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.”

Could you imagine the voltage needed to shock and re-shock Larry Brooks heart should the Maple Leafs ever win the cup? The biggest homer not named Simpson would go code blue the instant the game ended in which John Tavares was about to drink from the Lord Stanley’s Cup breaking the 1967 drought. What a fantastic thought, 60 trillion volts of electricity needed entering the puny body of Bob Goodenow’s number one fan. I would say restart the heart, but I am not sure a more famous character has lived sans a heart since, the Tin Man.

“The grandstanding Brian Burke got the attention on TSN and in the Toronto newspapers that he apparently needs the way the rest of us need air to breathe, but the general manager of the Maple Leafs isn’t going to get the first pick of the Entry Draft from the Islanders, no matter how often he announces his intention to get it from Garth Snow.”

Can you imagine the dribble to come out of the Scarecrow’s keyboard had the Leafs and not the team who’s logo cover’s his comforter signed Matt Gilroy???? Gilroy has gone from what would have been the the next biggest bust since Jim Benning to Bobby Orr cause he plays for Homer Simpson’s team.

” Slap Shots has learned from a well-placed source that when Burke, as announced and as promised, placed a call to the winner of the lottery (the Islanders victorious in the postseason, quite the novelty, by the way), he was told by Snow that the Islanders would be willing to deal, all right . . . willing to deal for Toronto’s seventh-overall selection, that is. As it stands now, the Islanders have San Jose’s first rounder via the Chris Campoli-Mike Comrie trade with Ottawa that will come in between 26th and 30th overall, depending upon the Sharks’ success in the playoffs. The Islanders also have their own second-round pick that will be the 31st overall selection, and the Bruins’ 60th overall pick in the draft. So the Islanders will take the seventh overall pick from Toronto in exchange for the Sharks’ first, their own second and perhaps Boston’s second, as well. Burke can have his trade. Turnabout, after all, is fair play. Even if Snow doesn’t announce his offer to TSN.”

Would that be the same well placed source who told Slap Shots that Mats Sundin was going to be a New York Ranger? TSN may have reported what Burke had to say, but only a total moron would report this. That is, unless the moron had an ulterior motive. Clearly the Tin Man does Leaf fans, so take this one with a large grain of salt. When Tavares wears blue and white ( ) and he raises the cup we will know what to do, or what to say….

CLEAR

The rest of the Tin Man’s piece is here…

Ho hum, another season gone. Man did it go fast. Not much drama either. Now the fun begins. If only there was going to be as much turnover in sports media as there appears to be in the TML!

Here’s a round up of what I am reading, hearing and seeing on this cold, but sunny Fall, I mean Spring day:

Quote of the day comes from Adrian Dater, the awesome Colorado Avalanche beat writer and blogger:

“The whispers are starting in earnest, that former Avs winger Eric Lacroix could be the next GM of the Avalanche. Other than having no previous experience at the job at the NHL level, I can’t think of anything that should disqualify him for the job. Hey, why not? When your dad is still the team president, and you’ve spent the last year as a scout with the Phoenix Coyotes, watching every Avs game at the Pepsi Center as part of the job, and spent the previous couple of years in the front office of a minor-league team in Phoenix, why shouldn’t that get you a job running an NHL team?”

Gotta love walking into a new gig with those paid to critique you already taking jabs (and appropriately so). I love that Strachan has this as a done deal on what has become the Satellite Hot Stove. Is anyone else out there pissed that our hard earned tax dollars can’t do any better then the collective morons they put on what used to be the best segment of hockey talk every week? Who the hell is running that show?? Talk about a need for a mandatory review!

You can read Dater’s piece(not peace) here.

Funny how much of a homer Larry Brooks has become. His column used to be a good read. Lately it has become tired, boring and so predictable. Get a load of this crap:

“Speaking of making sense, there is nothing more absurd in sports than the NHL’s revenue-sharing system, under which the Maple Leafs, the league’s wealthiest and most profitable franchise, get a rebate check worth between $4-4.5 million because the rest of the teams’ combined payrolls created an excess of escrow money. The Maple Leafs did not come close to spending at the $56.7M cap, coming in at an approximate $49M. They invested, what, maybe 40 percent of their hockey-related revenue on payroll, yet they will get a refund because other teams invested up to 65 percent of their income on players? That would be tantamount to the Yankees getting revenue-share money from MLB because the Royals, Pirates, Marlins and Rockies went on a spending spree.”

Know this sports fans, if Glen Sather had done the same thing, Brooks’s lips would return to Sather’s ass to lay a big smackeroo right where his lips usually are. I say it a million times, bash the buds where they deserve it (there is lots of ammunition). How funny that the guy who was the police of the hockey writers has become a total shill for the home team. Dare I say Howard Berger has become more objective then this jackass. Seriously, I wonder if Brooks’ bedroom is adorned with photo’s of Sean Avery, Glen Sather and Bob Goodenow. Oh wait, I forgot, his favorite Ranger player of all time Bobby Holik, whom he lobbied for 975 straight columns for the Rangers to acquire. Dominic Hasek, that big hulking goalie once beat the pulp out of a hockey writer (the horror). I would love to see Brooks in a elevator or dark alley with Brian Burke!

You can read the rest of Brooks dribble here, including this gem, which you can discuss amongst yourselves” Oh, like Brian Burke wasn’t going to have Ron Wilson coaching the 2010 US Olympic Team?”

This is bad i know, but I can’t resist. What do you call soon to be new Maple Leaf goalie (I hope) The Monster prior to his first NHL appearance?

The Green Monster!

Proof is in the pudding:

” And he has a warning for those who plan to be on hand: Don’t feel too secure. “I keep hearing and reading about the 17 players we have under contract for next season,” Burke said the other day. “Well, those 17 had better not get too comfortable. “I’m not afraid to buy guys out. And I won’t hesitate to send guys to the minors if they have a poor camp. “I will do whatever it takes to do make this team better.”

I am not saying he won’t do it. I am just saying talking is one thing. Doing quite another. I hope the talk gets backed up, I really do.

Making a list and checking it twice:
“We plan to be quite aggressive in free agency,” he said. Burke can’t speculate on potential targets. So we’ll do it for him.Don’t be surprised if he makes a hard pitch for the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik. It was Burke, then the GM of the Vancouver Canucks, who wheeled and dealed himself into position to pick the highly skilled brothers at the 1999 entry draft. To this point, there is no certainty that the twins will re-sign with the Canucks.Florida Panthers defenceman Jay Bouwmeester also is likely to be coveted by the Leafs. There have been suggestions that Bouwmeester, a Prairie boy at heart, might favour the Alberta-based teams, however. Sens tough guy Chris Neil and Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri are among the other possibilities. All the while, Burke understands the salary cap will likely drop in future seasons. A recent report suggested Burke would not go over $6 million US for any player.”

I know I am in the minority here. 2 thumbs down on the Sedins. Thumbs up on Neil and Jay Bo (but he aint going to sign here). If he gets the twins, I will be happy to eat crow should I be wrong, but I am not a big fan of dumping a boat load of cash on either or both of these guys.

Tie Who?

File this one under whatever happened to.. I ran into Tie Domi at SportingLife on Yonge street yesterday. The former bud and fan favorite used to be a huge drawer of crowds wherever he would go. There he was with huge Sean Avery sunglasses on, (may as well have been a neon sign saying LOOK AT ME), without anyone caring. He even took off the shades at one point, glances around the packed store (50% of shoes draws a crowd!) and again no one looked back, let alone ask for an autograph. Better yet, when I told Mrs. TSM that Tie Domi was in the story, 2 guys overheard me and said in unisen “WHO CARES”….ouch!

All Class:

I took the family over to the North Toronto Arena yesterday to see if Mike Toth was hanging out eating hot dogs. No really, my nephew’s team was playing in the Atom AA Ontario Tourney that was being held at the local arena. Red Kelly’s grandson was playing as well and he was sitting in the row behind us. My Father in law, the world’s biggest sports fan, as long as the sports are in Detroit, couldn’t help himself but chatting up with the 8 (yes time Stanley Cup winner. Kelly, was the proud wearer of one of Mike Illitch’s new Stanley Cup rings that the current red wing over gave to players who won cups with the wings but never received rings for their efforts. While one game was being played on the North Toronto ice surface, another appeared to be played on Kelly’s ring too! Kudos to Kelly and his wife who chatted up my father in law for the better part of 10 minutes. Mrs. Kelly was STUNNED when my father in law knew her name…classic. The best part, and I can’t make this up was after the game, Kelly walked over to us and congratulated us on my newphew winning the game MVP award for his team. It doesn’t get any classier then that!

On A Sad Note:

I write this with a heavy heart today folks. In only a few short hours I will go put on my Sunday’s best and pay tribute to a great man. My great uncle passed away the other night at the young age of 85. The only reason that I share this here (not hear) is that there is little question in my mind that my love for sports and hockey can be traced back to him. As a younger man he somehow found himself in the constant company of the Stanley Cup winning Toronto Maple Leafs on a personal level. While I was too young to remember it, as a young boy he would take me and my brothers and cousins in to the buds dressing room to meet all the guys. He lived, at one point the dream many of us would have killed for. He used to travel with the team on the road. Those of the players who are still around, he still called friends today. Playing golf and cards with them on many a Saturday and Sunday afternoons. While he often fell asleep watching the games, I am not sure he ever missed a leaf, raptor or jays game if it were televised. Every time I talked to him, I was fortunate enough to hear the tales of his trips to see games in all of the major sports in eras where the athletes were true heroes. I was lucky enough to have dinner with him the night before he died. He sat at the table and told me how he used to take his son to New York to see the likes of Jim Brown and OJ Simpson run the ball (“can you believe they would rush for over 200 yards a game alone in snow?”). Each time I saw him a new story was told, different then anyone I have ever heard before. Each time, me like a 6 year old boy soaking in each and every one in as if I where actually there with him. A bombastic man he was, I am not sure a greater sports fan ever lived. An early riser, in the office at 4:30, 5am, he used to call it a night pretty early. 2 years ago he called in a favor to one of his buddies and scored us a pair of Jays tickets, first row above the Yankees dugout. It was the game that went the distance when Vernon Wells hit a walk off home run. The game ended late that night. Way passed his bed time. He sat there with me that night telling a million stories while he took in the game. We stayed till the end that night and I tell you no one screamed louder when Wells hit the ball out that night. Last season he was unable to go to the game, but of course secured the same pair for the same game and gave them to me. The next morning I called to thank him again for the tickets and of course he had watched on tv. As I left dinner the other night, totally unaware that it would be the last time I would ever see him alive, he said to me, “don’t worry, I will get those tickets this year…we’re going again.” Always the best of intentions, always wanting and willing to share the experience. Why with me directly, I do not know. I am such the better person for them, and I will remember him always. I think this year, when the Yanks come to town I will take little TSM in his honor.

Have a good Sunday…

Editors note, Kypreos was on the fan this am and he cited a an article in the Sun today which provides:

” Whatever the case, a source close to McCabe said last night the veteran defenceman would not change addresses for at least another couple of weeks.

“(Bryan) isn’t going anywhere until Sept. 1, at the earliest,” the source said. “That’s the date (he) gets his $2-million US signing bonus from Toronto.

“Why would a team deal for (him) before that and be on the hook for that extra money? They’ll just wait until (he) gets paid, then see what happens.”

And there you have it folks, the reason why this is on hold. As stated previously, everyone is too positive this will happen, but not for another 2-3 weeks. Any suitors are waiting for the Leafs to pay McCabe this bonus and then he will be dealt. The proverbial other shoe may have just dropped.

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Relatively new NHLPA gran poobah Paul Kelly was on the morning show with Gord Stellick and Damien Cox. It was a pretty interesting interview. The Guy certainly is bright and doesn’t come across nearly as snively as Ted Saskin nor as big an egomaniac as Bob Goodenow. The interview can best be described as The Good, the Bad and the HUH…

The Good: On McCabe, Kelly didn’t say anything when it was suggested to him that the Leafs threatened to keep McCabe away should he not waive his NMC. To be clear, it was part of a long question that went a little something like this, Here locally fans are interested in the Bryan McCabe situation were originally the Leafs were telling Bryan he wouldn’t be welcome at training camp and now it seems like there has been some positive developments, how involved are you in the situation?

Kelly’s response was, more or less, I am not directly involved, however I am heartened by the things I hear from Cliff Fletcher and am pleased where things are headed and that is a credit to both sides and it looks like this will be resolved amicably.

Again I am more convinced that the other shoe just needs to drop on this one. All the parties seem to be saying the same thing. This is a good sign. Let me make it clear that I think McCabe isn’t the Alexander Karpotsev he appears to be. I think, however, there is no way he can perform to his ability here in Toronto. That doesn’t mean he won’t go to another team and become a top level player again. Nor does it mean that dealing him is a mistake. I truly believe that sometimes it really is in everyone’s best interest that a player move on. This is one of those cases.

Interesting to note that Kyrepos is reporting McCabe has waived his no trade clause to a limited number of teams. One is apparently the Florida Panthers as Hanky reported (e3, I believe). Florida Panthers writer George Richards is speculating it will be a package of Mike Van Ryn and a prospect coming north in exchange for McCabe. KuklasKorner has good comentary on this too here.

The Bad: Kelly was asked about his relationship with the Commish and the NHL in general as compared with Saskin who seemed to be in bed with the league and Goodenow whom no matter what the issue was, Bob was always in conflict with the league. Kelly said that he has respect for everyone. That when he was a trial lawyer he fought hard battles in the court room but always tried to respect his opponents and treat them as people. He said that he was trying to establish a relationship that was somewhere between the Saskin love in and the Goodenow scortched earth. He then said that he speaks to Bill Daily or Bettman numerous times a week and he speaks to the business guys a lot.

Where’s the bad, well, Kelly then said that he speaks to Clarence Campbell about on ice issues! So either Kelly is Cole Sear or he meant Colin Campbell. I am impressed that he even knew the name Clarence Campbell, but its not too great either that he mixed him up with Bettman’s on-ice guru either…

The huh: Ok, so the boyz were trying to be funny, but they did ask Kelly about Mats Sundin. It’s interesting that he said he isn’t directly involved in the McCabe situation (which must be pissing of Hanky to no end) but he talks about the Sundin issue as if he IS directly involved in it. While he says he doesn’t know what Sundin is going to do, he does say that he knows Sundin is working out and is in great shape (um, you trying to sell something Paul?) He continued that Sundin is skating and re-emphasized that he doesn’t know what is going to happen but that he think we will hear from Mats shortly.

One of the alleged complaints from several agents about Goodenow was that he constantly meddled in player business that wereclearly issues as between player and agent. Those agents represented the players and that specific players best interests, where Goodenow was allegedly always trying to get what was best for the union. Sometimes those two interests were not aligned. The amount of pressure Goodenow allegedly put on the agents was at times immense. One has to wonder if that is continuing in the Kelly era already.

If you listen to the interview, it is also interesting when Kelly says, when asked whether the infighting and apathy within the PA is diminishing, that he is trying to keep the players abreast on all the issues in case something creeps up in two years the players won’t be caught by surprise. Remember, this is a VERY experienced trial lawyer. The Clarence/Colin Campbell is a slip up, a mistake, making comments like a reference to issues appearing in 2 years is not anecdotal, you have to believe he says that for a very specific reason. It will be interesting to learn over time what that purpose was.

you can listen to the interview here:

Kelly on the morning show