NHLPA Interim Exec Dir Ian Penny Meets With Several Players

Penny Expects New NHLPA Boss Soon

NHLPA interim Exec Dir Ian Penny yesterday met with several players in N.Y. to "reassure those stars that the union is on track and hear concerns players might have about" the decision to oust former Exec Dir Paul Kelly, according to Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. Penny, a "key voice in the move to oust" Kelly last month, said that he has "heard from players who expressed an interest in being more involved in union affairs." Penny: "What we're hearing back is that there's strong support for the process that the player reps went through (in making the decision to fire Kelly). But at the same time, there are players that say, 'You know what, these are pretty heavy decisions and I should be more involved, more informed.'" He added, "I think we will see probably more involvement as a result of the guys seeing just how weighty some of these decisions are and having an interest in being involved." Penny reiterated that he has "no designs on the post he now holds on an interim basis," and said that he "hopes the NHLPA will have a new executive director by the end of the calendar year or early in 2010." He added that the union "does not expect to make any significant policy changes" in the interim (ESPN.com, 9/9).

WHAT HAPPENED IN CHICAGO? In Toronto, Damien Cox notes some "intriguing facts have started to emerge" about Kelly's dismissal. Several sources identified Bruins D and player rep Andrew Ference as the "key player who led the charge against Kelly," as he "pushed hardest for a vote on Kelly's dismissal in the early hours of the morning against the wishes of veteran players," including D Chris Chelios. One player yesterday said, "This was a well-planned, well-thought-out coup d'état. Players are starting to realize what happened in Chicago." Other sources are suggesting that while former NHLPA Ombudsman Eric Lindros was "not involved in the Chicago meetings, Ference is viewed by many as a Lindros confidante," and many believe that Lindros "will soon rejoin the union after quitting eight months ago" (TORONTO STAR, 9/10). Former NHLer Jeremy Roenick last week on CFMJ-AM in Toronto "questioned the wisdom" of firing Kelly, and "questioned the intelligence of members of the NHLPA executive board who made the decision." Roenick: "They are really influenced by the smarter people -- the lawyers, and the guys who seem to have gone to college and wear the suits and ties and represent themselves as being the smart people. The players look at these guys and put their faith in them, and sometimes they shouldn't do that" (Montreal GAZETTE, 9/5).