A group of NHL players protesting the hiring of Ted Saskin as executive director of the NHL Players’ Association sought help from the government last week after Saskin rejected their request that he step into the lesser position of interim director while players had a chance to evaluate his hiring.
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| Chris Chelios is among players questioning the way Ted Saskin landed the top union job. |
Twenty-seven NHL players filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board last week, claiming that former hockey union boss Bob Goodenow was improperly fired and Saskin improperly hired in violation of the union’s constitution.
Saskin said in a statement that the charge is without merit.
But two sources say the dissident players will follow that action with a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor this week.
John Heaney, regional director of the Pacific Region of the Labor Department, said there have been some inquiries made to the department “about the NHLPA,” but that the Labor Department has not taken jurisdiction over the NHLPA in the past because it is headquartered in Canada.
“If someone were to file a complaint with us, we might look at it again,” Heaney said.
NHL players Chris Chelios and Dwayne Roloson said last week that some veteran players asked Saskin, who was appointed executive director in July, to take the position of interim director before the NLRB filing. Chelios said he personally told Saskin “that he should be the interim [director], until players are fully aware and informed of what our choices are. He refuses to do it.”
Last week, members of the Detroit Red Wings, in a meeting with Saskin, brought up the suggestion again, according to Chelios. Chelios said Saskin replied that the decision to hire him was made by the union’s executive committee.
The NHLPA announced July 28 that Goodenow had resigned and been replaced by Saskin. After players objected, a conference call was held on Aug. 31 in which players voted Saskin in. But because the vote was not done by secret ballot, as provided by the NHLPA constitution, Saskin announced on Sept. 12 that a secret ballot vote would be taken by the player representatives “so that there are absolutely no questions regarding my election....”
Chelios said Saskin and NHL player and union president Trevor Linden have been calling players and pressuring them to vote. Linden could not be reached for comment.
“I would go so far as saying that the majority of players would like this to slow down and ... just talk,” Chelios said. “Its a big decision that Trevor and Ted made without consulting with any of the players.”
Chelios said Saskin has refused to give him the phone numbers of the player representatives who are conducting the secret ballot election or to use the NHLPA player Web site, the Source, to get his message out.
An NHLPA spokesman, in an e-mail to SportsBusiness Journal, said the union would “have no further comment while the charge is being reviewed by the NLRB.”
