NHLPA's Kelly Downplays Agent Strife At Assembly In Toronto
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Kelly Downplays Agent Strife
During Meeting In Toronto |
NHLPA Exec Dir Paul Kelly yesterday when conducting his first assembly with player agents "kept under wraps ... the drawn-out hullabaloo between" agents Neil Sheehy, Ritch Winter and friends on one side, and high-profile agent Don Meehan on the other, according to Tim Wharnsby of the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. Sheehy and Winter recently alleged that Meehan "might have tried to help" former NHLPA Exec Dir Ted Saskin keep his job "when Saskin came under fire, and that Meehan helped Saskin overthrow his predecessor, Bob Goodenow." Kelly yesterday addressed whether there will be "any repercussions from Sheehy and Winter's complaint about Meehan." Kelly: "If we find there has been a violation of our agent regulations and guidelines, we'll take appropriate action." Oilers G Dwayne Roloson recently asked Kelly if "he could view e-mails exchanged" between Meehan and Saskin. But Kelly said, "Those concerns have been raised with us and we are taking a good, hard look at it and everybody understands our position." Meehan "didn't appear concerned about the allegations." Meehan: "I don't know what [the complaint] is nor have I been contacted by anyone about it." Wharnsby notes Kelly "spent most of yesterday demonstrating to his audience that he will be different than previous NHLPA heads because he hopes to foster good relations with player agents." Kelly, after the meeting, received applause, which is "something that didn't occur under Goodenow or Saskin" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 3/27). Agent Pat Brisson said of Kelly, "You get a sense that he's passionate and he's got a vision. He wants to protect the players obviously, but he wants to grow the game -- which is fantastic." Agent Matt Keator added, "I think he strikes a proper balance between the past two regimes of the NHLPA. He's very communicative, he's very bright, he's engaging on every single topic. I think he's the right guy at the right time to lead us forward" (CP, 3/27).
CHANGES? The CP's Pierre LeBrun reported the NHLPA, through its competition committee, "intends to pursue" the league's no-touch icing rule. Kelly: "I favour the no-touch icing rule, as do a majority of our players. ... We intend to raise the issue again via the competition committee at the end of the season." GMs have looked at the rule "repeatedly over the years but always came to a similar conclusion -- that no-touch icing breaks the flow of the game with too many whistles, which is what they feel one sees in international hockey where no-touch icing is the rule" (CP, 3/26). Kelly yesterday also announced that the NHLPA's exec board had appointed six new divisional field reps, former NHLers "who will help increase the flow of information between players and the NHLPA" (CP, 3/27).
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