NHLPA Has 72 Hours To Get Votes To Form Player Review Committee

Chelios (l), Lidstrom Likely Candidates To Be Part Of NHLPA Review Committee

THE PUCK STOPS HERE: In Toronto, Damien Cox reports the players "declined to hear" from outgoing MLBPA Exec Dir Don Fehr, "preferring instead to have a players only call." It is "noteworthy that the association seems to now be inclined to put its faith in the hands of more senior players." Penny has "made his opposition to this new committee known, and now has several days to try and sway the votes of various player reps." But last night's call was the "latest in a series of internal votes that have gone against him, and it appears the five-year contract he received in June will also be reviewed." Cox also notes Hargrove "appears to be on the verge of being dismissed, but he wasn't fired last night" (THESTAR.com, 10/19). In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont wrote, "Note to players: The easiest, laziest thing to do now is to shrug shoulders and figure someone else will make the boo-boo go away. Uh-uh, it’s on you. And if you let this opportunity for both review and remedy slip away, don’t complain when you are dumped out of the Zamboni with the rest of the night’s ice shavings" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/18).

READY TO TAKE CHARGE: The GLOBE & MAIL's David Shoalts notes longtime sports attorney David Feher recently informed the NHLPA that he "wants to be a candidate" for the Exec Dir position, and he "thinks it is a challenge worth pursuing." Feher: "I've been representing and fighting for the players and players associations (in various sports) for nearly 20 years. The players are the strongest when they are unified. They are most vulnerable when they are divided." Sources indicated that Feher "believes he can put the pieces back together and unify the players before their next round of collective bargaining begins in a couple of years" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/19).

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