Actually, It's All Good

There will be those who interpret today's announcement that Ian Penny has left the troubled NHL Players Association as the latest disastrous development for the union. Not really.

In fact, this is good news. It follows last week's news that a four-player committee had been struck to investigate all the nonsense that has occurred at the NHLPA over the past six months, a sign the players were finally cluing into the fact they'd been effectively hoodwinked by a coup d'etat thinly disguised as the supposedly necessary departure of executive director Paul Kelly.

Penny overreached. Emboldened by the support of figures like departed union ombudsman Eric Lindros and advisory board member Ron Pink, not to mention current ombudsman Buzz Hargrove, Penny decided as general counsel he could not or would not work with Kelly, and was part of the group that actively sought Kelly's ouster.

Once he found himself crowned interim executive director, he discovered the way in which Kelly was dumped (at 4 a.m. in the morning) brought all kinds of grief to the union, and he was poorly equipped from a public relations standpoint to either rally the support of players or deal effectively with the media storm. Getting booted off a crucial conference call last week, with Sidney Crosby the final voice, effectively destroyed Penny's authority and legitimacy.

He had to go, and Hargrove and Pink should follow suit as soon as possible. Only then, with a clean slate, can the union start to rebuild. The next step will have to be a tweaking of the union's constitution, which is filled with so many checks and balances that it was inevitable that power struggles would result. The advisory board needs to go, and the ombudsman position needs to be redefined. The union cannot function going forward without changes to the structure.

Once all this happens, and the four-man committee is able to explain to their colleagues what exactly happened, two very good choices will be available to the NHLPA.

One, they could bring back Kelly. There is a remote scenario at best, but a plausible one. The union would not suffer public embarrassment if the players decided Kelly was unreasonably dealt with and deserved a second opportunity. It's just common sense that judging the man on how he performed while surrounded by people dedicated to undermining his authority was unfair, at best.

Second, Glenn Healy could be the next leader of the association. He knows the union inside out, and perhaps it's time that the players select one of their own to lead them. Healy's not a labor lawyer, but you can hire those people at a hourly fee.

There will be those who will suggest the union needs a brand new face, and that may be true. What's unfortunate is that in Kelly, Healy and Pat Flatley, the players had excellent people and good leaders, but were somehow convinced to push them all out the door.

Comments

[PC]

Kypreos suggested on the Leaf telecast tonight that Goodenow had been contacted about coming back. Hopefully, this is just another of Kypreos' incorrect rumours. Goodenow was turfed because he caved on the cap. That would be a giant step back.

[Peter Cote]

What about Mike Liut,a perfect resume for what's needed and with N.H.L.P.A. experience to boot ??

[Sandy T.]

Unfortunately the good ship Paul Kelly has probably already sailed beyond the horizon. This means the union will be looking for someone new - again, and paying yet another someone(Penny) not to be their head man - again.

For the foreseeable future these hair-trigger geniuses will be paying multiple millions to current and ex-directors. What should be immediately clear to the bulk of the NHLPA membership is that most of them require new team reps. Very few of the 30 teams seem to have one capable of independent or rational thought. It's glaringly obvious the Leafs don't.

It's high time that all team representatives were selected as the best man for the job through critical analysis rather than being the poor schmucks who get stuck with the gig after losing a popularity contest.

[JSParhar]

Buzz is a cancer for any union or association...his ideas of employer-employee relations are outdated. He should be unequivocally removed.

[Stanley]

I notice that none of Damien's columns about Ian Penny (always slamming him) have had any comment about whether Penny was actually good at his job. Maybe he's actually a really good labour lawyer and they will miss him there. Who knows. Clearly not Damien.

[G L Goodwin, Amherst Nova Scotia]

Dear Mr Cox:-
With respect to the NLPA, we should all remember that success is failure turned inside out. The failure has occured and now the success must begin.The cleansing has begun and that is step # 1, but it must continue.

Hargrove must go! His ideas about labor relatations is from yesterday's man.Pink has resigned which shows good sense. Pink is a great lawyer, but his expertise is not in sports labor.
Its truly unfortunate that thsese people were allowed to write their own compensation contract."Fire me but pay me for 3 years"

Healy wants the director position badly; it drips off of him in the CBC telecasts. He stance is too combative.This is an executive management position, and one does not need to be a Lawyer. Lawyers can be hired as the need arises.

Given the downturn in the workforce economy there are hundreds of executive managers available. The NLPA should hire a recruitment firm and go find the correct person.It is not Healy/Lindros type as they are part of the problem, not the solution.

Forget the partnership with the league; this is an Employer/Employee situation, and must be treated as such. Want an example...Bettman praises the great one, on one hand and stiffs him for 8 million on the other.
The NLPA is a business and for the sake of the players must be operated as one.

Thank you.

[Smack]

PC said "Kypreos suggested on the Leaf telecast tonight that Goodenow had been contacted about coming back. Hopefully, this is just another of Kypreos' incorrect rumours. Goodenow was turfed because he caved on the cap. That would be a giant step back."

Goodenow was turfed because he WOULDN'T cave in on the cap.