comments as it damages the persona of neutrality that he has built up over the years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejazz97 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 8 hours ago, -Vintage Canuck- said: Amazed by the lack of diplomacy in those emails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 8 hours ago, Squamfan said: i wish we can see the emails about the bruins in 2011. I hate to be the guy wearing a tin-foil hat. But I'm sure there was at least something like this going against the Canucks in 2011 from league brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJSkingz Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 35 minutes ago, Rocky Balboa said: I hate to be the guy wearing a tin-foil hat. But I'm sure there was at least something like this going against the Canucks in 2011 from league brass. There was an email above that mentioned Lapierre (Van). Guaranteed that's the case. League had it out for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Guess that explains it. We won't get the first overall in the lottery if these clowns run the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 50 minutes ago, DJSkingz said: There was an email above that mentioned Lapierre (Van). Guaranteed that's the case. League had it out for us. That's a stretch. A better example is this. From: CCampbell@nhl.com Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 11:04 AMTo: Bob McKenzieSubject: Re: we were just talking about this last doesn't look good for the kidGregory had to fight that idiot O'Brian last night and Gregory's helmet came off. (Kesler was being a d**k)with Gregory and some Panthers so when Gregory went back at him OBrian came yapping. Gregory used to get intoit with him when he was with Tampa). This scares me with the Helmets coming off. Edit: Just to clarify. Gregory is Colin's son who was drafted and playing for Florida at the time. O'Brian is Shane O'Brien. 21 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said: Guess that explains it. We won't get the first overall in the lottery if these clowns run the show. The NHL does not run the lottery. An independent law firm is hired to run the process with representatives of all NHL teams present to ensure that the process is fairly conducted. If you need any more reassurance, the last place the NHL wanted McDavid to go was Edmonton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 HF has a lot more people going through the emails. Here is another Campbell doozy. https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...HL0025473.html"Van Ryan is a woos and soft ... He should be penalized and suspended for putting himself in a bad position"-Campbell The hit in question... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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