Gartner’s Departure Leaves NHLPA With Lack Of Experience

NHLPA Dir of Hockey Affairs Mike Gartner’s retirement, combined with the paid leaves of Exec Dir Ted Saskin and Senior Dir of Business Ken Kim, “leaves the NHLPA with only one experienced executive,” Associate Counsel Ian Penny, according to Allan Maki of the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. Associate Counsel Stu Grimson has “climbed quickly up the ladder, but hasn’t been around long enough to know all the inner workings and responsibilities.” The NHL, NHLPA and IIHF yesterday were “supposed to have a meeting in Switzerland to iron out a new player transfer agreement,” but the meeting was postponed after the NHLPA said that it “needed more time to complete its ‘analysis of potential agreement structures.’” Maki writes the NHLPA “couldn’t send anyone to the meeting because there was no one to go.” Gartner’s resignation “has created another hole in the NHLPA’s day-to-day operations; a place where things can get lost at a time when everything and everyone need to be accounted for” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 3/21).