Haven’t had to do this in a long time, so, without further ado, around the league we go with all Paul Kelly, all the time:

“But hockey is not what the NHLPA is about. The NHLPA is about – and we’re basing this on the history here – greed, paranoia, occasionally criminal malfeasance, reflexive combativeness, and, most of all, power. Other sports unions may have similar pressures, but none eats itself quite like these guys. And when the union cashiered Paul Kelly in the early hours of Monday morning at an uncharacteristically trendy Chicago hotel, the snake swallowed just a little more of its tail.”

Bruce Arthur with another great opinion piece on this story. It really is hard to believe what the PA has done to it’s own reputation. Unless the whole story comes out, the NHLP is going to be looking dumb, dumb dumb.

“Kelly, however, appears to have been canned for the unforgivable sin of not treating the NHL like a blood enemy on issues trivial and serious. The 30-player executive board, who made the final call, issued a statement on the matter. Here is what seem like the most relevant passage. “While it is unfortunate things didn’t work out with Paul Kelly, we made an informed decision, it is the right decision and we know what we did what was best for our Association,” read the statement. “We are potentially only two seasons away from the expiration of the [collective bargaining agreement] and we feel now is the best time to make a move to ensure that we have optimal leadership in place to improve and protect our members’rights.”

Now, Mr. Arthur, you work for the National Post, one of the only papers that is well intune with what goes on in this city, how can you be surprised by this tactic. There are only 2 people in the world who would recommend this type of response. One, was on both radio stations this afternoon and he single handedly ruined the Canadian auto sector and the second is the mayor of Toronto. Improve your member’s rights????? Is this the same group that keeps saying it’s not such a bad deal??? Not only that, you have the commissioner on record every 5 minutes telling everyone how great business is and that no teams are in trouble!! What more do you want??? You want to fight the owners, play back Gary Bettman’s interviews and radio shows for the last 12 months…

“Look, being head of the NHLPA is about protecting the interests of the members. There’s nothing that says you have to care about the fans, or the league, or the game. Fine. But not only did Kelly appear to be interested in fighting for causes that players cared about – participation in the Olympics and revenue generation, among others – the former U.S. prosecutor was a reasonable man, on the right side of issue after issue. Just listen to his take on the league’s television deal with NBC and Versus, the former Outdoor Life Network that cannot be seen in about 40-million U.S. households. “We have to push our two partners to do a better job of covering our sport, or we have to go in a different direction when that contract comes to an end,” Kelly told the Sports Lawyers Association on May 16. “[Versus] is not ESPN. It doesn’t have a sports highlight show. It doesn’t have a lot of properties people want to tune in to, unless you are a hunter or a fisherman, or you like turtle wrestling.”

EXACTLY- hell I thought he was too harsh, too litigious!!!

“Why doesn’t this happen in other sports unions? Billy Hunter has helmed the NBA Players’ Association since 1996; Gene Upshaw was in charge of the NFLPA from 1983 until his death late last summer; and in baseball, where the MLBPA is by far the most successful sports union in history, there have been a grand total of two executive directors since 1966: Marvin Miller, and Donald Fehr.And then there are these guys, too often blinded by the hothouse madness that this game sometimes engenders in this country. When Paul Kelly took this job, he told the Canadian Press, “I really do believe that it’s a new day. I want it to be a positive relationship between the NHL Players’ Association and the league. I think we owe it to the fans to put that lockout, work stoppage, and all of those issues behind us.” Paul Kelly could have been good for hockey. But what is good for hockey is not necessarily what is good for the NHLPA. It could be, but it isn’t.”

These guys just can’t get out of their own way. Some how, some way the truth will come out as to who is behind this. This is about 1 thing and only 1 thing, EGO. Behind this mess is 1 person with a big ego. Bet on it.

Kelly McParland also of the National Post offers this one liner:

“This is hard to admit, but the NHLPA almost makes Gary Bettman look reasonable in comparison. How does this league manage to prosper when both sides of the labour-management divide as such dolts?”

Exactly!! How the hell is this possible. If I am a reasonable player I am pissed. Really pissed. I would love to know if I can stop paying union dues!

Damien chips in with an excellent blog too:

“So Paul Kelly has followed Ted Saskin and Bob Goodenow out the door, and the release from the NHLPA this morning regarding Kelly’s departure was downright hilarious in its unwillingness to provide the hockey world with any specific information on why Kelly has been ousted. This morning’s release said the executive committee “voted overwhelmingly” to dump Kelly, the man who put Eagleson in jail, and said it followed an “in depth analysis of the NHLPA’s operations.”Everyone is reading something into this, that it’s the result of the unseen hand of Goodenow, or the departed former ombudsman Eric Lindros, or hardliners like Chris Chelios and Dwayne Roloson, the people who got rid of Saskin after he was found to be spying on association e-mails. Must be a nice office to work in, huh? So comforting to always know the guy who’s working in the office beside you may be secretly plotting against you. Goodenow and Saskin had a parting of the ways, and Kelly and Lindros were at each other’s throats for months. Now it’s lawyer Ian Penney and ombudsman Buzz Hargrove that may have led the charge against Kelly, men who were supposedly under his charge at the union.”

We all have heard about cancerous work environments, does anyone else wonder if the NHLPA is where the label was invented??? Seriously, how, besides with loads of cash will they get anyone to work there????

“Meanwhile, most players simply want nothing to do with the union, not surprisingly given the way the organization collapsed during the 2004-05 lockout. The players now know that when push comes to shove there will be those among them that will jump ship and seek to cut their own deal, that the Europeans in the group will simply pack up and head home to play if there’s another work stoppage, all of which adds to the internal distrust that has come to be the main feature of this dysfunctional organization. The NHL general ignores the thoughts of the union because it can, because the union is too busy fighting itself to mount an effective opposition to policies and programs of the league with which it might disagree. Players are now coughing up more than 20 per cent of each and every paycheque to an escrow fund that few understand. The league has ignored the NHLPA on topics like franchise relocation and television, and now will once again have little or no idea who they should be dealing with at the union.”

It’s a total embarrassment. Did anyone else know that not one but two Maple Leafs were apparently part of the group in on the firing????

“Talk that a more hard-line approach is required by the union is nearly laughable now that the league knows that it can break this weak-willed bunch just as easily in 2012 as it did in 2005. There is no rival league and there is no other meaningful employment option for hockey players who draw hundreds of thousands of dollars in paycheques.Maybe Kelly wasn’t hardline enough for some. But he was practical and reasonable. His biggest error may have been a naive belief he could trust those with whom he was working. The knives at the NHLPA, it seems, are never actually put away.”

What more do the players want? Is it a perfect contract??? No. Is it the slaughter that we have been lead to believe??? No. All contracts are give and take, they don’t need a warrior to go in fight every time. They had that in the Goodenow and well, we know how that worked out….

From Eric Duhatschek:

“But on Sunday night/Monday morning when the NHLPA’s executive board dismissed Paul Kelly as executive director, it is hard to see the move as anything except a palace coup – a grab for power, fought between two factions within the organization that had been an odds since this past February, or where Eric Lindros resigned as ombudsman, reportedly because there weren’t enough contentious issues to arbitrate. In one corner of this fight, you’ll find Lindros – who currently has no official standing in the organization – plus his replacement as “interim ombudsman”, Buzz Hargrove, along with Halifax labour lawyer Ron Pink, and lawyer Ian Penny, a holdover from the Goodenow era who’d received a lucrative multi-year contract extension from the NHLPA executive board during last June’s meetings in Las Vegas. In the other corner, there was Kelly, Glenn Healy, the director of player affairs and Patrick Flatley, assistant director of player affairs. With Kelly out and Flatley reportedly having resigned on the heels of the Kelly firing, it is hard to imagine Healy staying on beyond the day – or week. ”

How does Lindros wield so much power???? I mean does he threaten these guys? What is it about him???

“Unless the executive board can cite some, as yet-to-be-publicized grievance against him, you’d have to suggest Kelly accomplished a fair bit in 22 months on the job.

About the only hope now is that the executive board does the right thing and conducts a full and independent search for a replacement – and doesn’t simply turn to the rabble-rousing crew that showed Kelly the door.

If the NHLPA were a hockey team, you’d have to conclude there is only one possible course of action now – introduce a scorched-earth policy. Burn it to the ground, start from scratch, boot everybody out the door, and then rebuild the organization one staff member at a time. Given its history and this latest round of infighting, it seems to be the only way they’re going to get it right. ”

How can you have any faith in a group that, in history has proven to always get it wrong????

Bruce Dowbiggin:

“Can you be fired for being too media friendly? If you’re deposed NHL Players’ Association executive director Paul Kelly, talking openly with the press cost you plenty. In the considered opinion of NHLPA ombudsman Buzz Hargrove (pray tell, how did Buzz Hargrove get into hockey?), Kelly’s willingness to talk to the media before vetting every single gerund and participle with the union’s executive committee was proof positive of his failings as a leader. That was part of the message in a carefully scripted critique of Kelly delivered to the NHLPA executive board Sunday evening in Chicago.

Hargrove’s poison pill (on behalf on unnamed complainants) was subtle in its verbiage. The long-time leader of the Canadian Auto Workers, who somehow succeeded NHLPA ombudsman from Eric Lindros, couched the accusations against Kelly in the cloak of process and constitutional dereliction. It was a more calculating strategy than Lindros’ self-pitying resignation letter that excoriated Kelly for not heeding his counsel on the multiple daily visits he made to the executive’s office.

But it was effective. The taint of “media suck” resonates with hockey players. Bred to stoic silence, most NHL players– especially Canadian players– view the press about as fondly a man views his annual prostate exam. Giving up too much of yourself in public shows hubris, a lack of team spirit and vanity unbecoming a “real” man. ”

If that is really the reason, I want to be there when the wrongful termination papers are filed.

“But to those mounting a palace coup – and who once coveted Kelly’s position themselves – Kelly’s candour demanded his removal, at considerable cost, in favour of… hmm. It’ll come to us. Yet who could possibly want the untenable executive director’s position after this?

Who could balance its contradictory demands? Some day, they will produce a business book on 10 easy steps to shooting yourself in the foot. And the NHLPA will conveniently supply all 10 of the steps.”

I don’t say this often, but Bruce is on to something here. It’s as if the NHLPA followed the Maple Leafs mismanagement playbook of years past.

Kevin Allen:

“My greatest concern about the NHLPA Executive Board’s decision to fire Paul Kelly is that the current détente between the league and players could give way to the renewal of the Cold War.
Certainly all is not rosy between the league and its players and there is going to be saber-rattling from both sides as we head toward the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2011 or 2012, depending upon whether the NHLPA exercises its last option to extend.
But in terms of managerial style, Kelly seemed like a moderate, particularly in comparison to Bob Goodenow who always acted as if he wanted to fight every battle with nuclear weapons.
As I’ve said many times, the heavy-handed Goodenow was the perfect choice when he took over the NHLPA years ago because players were significantly underpaid when he came aboard. He fought the good fight to change that, but he could never seem to stop fighting.
Kelly is a more likable guy, and a more skilled politician. Although it’s impossible for players to win the PR battle in labor battles because fans can’t relate to $2 million salaries, Kelly has a gentlemanly demeanor that plays well on television. When you review reader comments about his firing, it’s clear fans like him. His popularity might have served the NHLPA well in the next CBA battle.
The media definitely liked him, and perhaps his close relationship with the media didn’t sit well with players.”

I think Allen is right. I get the sense that Kelly was as close to a likable union leader as we could have seen. Part of labor negotiations is the pr battle and it looks like Kelly was laying the ground to win that, or at least not lose it as badly as Goodenow. That he was articulate, respectful and thoughtful shouldn’t have cost him his job. Who were the dunces who thought this was problematic???

“My read on Kelly was that he was person whose opinions often passed the “reasonable” test. He seemed to embrace common sense diplomacy. My belief was that when it was time to battle, Kelly could be a bulldog and when it was time for peace he could be a statesman.”

Isn’t that what the union should have wanted?? What more do you want??? Is the problem that he was becoming more of the story than the players??? if so, what a sad state of affairs.

Russ Conway is an expert on these matters having covered them for years, NESN covers the Bruins:

“This is a very sad day for hockey,” Hall of Fame hockey scribe and former Lawrence Eagle Tribune NHL and Bruins beat writer Russ Conway told NESN.com on Monday. “Unfortunately, the union continues to drink the Kool-Aid.”Conway — who was responsible for bringing former NHLPA head Alan Eagleson to justice with his best-selling book, Game Misconduct: Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey — knows the NHLPA inside out, and he is right on the money. Many players claim they are not kept in the loop with regard to what goes on with NHLPA matters — some even acknowledge they really don’t care to know but just want to play hockey. That’s all fine and refreshing to hear to an extent, except when something like this latest NHLPA debacle occurs”

By all accounts many members of the PA aren’t happy about this. Most just want to play hockey. Can you blame them???

“According to sources, part of this group’s desire to get rid of Kelly also stemmed from Kelly ordering an internal audit (by a top former FBI forensic accountant) of the players’ association’s expenses during the previous three years before he took over. That audit was still ongoing prior to Kelly’s dismissal. Sources claim that through the audit, Kelly discovered that then-interim leaders Penny and Lindros were spending millions of dollars of the union’s money. Lindros ended up resigning, but word is, that move fueled this attack on Kelly, and Lindros was very much involved. Kelly also beat out Pink for the executive director job, and the belief is that Pink is still sour over that.”

And there we may have the smoking gun….If this is true, then the players are dumber than I ever thought possible, just ask the good folks at E-health Ontario or the OLG!! If Kelly was looking into their spending and was gonged for doing so……………………

“Unfortunately, as Conway pointed out, the 30 player reps that voted Kelly out Monday didn’t realize or appreciate what they had in Kelly. A hard-liner will now take over, and the cold war between the NHL and the NHLPA will resume. When the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Sept. 15, 2011, fans may be in for some more wrangling between the union and the NHL.”

Seems to be a common theme no, Armageddon is coming, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy no?

The winner on the day has to be Ken Campbell of the Hockey News:

“In firing Kelly, the players made it abundantly clear they are not pleased with the current direction of their association’s affairs. There are allegations Kelly was too media friendly, a little too cozy with those who occupy the upper reaches of the NHL and the fact that he didn’t connect as well with the players as they hoped he would. It’s funny, really. Remember the good old days when integrity and competence carried a certain amount of weight? Kelly, a former federal prosecutor, has those two qualities in abundance. Obviously, the players don’t put a whole lot of stock into those virtues these days.”

Seriously, I mean who the hell do these guys think they are kidding??? The only knock on the guy that I am aware of is that he has been friends with Bill Watters for 25 years!

“The thing you need to know about NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, assuming he’s still holding down the post in 2012, is that he not only does well in confrontation, he likes it the way Tie Domi used to like getting into fights. Bettman thrives on confrontation and will do anything he can to come out on top when he feels his authority is being undermined. Ask Bob Goodenow if Bettman likes confrontation. Ask Jim Balsillie the same question. In fact, I would argue that if Bettman were not up to his hips in turbulence over the situation with the Phoenix Coyotes, he’d probably be doing a little jig right now over what’s going on with the NHLPA these days.”

I am not suggesting that this is anything like September 11 or the war in Iraq, however does anyone recall “W” instilling fears during the campaign about national security, saying that American wouldn’t be safe under John Kerry?? What did Lindros say, that the PA would get killed in the next round of negotations if Kelly were at the helm???? Was the rallying cry, we need a Bettman buster? As much as I don’t like Bettman’s public persona, how can you not respect the guy. I just don’t get the tactic the PA has taken and why they have put faith in Lindros.

“What makes this all so confusing is that the players seem to want it both ways. Those who wanted to return to playing hockey went behind Goodenow’s back four years ago and negotiated a deal that got them on the ice and making big money. Many of those same players are now carping about having to put a good portion of their salaries into escrow in case revenues don’t grow along with expenses. The same players who needed someone to get them a deal were more than happy to throw Goodenow under the bus, but it seems now they want those very qualities in their new leader.”

And this is surprising why???? Seriously, this is the way this union has acted since the beginning of it’s existence.

More from Campbell:

“Paul Kelly lost his job early Monday morning for reasons that are so preposterous it risks making the NHL Players’ Association the laughingstock of the sports world. The executive director of the NHLPA was on the job and had yet to negotiate a single collective bargaining agreement for his constituents, yet was fired because he hadn’t turned every single issue with the league into a turf war. He didn’t steal millions of dollars and get convicted of his crimes the way Alan Eagleson did. He didn’t get the job under false pretenses and spy on members’ emails the way Ted Saskin did. No, the reason why Kelly was fired is that he’s not Bob Goodenow, the guy the players dumped when they found he was taking too hard a line against their employers and wouldn’t deliver them what he thought was a namby-pamby CBA during the lockout.”

it’s really laughable, the more I read it the more I want to laugh.

“If the players think the payout they had to make to Saskin was a lot of money, they’ll be staggered by the amount they’ll have to give Kelly to go away. And that’s because Kelly might have one of the all-time cases for wrongful dismissal. The uprising against Kelly was led by former ombudsman Eric Lindros, advisory board head Ron Pink and interim ombudsman Buzz Hargrove, along with some others within the current ranks of the NHLPA. So think about it. The ringleaders in Kelly’s dismissal are a former player who has run up against the establishment at every turn and resigned from the PA because he couldn’t work with Kelly (Lindros); the man who didn’t get the job when the PA decided Kelly would be a better choice (Pink); and one of the most confrontational labor leaders of our generation (Hargrove).”

What I don’t get is how these guys have any clout or respect with their peers. Why or how does anyone listen to them? Please tell me it’s apathy. No one wants to deal with this crap so they let the power hungry idiots do it and then they all wake up and say what the hell have we done? How long before the executive committee all quit???

“They represent the old guard of the association whose philosophy was to oppose the league on every single issue and make a confrontation out of everything possible. All of which is fine, if that’s the way the union wants to do business it certainly has the right to conduct itself in that manner. But the question is, if that’s what it wanted, why was Goodenow shown the door in the first place and why was he replaced by Kelly, who had made it clear from the start that he was going to conduct the association’s business in a less confrontational way? Goodenow was deemed to be expendable when the players looked at the possibility of missing two years of paychecks and promptly soiled their pants. One season had already been wasted and even though Goodenow told players long before the lockout to prepare to sit out for as long as two seasons, when push came to shove, the players opted to get back to playing hockey and making money.”

You can’t really be looking for a real reason behind this can you??? It is the sway of power from ego to ego. Nothing more, nothing less.

Scott Burnside:

“Imagine a group of cavemen sitting around a campfire roasting a mastodon. Now, imagine some of those Neanderthals leaping up and grunting, “Fire bad … cooked meat bad,” before dousing the flames and leading the rest into a dark, damp cave. Now you have a sense of the shocking developments within the NHL Players’ Association in the past 24 hours. Less than two years into Paul Kelly’s role as NHLPA executive director, a small but determined group of lawyers and former players toppled him from his post and once again left the players’ union lacking in credibility and facing an uncertain future.”

No, really, is there a better metaphor than that???

“The actual reasons for Kelly’s firing remain vague and Hargrove admitted there was no one specific reason for the dismissal. It is believed Kelly’s transgressions include his treatment of staff members in Toronto, his perceived closeness to the media and a lack of fractiousness when it came to dealing with the NHL and its owners. One former NHLPA executive member said if it’s true one of the reasons Kelly was overthrown was the fact he wasn’t confrontational enough with NHL executives, it’s a bad sign for future negotiations. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” he said. He said it’s important for the league and players to have a close relationship given the nature of the current collective bargaining agreement, which sees the league and players share in hockey-related revenues. He warned that without such a relationship, there is a potential to return to the “tragic” days of the past when there were frequent labor interruptions.”

It’s the NHLPA….what do you expect???? What is apparent is that a ton of player, agents and ex-union leaders are yapping:

“Another former NHLPA executive member was livid, saying the timing of this leadership change was “terrible.”

“We need to get behind Paul Kelly and let him do his job,” he said.

If those behind the movement really cared about the future of the union “they’d let this pass.” Further, he added, “if Eric Lindros really cared about the union, he’d let this go and get himself another job.”

One area that also infuriated this former union executive member was the interviewing of office staff to see how Kelly treated them.

“Who cares,” he said. “Do you think the president of Johnson & Johnson walks around worrying about hurt feelings?”

Many players, agents and former players contacted by ESPN.com expressed concern about changing leadership with a new collective bargaining agreement looming within the next couple of years.

One top player told ESPN.com that by the time the search committee gets around to finding a new executive director and gets up to speed, “he won’t have time to get his pencil sharpened before we’re in another lockout.”

“It’s the culture of paranoia,” added a former player and former NHLPA executive committee member. “And what sign does this send to the league? Where’s the stability at the union? It’s a year or two away from needing to negotiate a new CBA.”

It’s laughable. I have said that already right???

Pierre LeBrun:

“”Until we’re able to inform all the players on exactly what happened, we’re really not going to be too specific,” Horcoff, hopping on a plane, told ESPN.com. “There’s some information and some news that came our way that forced the hands of the executive board to go in a different direction.” Something they heard Sunday night prompted them to act because, from the conversations I had with some of those player reps before Sunday, they didn’t go into that meeting thinking they were going to fire Kelly. “I changed my mind after what I heard,” one player rep who requested anonymity told us Monday. But whether it was the report from interim NHLPA ombudsman Buzz Hargrove or the separate findings from player reps Matt Stajan, Mike Komisarek, Brad Boyes and Andrew Ference (who, along with an HR consultant, interviewed union office staff), the 30 reps heard enough to fire Kelly. It’s as stunning as it sounds. For my money, Kelly was someone I grew to respect in the past 21 months and his firing is big loss for the union. He was a big-picture guy with the conciliatory skills to make things happen with the league.”

Unitl the PA tells their story, assuming there is one, they will, as they always have, lose the PR war. Too many good people in hockey are backing Kelly here. It’s not one or two, it’s all of them.

“To me, what’s troubling is that a decision with such huge ramifications took place in two days with such a small group,” said one veteran player agent, requesting anonymity. “How can that small group make such a big decision? That’s the concern, regardless of whether you’re an advocate of Kelly or not.” Said another agent: “I’m dumbfounded by the immediacy of this decision. You’d think this should be deliberated for more than 10 hours. I would have thought something as significant as this would have involved more discussion among more players. I just think the general union populace should have had more of a say in this.”One very high-profile player, we can tell you, was livid Monday that he wasn’t apprised of any of this before it was too late. Hargrove, who told ESPN.com on Monday that he has no interest in replacing Kelly and told the executive board as much, said the player reps were told they could wait until they saw their teammates before making a final decision. “That was one of the options that the board members had,” Hargrove said. “They were very familiar with that option. But given the circumstances, given the findings that were presented to them, given the debate, they took a decision. It’s a decision they will feel very comfortable justifying with their fellow players once they see them in training camp.”

I think those who lead this thing know what would have happened if they waited, it would have turned into a public circus. Not only that all the agents would have rallied their clients and this mess would have turned into a massive fishbowl. It is, however remarkable that this was handled as quietly and as quickly as it was.

“In the end, however, maybe it’s a little rich for the rank-and-file players to complain. Fact is, most of the time, they care little about the ongoings of the NHLPA and many don’t even bother attending meetings (such as the players who went to the NHL awards event in Las Vegas in June but didn’t bother sticking around for the players meetings).

“Any player who was in attendance at the Vegas meetings would have known Paul Kelly’s leadership was being reviewed,” said one NHLPA staff source. But perhaps the shock firing of their leader will be a valuable wake-up call for all those apathetic players.”I hope there will be more of an awareness from the rest of the membership because of this,” one player agent said. “That’s the lesson to be learned.”

A buddy of mine never votes in the Toronto mayor election. He was irate during the garbage strike, calling me daily asking me how the hell this was happening. Every morning I told him the same thing, “go in to your bathroom and look in the mirror” The players who are likely doing the complaining are most likely the guys who didn’t want to be reps, who couldn’t be bothered to go to Las Vegas. You get what you pay for, the old addage goes, and it’s usually true. You can’t bitch and complain after the fact if you were too lazy to be involved during the fact. The only way this get cleaned up is if enough of the right guys start paying attention. History tells us that’s not likely.

My last word goes to the guy who owned this story. Darren Dreger broke the story that something maybe up and appeared to be the only guy in Chicago covering it live. From all us who love the game and admire those who cover it, we thank you Darren:

“He was invited in at least three times, the last being just after 3:30am eastern.

At this point Kelly was given news of his demise.

He bolted from the boardroom visibly upset, he refused to comment and simply retreated to where Healy, Flatley and others were waiting before quickly leaving the area all together.

There was a brief gathering of the divisional players reps with interim ombudsman Buzz Hargrove, general counsel Ian Penny and advisory board head, Ron Pink mulling about before the entire group retired after an incredibly long day.

At times, it was fascinating to watch.

Sources say there were moments of heated debate in the meeting, especially early into the discussions when Kelly and Healy passionately argued their case.

Hargrove was clearly a key player in this power shift and he was called in and out of the main board discussion on a number of occasions, the first including a presentation detailing some of Kelly’s alleged flaws.”

I am not sure a better script for this could have been written. It sounds like the Keystone Cops all over again.

Well, tomorrow should be another interesting day. Hope this wasn’t too long to read and you enjoyed it.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Arthur is here
McParland is here
Damien is here
Eric Duhatschek is here
Dowbiggin is here
Allen is here
NESN/Conway is here
Campbell is here
Campbell is here too
Burnside is here
LeBrun is here
Dreger is here

As of this writing, Cnnsi, The Toronto Sun, the Boston Globe, and NYpost and more didn’t have stories up, please post links and quotes below..

Here is more from Damien Cox:

“Those who successfully plotted against him breached constitutional procedures, fudged internal reviews and used a variety of dirty tricks worthy of Watergate to finally triumph at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

What self-respecting organization fires a key executive at 3:30 in the morning?

If there’s a single smart player on the executive committee, they’ve already figured out they’ve made an awful mistake by being convinced to axe a good man, thereby putting their futures in the hands of Machiavellian suits they wouldn’t trust as teammates.

Maybe that’s why more than 50 players spent yesterday lobbying Kelly’s right-hand man, the widely respected Glenn Healy, to stay on after his colleague Pat Flatley quit in the wake of Kelly’s ouster.

Healy’s the lone progressive left. Otherwise, the hardline labour mentality that led the lemmings over the cliff in 2004-05 is now on the verge of taking over again. All you had to hear was an old union guy like Buzz Hargrove – supposedly the NHLPA’s independent ombudsman, charged with bringing player complaints forward – detailing union business in various radio interviews yesterday to understand the old guard is back in charge again.”

Here’s your bikini of the day from bikinibeat.org:

On Fan 590 Tonight- thanks to Mike S.

- open phones with McCown from 4:05 to 4:40
- co-host from 5:00 to 7:00 is James Deacon
- Brian Cooper in studio at 5:20 talking sports business issues
-Buzz Hargrove at 6:05 talking NHLPA coupe
-Ernie Els at 6:30
-Patrik LaForge at 6:45

On 640 with Brady and Watters:

- Buzz Hargrove of the NHLPA
- Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN on college football
- Dave Feschuk, co-author of a new book on the Leafs
- Eric Adelson, author of a book on Michelle Wie

TSM TAKE:

Mccown is back and not a minute too soon. What a night for sports radio! First we have the whole Coyotes/Balsillie issue, add to that the Maple Leaf letter and we have something “juicy” to talk about. Next, in case you have been living on the moon, Paul Kelly has been fired from his gig at the NHLPA. When it comes to issues like this, no one is better than Mccown to breaking down the issues. Add to that the new book about the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays spiraling season, the Argos imploding season and there is a ton to talk about. Across the border there appears to be the makings of a mutiny at the University of Michigan where a few players have gone public with alleged NCAA violations. Have I forgotten anything?

Oh yes, indeed I have. It’s the start of the fall ratings season for radio. Why, is this ratings season different than all others? No, we aren’t eating unleavened bread this ratings system, we are living under a new system though and with the shitty economy this is the book that the advertisers are going to go by. This is the superbowl of sports radio starting today. Under the old system, people would fill out a journal (literally, pen and paper) and could only count the one station that they listened to in a given time frame. So if you got into your car and started with 680 news, and stayed there for 10 minutes, but the rest of the hour listened to 590, you would only record 680.

Industry sources tell TSM that on a test of the new system, 640’s the Oakley station made LARGE gains on the Fan and other morning shows. We are also told that both CFRB and 1050 am saw sizable drops in the amount of time listened to category. That makes sense given the new way in which audience is measured. Despite an almost Mccown free summer, on the test, PTS continued its dominance in the drive home hour.

I know that a test in the dead summer is not overly telling or indicative of much. Believe this, the folks at the stations are paying a lot of attention to what is going on. How they perform over the next several weeks will determine many a fates in the next year. CFRB, in case you missed it let some folks go last week as the economic impact continues to be felt in the industry.

So, who, what and where you listen going forward may actually start to matter. That’s a good thing in this market. Summer is apparently over and most of the big boys are back. It’s one of the only reasons that I look forward to summer ending…

TSM

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

The NFL regular season is less then two weeks away from starting and most preseason games are no longer tryouts, but are being played as warm ups for week 1. Fro anyone who caught the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos clash last night the first three quarters felt like a play off game. I guess Jay Cutler making his return to the Mile High State had something to do with that.

Tonight the Minnesota Vikings and the Brett Favre Experiment make their way to the Lone Star state to take on the Houston Texans. There are several rumours out there that the Vikings locker room is divided into three – Favre supporters, Sage Rosenfels backers and Tarvaris Jackson followers. Favre will get the start and if he struggles expect the critics to get louder. The Houston Texans look to be in great position to improve on their 8-8 record last year. They have young gunslinger, Matt Schaub, behind centre and arguably one of the most talented wide receivers in the game Andre Johnson. Add to the mix second year running back Steve Slaton and you have one of the most potent offences in the AFC. Slaton rushed for 1282 yards, nine touchdowns and led the conference in yards from scrimmage. If the defence can play as well as the offence this Houston team could challenge New England, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and San Diego.

When I think about my feelings towards Toronto Raptors’ head coach Jay Triano, it’s a little strange to think my opinions have changed without actually seeing his team on the court.

The man went 25-40 as “interim” head coach last season, with little evidence to suggest improvement was on the way. I, and many others, thought he was toast. It was a little surprising when Bryan Colangelo seemingly took the easy way out and hired Triano, especially because Toronto’s GM has never had much patience for failure.

In any case, Colangelo saw something – Triano’s relationship with the players, a late-season improvement…something – That led to Jay’s rehiring, and not everyone liked it. Again, it seemed like the safe move, that would keep the Raps mired in mediocrity for the next few years and beyond. After Sam Mitchell led the team to an 8-9 start, why hire back the guy who went 25-40?

But somewhere along the way, my feelings changed. At least until I see evidence to the contrary, I’m more confident in Triano’s ability to coach, and his basketball IQ, than I was before. I don’t think I’m alone (though maybe I am), and I think the change in attitude is largely based on the excellent two-part interview with TSN’s Tim Chisolm.

The interview, given in two parts (part 1 here, part 2 here), touched on everything from Chris Bosh, Jermaine O’Neal, Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani’s development, last year’s struggles, offensive strategies, using Hedo Turkoglu, and Triano’s feelings heading into the current offseason. It’s surprisingly candid, and well worth the read.

More importantly, it showed, at least for now, that Triano really gets it. Implementing his ideas with a completely new team is an entirely different task, but I really liked what I read.

For example, on using Turk:

“If he rebounds the basketball then he brings it up like he did in Orlando, and Jose is excellent off of the ball so he’ll know where to space. The other thing that they did is they would run what they called ‘thumb-down, five-special’, which is just a zipper to bring him up to the top and then it’s a high screen-roll for him. Well, now we’ve got Jose on the side, they zipper him up and get him [Turkoglu] at the top, spread the floor, and he goes. The day that we made the deal I said to Micah [Nori, assistant coach, NBA scout] and our coaches “thumb-down, five special”, we’re adding that one, put that one in our playbook! And I like the way that we run it equally as well as the way Orlando did it. They’d just zipper him up, it’s a high screen with Dwight [Howard] and then Dwight rolls. Well, we’re gonna put CB in that and they lifted Rashard Lewis, so we’re gonna lift Andrea, we’ll put Jose in one corner and Belinelli in the other corner – who are they gonna help off of on the screen-roll? That’s why we’re just gonna roll CB down, with shooters all around him, and he’s going to have a chance to go right to the basket. It plays to his strength, it plays to Hedo’s strength as a playmaker, to Jose’s by catching the ball and making a play.

Jose’s probably going to have to get used to not having the ball in his hands as much, but I don’t think that that’s a problem.”

On paper, it sounds good, and it gives me confidence. What about you?

If you haven’t read the interview, I suggest checking it out.

And I’ll ask it again – Where do you stand on Jay Triano?

-DL

One of my favourite Sunday reads is the Sunday Boston Globe. I know there are those who love the NY Times, or other Sunday papers, but ever since I was in Vermont, I fell in love with the Sunday Globe. This started long before every paper was available for free on the internet and was back when the Blue Jays actually played meaningful baseball games. We would all get the Sunday Globe delivered so we could read Peter Gammon’s column and then I could read Kevin Paul Dupont and Nancy Marrapese-Burrel on the NHL and the Boston Bruins. So, it is still a Sunday habit to point my browser every Sunday to the Globe to see what is what in the world of sports.

This Sunday, Kevin Paul Dupont has interesting tidbits on the Toronto Maple Leafs. He starts of first with the Leafs offering Jason Allison a tryout:

“I told Jason when we talked that I don’t remember him being the most fleet afoot guy when he last played,’’ said Burke. “I’ve seen what he can do out there with the puck on the half-wall. It’s a good bet that he can still do that. But the challenge, especially after not playing for three years, could be the legs.’’
Allison, though, never made his bacon off overall speed or start-up acceleration. Even in his Hub of Hockey heyday, he lived off spatial awareness, touch, and getting in front of the net when necessary.”

For my two cents, there is nothing to lose by inviting the guy to camp. Having said that, if he is going to offer someone a tryout on a complete whim, I would have preferred it be a guy like Gary Roberts. I don’t know if he could even do so given Robert’s last contract status…but I am just saying. I have no fond memories of Allison’s first Maple Leaf stint and certainly wasn’t enamored enough to want for another round.

I love what Steve Simmons wrote on the subject in today’s Sun ( a paper I used to love to read when there was more than 1 or 2 writers worth reading):

“Brian Burke wants belligerence and truculence on the Leafs and the invitation of Jason Allison to training camp is further proof of that. A lot of people who have played with Allison in the past will tell you he has attitude, most of it off the ice … Allison, by the way, had two speeds when he last played in the NHL: Slow and slower … One more Allison question: If the Leafs are going to invite him, why not Jeff O’Neill, Alex Khavanov and Aki Berg?”

If Allison’s reputation is as bad as Simmons suggests you have to wonder what the hell Burke is thinking. As for others from that era of Leafs that Burke could go after, Eric Lindros seems to be dying to be back in the news again no?

Dupont pays Burke one hell of a compliment later in his piece in a blurb about the NHLPA mess:

“Kelly is, without a doubt, one of the four smartest men around the NHL, along with commissioner Gary Bettman, his deputy Bill Daly, and Leafs general manager Brian Burke. Say what you will about their individual styles or decisions, they understand the business of the game and somehow keep it relevant, which is no mean feat.”

Coming form a writer like this is pretty impressive. It tells you that Burke has the respect of those who know the game and have covered it for years. Maybe, just maybe MLSE got this hiring right. The proof will be in the pudding for Burke, not this year, but pretty soon there will have to be the makings of some progress towards the playoffs and beyond. Which brings me to this question for you, it’s opening night, Burke is sitting in the press box, is there a sense of relief, anticipation, angst???? What do you think. He has had a pretty busy off season. Many pieces have been changed. No one has any clue how they will fit together and no, one game doesn’t make a season. I wonder what will be going through his mind 10 minutes before the first puck is dropped.

Now, onto our poll:

Simmons is here
Dupont is here

There are always three sides to every story. Literally, there is one side, the other side and then the truth which usually lies somewhere in between the two. So when we read Craig Button’s account of life under John Ferguson Jr. we have to take it with grain of a salt, knowing that there has to be more to the story. I am not calling Button a liar, on the contrary, I am saying he is human, and he is good at telling a version of the story that best suits him.

Having said that, in reading a couple of excerpts of Leafs AbomiNation: The Dismayed Fan’s Handbook to Why the Leafs Stink and How They Can Rise Again, by Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange, I am intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the book. The Toronto Star ran a piece today, as did the Globe and Mail. It appears to be a book that most Leaf fans will want to read as it provides an inside look into what was happening on the inside of our team. None of the stories on their own surprise me. What does surprise me is just how bad things were. I mean, we as fans always heard tales. There have been rumblings about the ways of Richard Peddie, and the competency of John Ferguson Jr. but I don’t think that anyone every REALLY believed that either was as bad as the pundits made them out to be.

“A big reason I left is there’s got to be a fit. When you don’t feel you’re contributing, when you don’t feel anybody’s paying attention even, it’s difficult to stick around,” says Button. “I cannot begin to tell you how non-communicative John Ferguson and Mike Penny were. I’m talking, not even, `Good idea.’ “You’d send stuff to them – nothing. Somebody asked me once, `What’s John like in private?’ I said, `Exactly like he is in public.’ And I’m not trying to rip on John. I think he was overwhelmed. I think he was like a deer in the headlights and he didn’t know what to do.”

This type of story by Button is the exact thing I used to hear about JFJ all the time. He didn’t listen to anyone’s advise or counsel EVER. Despite the fact that he was a rookie GM, he always considered himself the smartest guy in the room. What’s surprising about this is not only that it comes from Button, but that stories were true. Button tries to salvage Ferguson’s reputation by blaming those who hired him. While I am the first to admit he was a brutal hire, not listening to those around you is a character flaw. It’s not the responsibility of Peddie or anyone else. Either Ferguson is smart or he isn’t. He either listened to advice or he didn’t. Being overwhelmed usually means you are smart enough to get help. Typically when someone is overwhelmed they don’t try to do everything themselves.

“”I think it’s the dumbest thing they ever could have done. Putting [prospects] under the scrutiny of Toronto? I can’t think of anything dumber. How do you live in a city like Toronto when you’re a young player making $50,000 a year? But that was a business-side decision. They thought they were going to make a ton of money off the Marlies. They thought they’d make something like $3 million or $4 million a year. And they’re losing $3 million or $4 million a year. So they were off by $6 or $8 million.”

It’s actually pretty funny. We on this site say it all the time. the Marlies are on of the poorest run organizations off the ice in sports we have ever seen. While I don’t like the fact that a smaller market lost their team, I think moving the team to Toronto was a good thing. It allows the kids to get lots of exposure, to be seen by scouts and it’s a great way for the Leafs brass to keep an eye on them. It cuts down on travel and makes moving players around a lot easier. MLSE had no clue how to run a minor league franchise, and as late as the playoffs last season it was apparent they still had lots to learn. Toronto remains an event driven market, and a Maple Leaf market. It is not a hockey city. The only way they are going to ever fill the building is if the find a way to penetrate the kids leagues and groups. They also have to find a way to make the games into an event. They have to sell more sizzle and less steak.

Button’s story about his recommendation to sign Fabian Brunnstrom is epic. Button recommended signing Brunnstrom while he was in Europe long before he was on anyone’s radar:

“”It was a no-brainer,” says Button, looking back. “I mean, here was a free agent you can sign for next to nothing? It’s a no-brainer.”

But when Bergman brought the plan to Ferguson and the GM’s lieutenant, Mike Penny, the no-brainer became a flat-out no.

“Mike Penny, with John Ferguson right there, said, `There’s no f–king way we’re f–king signing a guy and having him play in f–king Sweden. What the f–k is this bullshit?’” says Button. “I’m sitting there thinking, `Okay. Don’t listen to me. That’s okay. But you hired this guy, Thommie Bergman, and this is his job, to find talent in Europe, and this is how he gets treated?’ But that’s exactly what was said.”

Again, who knows how true any of this is. Either way it’s hilarious. It totally sounds like the Ferguson that the media portrayed him out to be. I can’t imagine that Button will be getting Christmas cards from MLSE anytime soon.

The book sounds like a great read. I have yet to see if it is available on my Amazon Kindle. When I read it I will try to post a full review. I would love to hear more from others who have read it or who have planed to read it.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

The NHLPA is meeting this weekend to discuss it’s leadership situation. No, this isn’t a misprint, the NHLPA is apparently and many accounts, once again talking about the role of their executive director. What exactly has gone on to bring the union to today isn’t exactly clear. It appears that Eric Lindros is involved, as is Buzz Hargrove. It appears that the union that appeared to be moving away from infighting and power vacuums hasn’t advanced at all. In fact, by the spread of rumours around the union, it appears that they haven’t learned a thing.

Interestingly enough, Brian Burke’s newest lieutenant may be the one most responsible for Kelly’s hire. It was Dave Poulin, insiders tell TSM that was able to use his influence to get the NHLPA to hire his search firm, Reilly Partners to perform the search for Ted Saskin’s replacement. Poulin, I am told, a former player, pulled out all the stops to ensure that his firm got the lucrative contract to find Paul Kelly. Nothing wrong with what Poulin did, it is, I am sure one of the reasons he was so successful in the search business. Having been a former hockey player, Poulin used that to help secure other searches in the marketplace. So as the NHLPA looked around the search business landscape, Poulin, the former player was able to convince the union that his firm would do the best job because he, the former player would be involved. Poulin understood what the job entailed, he knew what it meant to be a player and what the union had been through, wanted to avoid and what attributes the new leader should have.

So, as the union once again, undergoes an internal review/dispute one has to keep an eye on Poulin and his old firm. Yes at times someone can be guilty by association. Maybe Kelly hasn’t done anything wrong here and neither therefore did Riley Partners. However, if Kelly is booted, I can’t imagine it will look good on either Riley Partners nor Poulin. I can’t believe this will happen. It just seems to be beyond belief that the union is going through this again. It may be the one piece of good news that Bettman has had all summer. No matter how screwed up his league may be, the union could be more so…. Hard to believe…

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

You know it irks me to no end every time one of the usual suspects quibs that no big free agent has chosen the Maple Leafs during the prime years of their career. We, the argument goes, always seem to get the guys who want to retire in Toronto, in Mats’ Clubhouse. Until such time as this changes, the gurus suggest, the Maple Leafs will not compete for anything other than a high draft pick.

It occured to me tonight that perhaps Burke has already turned the page on that argument. He may have already landed a guy, who is still in his prime who will help deliver us to the promised land. Oddly enough, the signing is not of a player, but rather of a coach. I fantastic article in today’s National Post about the Maple Leafs new goalie coach/consultant, Francois Allaire.

“He’s the smartest goaltending mind in the NHL.” says former Maple Leaf goaltending coach Steve McKichan. The article is a must read if you are a Maple Leaf fan as it tells the story of a guy who is self taught, a pioneer and one who is still very much at the top of the game. Not only that, he is the one guy who will have the most direct effect on how or where this team finishes over the next couple of years.

Irrespective of how any of the players Brian Burke brings in, it will be the goalies and their performance that will determine how well the Maple Leafs do. Forwards, defencemen will come and go. Although no draft pick was spent on the Monster, he is, by all accounts the great white hope behind Toskala. There is no one coming up in the ranks to look to. JFJ dealt a few away. Burke traded the last one away. Now, there is Vesa and Jonas.

Ron Wilson and his group will do their best with the team as a whole, the forwards and the defence. Allaire will be responsible for the development of the goalies. Unfortunately, as goes the goalies, for the most part so to will the Maple Leafs. I really think it is that simple. All the new players, Schenn, Kaberle et all can all have excellent seasons, if the goaltending is flat, so to will the Leafs. A good goalie makes the whole team play differently. They play with more confidence. Do you remember how much differently the Leafs of old played in front of Curtis Joseph? They were a different team.

So, count this as the second big name free agent the Leafs have landed while still in their prime. Burke was the first, it says here that Allaire is number two.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Today on Prime Time Sports:

- McCown is on vacation again this week, Rob Faulds is guest host
- open phones with Faulds in the first hour
- co-host at 5:05 is Jim Kelley
- Friday roundtable from 5:05 to 7:00 with James Deacon and Gord Kirke

last night before Mccown returns just intime for the fall ratings book to start. I am told that on a sample July run of the new system The Fan maintained leads on 640 in every demographic and in everytime slot with the exception of the morning show where apparently under the new system 640’s news talk format did well against the Fan’s morning show. Does the test numbers matter? No, but they may be a good measure of things to come. I trying to get more concrete examples of the trial sample under the new system for you.

TSM

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

In Monaco tonight, two champions will put it all on the line as they battle for the coveted UEFA Super Cup. In one corner you have powerhouse FC Barcelona, who last season became the first team in Spanish league history to win La Liga, Copa del Ray and UEFA Champion League. Their opponents, FC Shaktar Donetsk, hail from Ukraine and are the reigning UEFA Cup champions. For anyone wondering, the Super Cup is an annual match played between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Barcelona has played in this game seven previous times coming out on top twice. Shaktar is making its Super Cup debut. These two teams played twice last season during the group stage of the Champions League splitting the games one a piece. There’s an interesting twist in this game as well. Shaktar defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy will be playing his final game with his team. His future team – Barcelona.

While in Monaco one member of Barcelona picked up even more hardware. Winger Lionel Messi was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.