A New Mr. Unpopular?

Can't say it was a remarkable weekend in the hockey world, although there were plenty of tidbits.

Like how if you don't believe Craig Ramsay of the Atlanta Thrashers is the NHL's coach-of-the-year so far, you have to believe Colorado's Joe Sacco is. And if there's a better GM in the game right now than Paul Holmgreen of the Flyers, I don't know who that is. Finally, given that the Vancouver Canucks are looking like a bona fide Stanley Cup contender 11 years after the Sedins were drafted, perhaps it's time for folks 'round these part to understand it takes more than two years to turn a program around.

The national junior team, meanwhile, is playing three exhibition games this week starting tonight against Swiss in Oshawa, tomorrow against Team Sweden at the ACC and then Thursday against Finland in Kitchener. Over those games, a No. 1 goalie is sure to emerge - Olivier Roy? - as will line combinations and defence pairings. Brayden Schenn is going to be at the centre of everything this team tries to do offensively. Head coach Dave Cameron told TSN last week that the player he thinks will be intriguing to watch will be speedy Colorado College winger Jaden Schwartz, a St. Louis pick, but many eyes will naturally be drawn to 6-foot-3 New Brunswicker Sean Couturier, a possible No. 1 overall pick next June and the only player on Team Canada not yet drafted.

Which brings us to the official appointment of Donald Fehr as head of the NHL Players Association, a dry piece of news, but the biggest of the weekend.

It will be the Couturiers of the future who will grow up under Fehr's new regime, their careers, or at least the financial ends of them, defined by what Fehr can or can't wring out of NHL owners.

Before that happens, however, Fehr needs to deal with, in some real way, the ghosts of his past, or at least the NHLPA's past.

For starters, while Gary Bettman knows he can get booed in each and every Canadian rink, it's remarkable the blowback already out there that fairly or unfairly identifies Fehr as the demon of the 1994 baseball strike that may have been the beginning of the end for the Montreal Expos. Certainly Blue Jays attendance has never been the same, so there's a sense that Fehr may be behind the proverbial eight-ball within the Canadian sports community before his starts.

in his media conference call on Saturday - during which, by the way, one journalist after another tried to suck up to the new union boss by offering "congratulations" on his new job - Fehr shed a few crocodile tears over the fate of the Expos.

He should be aware many Canadians remember, and haven't forgiven him.

In baseball, Fehr was always able to portray the owners as a nasty, unprincipled lot. In hockey, all the animus is directed at Bettman personally, which the NHL owners love. The players, meanwhile, are always seen as greedy, ungrateful sorts, the bad guys every time around no matter what the issues have been.

Most of them are Canadian, and many Canadians believe they'd play the game for free if only given a chance, and by gum if they'd had the right coach or the right breaks, they'd be in the NHL today anyway.

So Fehr takes over with his own unpopularity in Canada coupled with the unpopularity hockey players generate whenever they get into a spat that might lead to a work stoppage. That said, Fehr's been through this before, as have the players. Those who suggest the NHL can't possibly survive a work stoppage in 2012 clearly haven't noticed that since the "Armaggedon" of the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out an entire season, the NHL is more popular and profitable than ever before.

Finally, the other part of the past Fehr must deal with is that which he seems most reluctant to engage, and that is the dark cloud that still sits over this union for the disgraceful firing of Paul Kelly. There was a coup here, a lot of lies and misinformation were spread, and many fine men, including Kelly, were rinsed out of the association.

Fehr apparently thinks everyone should just forget all that. He's probably familiar with Mark McGwire's "I'm not here to talk about the past" defence. But an investigation was done by the PA into Kelly's dismissal, and if the PA wants to ever be viewed as a noteworthy organization, those facts need to be publicly revealed.

Maybe Fehr wasn't in the background pulling levers and influencing events as many are convinced he was.

If that's the case, he has nothing to hide, and should make sure nothing is hidden.

 

Comments

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

Canucks are looking like a Cup Contender? Really? That's news to me. Last I checked, only 3 points seperates them from 10th place.

[mark]

Fehr's name in Canada will be tarnished forever. His tactics robbed the Expos of a world series birth in '94. The ultimate irony will be if there is labour strife in the NHL in 2012 and it coincides with a Leaf team finally back in the playoff picture. But, on the bright side, those beer league losers you mention in your blog may get a shot as replacement players.

[Linda Hokanson]

I think hockey fans and even the players themselves deserve to see the final report on the firing of Paul Kelly. As you say what has he got to hide if he did nothing wrong. However, I am somewhat suspicious that the reason this report has never been released is perhaps Mr. Fehr does have something to hide.
Linda H.

[Lewis McClain]

I suggest a trade....Wilson for Ramsey...if both teams keep the same personel I gaurantee the Leafs would make the playoffs, and Atlanta miss them.

[dv]

Hey Damon,

How many Coaches and GM's has vancouver been through in 11 years? I agree it takes time, but it takes time to find the right mix of players and a coach. That is what many believe to be an issue in Toronto right now.

[prize maple]

With any luck Donald Fehr will successfully target the salary cap, which only serves to prop up marginal franchises. Then Gary Bettman's dreams of expansion will come crashing down. The NHL will contract to a supportable number of teams, quality of play will increase and the Leafs can get back to buying players when they need them.

[EA]

It's more than a bit of a jump to blame Fehr for the loss of the Expos. Sure, he played a supporting role in the 1994 Players' Strike but he played that role on behalf of his contituents. Moreover, lets not forget it was MLB owners that ultimately prioritized their bargaining position over the World Series in 1994. Fehr didn't cancel the World Series any more than he set the schedule.

And finally, for all of the "crocodile tears" Fehr purportedly shed on this call, why don't we linger for a moment on the vast majority of Quebecers who never shed a single tear when the Expos left town? Then perhaps we can remember that Montreal's economy has been on the decline since the mid-90's before turning to assess the business decisions of Jeffrey Loria.

In short, the only thing that puts the fate of the Expos at Fehr's feet is historical revisionism and myopic intellectual laziness.

I also fail to see why Fehr needs to publicly reveal whatever internal matters led to the dismissal of Paul Kelly. So long as NHLPA constituents are informed and satisfied, what business of it is ours? The last I checked we weren't privy to the minutes of NHL Board Meetings so I don't understand why the NHLPA needs to publicly hang out its dirty laundry for our review and comment.

[Gawiththeba]

i have no problem with this guy i hope he helps the players get what they deserve .it's not the players giving out these ridiculous contracts it's the owners who write the checks. just look at New Jersey and that contract...go gettem Don!!

[Tabber]

EA: Agree with most of your poinits, but would put the corporate lack of support at the head of the list, tied with Loria. But I do have to disagree with your last point - I need to know the details before I "get into" hockey again. There was unethical behaviour, if not illegal behaviour, going on there, and it's my right to not support same. So saying, it's also your right to support or ignore it.

The blog entry conveniently ignores the point raised by a few sources that bothered to point out the apparent mellowing of Fehr over the past several years, but that wouldn't fit the hysteria issuing over the appointment.

[JP Mio]

Hi Damien,

I was thinking about the makeup of today's NHL and thought that, with the emphasis on younger draft players, salary caps, and Bettman as its "head", that is sure seems to slowly resemble the NBA is set-up. Not that there is anything wrong with the NBA. I have not decided if this new NHL is better than its predecessor (right now I am inching on the "No' side). The reason is that, unless you a very talented, you are expendable. Personally, I like the experience of older talent, especially when play-off time comes along.

[Tree]

So, Damien, are you suggesting that a lockout in 2012 wouldn't hurt the league? I couldn't agree less - if there's a stoppage in 2012, I'm done. It took me a few years to care about hockey again (truthfully, after the Sens made the Finals) after the last one, and this time there will be no going back. It's funny - as you get older, have kids and a life, you realize how little something like the NHL matters. And all it took was the lockout to make the realization happen ... I know I'm not alone in this thinking, so let's see how the game "recovers" next time.

BTW - claiming the NHL is more popular than ever is dubious. There is ownership troubles in Dallas, Atlanta, Florida, Phoenix ... the television contract is for a channel most in the US don't have (or know how to find) ... if it wasn't for the strong position of the Canadian $ over the past few years, this league would be in serious trouble.

[John Richardson]

"Canucks are looking like a Cup Contender? Really? That's news to me. Last I checked, only 3 points seperates them from 10th place."

And only three points out of first, so what's your point?

[The 5th Line Centre]

Here's to hoping a strike isn't inevitable. But fehr is a large part of the reason baseball is going downhill. That is unless you like the yanks, red sox or phillies.
http://5thlinecentre.wordpress.com/

[mark]

EA, don't disagree with your comments re: Kelly dismisal. It's internal NHPA business. However, your interpretation of the Expos demise is not quite accurate. Prior to the strike in '94, the Expos enjoyed solid attendance. Also, to say that the owners priortized their bargaining position over the World Series is a bit one sided. In labour negotiations, it takes two to tango and the deal (or lack of a deal) has to be equally shared. Let's not forget that this was a strike, not a lock out, spearheaded by Don Fehr. Mr. Fehr was well aware of the potential fate of small market clubs like Montreal and Minnesota and went on record as saying that if they were not able to sustain their business, then they should consider relocating. Expo fans were turned off (like many other baseball fans) by the strike and, like many other fans, blamed the players and their association head. If this same attitude is taken when the NHL CBA expires, then the survival of teams like Carolina, Florida, Phoenix, Atlanta & Nashville will be the bargaining chips. Not a bad thing in my opinion (I would love to see the NHL shed a 5 or 6 teams), but I don't live in any of those cities.