Marty Walsh to be installed as next Executive Director of NHLPA

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[Ghostsof1915]

Ex GM Mike Gillis out GM'd again?

[Dazzle]

The idea of corruption is not limited to Republicans nor Democrats.

 

I knew nothing about Marty Walsh, nor NHL PA politics, but if this is not problematic, I don't know what is.

(From the article here: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/sources-marty-walsh-will-be-installed-as-next-executive-director-of-nhl-players-association)

 

 

Sounds like Jacobs has found 'his man' and he's head of the player's union. Is this not a conflict of interest? Yet somehow he's expected to be "unanimously" elected.

[kanucks25]

Nice now we can hire Gillis back.

 

Thanks NHLPA.

[Odjick29willkillyou]

5 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

The idea of corruption is not limited to Republicans nor Democrats.

 

I knew nothing about Marty Walsh, nor NHL PA politics, but if this is not problematic, I don't know what is.

(From the article here: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/sources-marty-walsh-will-be-installed-as-next-executive-director-of-nhl-players-association)

 

 

Sounds like Jacobs has found 'his man' and he's head of the player's union. Is this not a conflict of interest? Yet somehow he's expected to be "unanimously" elected.

Between Colin Campbell being in power in 2011 and this I am not surprised at all. Hell look at Robert Kraft in NE and what he has gotten away with. Just another reason I hate Boston and I got married in ASSACHUSSETS lol. 

[Dazzle]

10 minutes ago, kanucks25 said:

Nice now we can hire Gillis back.

 

Thanks NHLPA.

No more castaways pls.

[PhillipBlunt]

16 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

The idea of corruption is not limited to Republicans nor Democrats.

 

I knew nothing about Marty Walsh, nor NHL PA politics, but if this is not problematic, I don't know what is.

(From the article here: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/sources-marty-walsh-will-be-installed-as-next-executive-director-of-nhl-players-association)

 

 

Sounds like Jacobs has found 'his man' and he's head of the player's union. Is this not a conflict of interest? Yet somehow he's expected to be "unanimously" elected.

This is the NHL, Dazzle. Corruption reigns supreme.

[mll]

15 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

The idea of corruption is not limited to Republicans nor Democrats.

 

I knew nothing about Marty Walsh, nor NHL PA politics, but if this is not problematic, I don't know what is.

(From the article here: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/sources-marty-walsh-will-be-installed-as-next-executive-director-of-nhl-players-association)

 

 

Sounds like Jacobs has found 'his man' and he's head of the player's union. Is this not a conflict of interest? Yet somehow he's expected to be "unanimously" elected.

 

Head of the NHLPA - Jacobs has no say in that nomination.  It's a player decision.  

 

 

[Dazzle]

4 minutes ago, mll said:

 

Head of the NHLPA - Jacobs has no say in that nomination.  It's a player decision.  

 

Ok, I'll step back and clarify something. This nomination is convenient for Jacobs. This is a very poor choice for a guy that has loud connections to Jacobs - Bruins ownership.

 

Maybe this is a strategy by the PA to have someone connected to the most powerful owner in the league in order to influence things.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Dazzle

[mll]

4 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

Ok, I'll step back and clarify something. This nomination is convenient for Jacobs. This is a very poor choice for a guy that has loud connections to Jacobs - Bruins ownership.

 

Maybe this is a strategy by the PA to have someone connected to the most powerful owner in the league in order to influence things.

Players aren't going to name someone that's going to bend to the owners - they need someone that's going to defend their interests and negotiate as they instruct.  There's extensive due diligence done and you'd think they are well aware of the link - if Seravalli knows it surely the players also do through the discovery process.

 

[rizzuto&hatoum]

17 minutes ago, mll said:

 

Head of the NHLPA - Jacobs has no say in that nomination.  It's a player decision.  

 

 

Noted - 7 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 swede.

[Quantum]

This is one of the worst hires that the NHLPA could have made. He's going to screw NHL players more than they already have.

 

Jeremy Jacobs is a big fan of this guy. He made huge donations to Walsh's political campaigns in the past. Jacobs is the owner of the Bruins and is apparently the defacto "head" of the NHL owners when they come together to negotiate anything. Walsh and Jacobs are buddies.

 

This is going to blow up on the NHLPA in a big way. They needed someone who would fight for them, not bow to the knee of the owners when negotiations get tough.

 

[kanucks25]

1 hour ago, Dazzle said:

No more castaways pls.

Can make an exception for people who shouldn't have been cast away.

 

Linden can come back too

[Ghostsof1915]

3 minutes ago, kanucks25 said:

Can make an exception for people who shouldn't have been cast away.

 

Linden can come back too

I'd like to think he'd need some things written in his contract so that he know's he's in charge, and won't get interference from ownership and clarify the direction he's taking the team.

[kanucks25]

36 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

I'd like to think he'd need some things written in his contract so that he know's he's in charge, and won't get interference from ownership and clarify the direction he's taking the team.

Which is probably why he'd never come back because Aquaman won't allow that, unless things get really ugly PR wise and Aqua feels he has no other choice lol

[Dazzle]

1 hour ago, mll said:

Players aren't going to name someone that's going to bend to the owners - they need someone that's going to defend their interests and negotiate as they instruct.  There's extensive due diligence done and you'd think they are well aware of the link - if Seravalli knows it surely the players also do through the discovery process.

 

This is where Seravalli rightfully questions whether this is a good hire. Walsh has been ACTIVELY lobbied by Jacobs in the past, the most powerful owner in the league.

 

Hell, even Walsh thanks Jacobs for his contributions and support. Do you really trust him to be able to negotiate against Jacobs? This is not much of a difference in comparison with Allvin & Rutherford. We all know that Rutherford was calling the shots. Allvin was just a puppet.

[Dazzle]

46 minutes ago, Quantum said:

This is one of the worst hires that the NHLPA could have made. He's going to screw NHL players more than they already have.

 

Jeremy Jacobs is a big fan of this guy. He made huge donations to Walsh's political campaigns in the past. Jacobs is the owner of the Bruins and is apparently the defacto "head" of the NHL owners when they come together to negotiate anything. Walsh and Jacobs are buddies.

 

This is going to blow up on the NHLPA in a big way. They needed someone who would fight for them, not bow to the knee of the owners when negotiations get tough.

 

Exactly. The only reason that I think this hire might be good is if Walsh can tell his good buddy Jacobs to change things with the owners.

 

Other than that, it's like having Jacobs run two organizations.

 

This hire is practically indefensible. And @mll I really don't believe there was much due diligence in this hire. Surely there were better candidates than someone with direct ties to Jacobs?

[Dazzle]

4 minutes ago, kanucks25 said:

Which is probably why he'd never come back because Aquaman won't allow that, unless things get really ugly PR wise and Aqua feels he has no other choice lol

There's a reason Gillis hasn't been hired by any other team executive. He's blackballed for many reasons, but one thing for sure is that he's loyal to his players, but that is also a fault.

 

I remember a time when Gillis practically couldn't trade with any other team besides Florida.

[mll]

From Friedman in his 32 Thoughts:

 

11. As US Secretary of Labour Marty Walsh prepares to take over the NHLPA, the thing heard most over the last week was, “No matter what anyone thinks, we have to present a united front.” A fractured union gets crushed in negotiations, and, in hockey, we’ve seen that before. 

 

Because the search committee did a great job of keeping Walsh’s name private until last week, questions and concerns spilled out very quickly. First, there were revelations about Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs’ donations to Walsh. The Boston Globe reported the Red Sox, principally owned by John Henry (who added the Pittsburgh Penguins to his portfolio), contributed $10,000 to Walsh’s 2014 mayoral inauguration and transition. As someone who isn’t crazy about politicians of any party, I find that world greasy and expect nothing less. But those around the NHL/NHLPA long enough to remember the Alan Eagleson days are extremely sensitive about this. They desire information giving them reason to believe this won’t be the same thing; they want the process to slow down, to be convinced the players aren’t rushing into a mistake. 

 

A nasty, anonymous email was circulated to agents last week arguing against the hire. Initially, it tried to rally support for Mike Gillis, but then removed his name. (I can’t imagine Gillis would have wanted his name on that.) Whatever the case, the selection committee pressed forward, conveying excitement about Walsh. That enthusiasm has convinced the rest of the players to back the choice. 

 

12. Another connection for Marty Walsh: his chief labour counsel in Boston was Alexis Finneran Tkachuk, from the hugely successful Fitzgerald/McNeil/Tkachuk family.

 

13. Walsh’s most important job will be getting to know the rank-and-file, and he should immediately dedicate himself to doing that. While he may be a hockey fan, he doesn’t intimately know this group. On his way out, current Executive Director Donald Fehr warned the next few years (heading into CBA discussions) will be extremely challenging. Look at the ages of the selection committee: Kyle Okposo and Kevin Shattenkirk (34), Ian Cole and Sam Gagner (33), Nate Schmidt (31), Justin Faulk and Zach Hyman (30). What are the wishes of the younger players, who will form the backbone of the union for years to come? 

 

14. Heard that one of the other serious contenders for NHLPA leadership was CFLPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay. He played a decade as an offensive lineman with Toronto, Hamilton and Edmonton, before negotiating two CBAs between players and the CFL. 

[Dazzle]

6 hours ago, mll said:

From Friedman in his 32 Thoughts:

 

11. As US Secretary of Labour Marty Walsh prepares to take over the NHLPA, the thing heard most over the last week was, “No matter what anyone thinks, we have to present a united front.” A fractured union gets crushed in negotiations, and, in hockey, we’ve seen that before. 

 

Because the search committee did a great job of keeping Walsh’s name private until last week, questions and concerns spilled out very quickly. First, there were revelations about Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs’ donations to Walsh. The Boston Globe reported the Red Sox, principally owned by John Henry (who added the Pittsburgh Penguins to his portfolio), contributed $10,000 to Walsh’s 2014 mayoral inauguration and transition. As someone who isn’t crazy about politicians of any party, I find that world greasy and expect nothing less. But those around the NHL/NHLPA long enough to remember the Alan Eagleson days are extremely sensitive about this. They desire information giving them reason to believe this won’t be the same thing; they want the process to slow down, to be convinced the players aren’t rushing into a mistake. 

 

A nasty, anonymous email was circulated to agents last week arguing against the hire. Initially, it tried to rally support for Mike Gillis, but then removed his name. (I can’t imagine Gillis would have wanted his name on that.) Whatever the case, the selection committee pressed forward, conveying excitement about Walsh. That enthusiasm has convinced the rest of the players to back the choice. 

 

12. Another connection for Marty Walsh: his chief labour counsel in Boston was Alexis Finneran Tkachuk, from the hugely successful Fitzgerald/McNeil/Tkachuk family.

 

13. Walsh’s most important job will be getting to know the rank-and-file, and he should immediately dedicate himself to doing that. While he may be a hockey fan, he doesn’t intimately know this group. On his way out, current Executive Director Donald Fehr warned the next few years (heading into CBA discussions) will be extremely challenging. Look at the ages of the selection committee: Kyle Okposo and Kevin Shattenkirk (34), Ian Cole and Sam Gagner (33), Nate Schmidt (31), Justin Faulk and Zach Hyman (30). What are the wishes of the younger players, who will form the backbone of the union for years to come? 

 

14. Heard that one of the other serious contenders for NHLPA leadership was CFLPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay. He played a decade as an offensive lineman with Toronto, Hamilton and Edmonton, before negotiating two CBAs between players and the CFL. 

This is entirely my speculation on this, but I think this was a political tactic. First, the nomination would go to someone undesirable (i.e. Gillis). For all the positive things he is remembered for by this fanbase and the NHL players, it is not a secret that he is not well liked by the owners (and in essence the GMs as well). This is not something he can control.

 

When the next nomination is not as bad as the other person, it would be a palatable choice.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Dazzle