In alarge woods of tall trees, another poor soul is on his knees, cryingfor his life. A dark figure stands in the killing posture, poised.
No, this isn't the Coen Brothers gem of a movie, Miller's Crossing. This is what has been happening to heads of the NHL's Player Association ever since Bob Goodenow stepped down after the NHLPA bowed to the pressure of a NHL owner run lockout that canceled the 2004 and 2005 hockey season.
"Nobody knows anybody. Not that well." - Tom Reagan, Miller's Crossing
Ever since then, player solidarity and vision has been splintered as
the head of the NHLPA has become like the drummer to Spinal Tap.
And beneath the surface lies a Dashiell Hammet-like caper that is
vying to hammer out a battle to different gangs... The old guard and
the new class of players. Behind both are player agents who are tied to
player rights and contract values like Ahab to the White Whale.
So the lay of the land is tremendously unsettled, and games are
played by both sides in what is a tug of war that seems to get top
brass of the NHLPA effectively shot in the woods.
Perhaps the only thing missing in all this is the troublesome dame who has emeshed them all deep within a woven web.
Our tale begins as all do, noir style, as bodies fall without much
clarity as to why. Those following these goings on the usual mainstream
of blog venues are getting their information in drips and drabs, but
nothing seems very clear.
In fact the more we seem to know, the more confusing it seems to get.
Is this the new NHLPA designated meeting place these days?
There was a complaint that ran through the dinthe other day of why was all this NHLPA rumpus important or even a mainnews story. This portends for an entire league, as there aresevere undercurrents that will either lead to a bloody work stoppage,or just a scattered mess of players under the NHL owner's foot.
You say you don't care?
You will when there is another canceled season, ladies and gents.
This is why many journalists and bloggers have been following these goings on with some concern.
For thosewho aren't privy to the shenanigans, basically, the NHLPA has been aboutas steady as Michael J. Fox using a jackhammer. Or for those squeamish,Andre Agassi after a few cans of 'special' JOLT. Or for even moresqueamish, how about any of the Toronto Maple Leaf goalies? There you go.
Basically, the inmates have done more than just run the asylum. The players have taken out the heads of the NHLPA as if this is Survivor, but with Don Cherry instead of the affable host Jeff Probst.
Infighting,politicking, backstabbing, tattling, you name it...it has happened withthe NHLPA in the last few years, ever since they bowed to the NHL inthe last CBA. So, one would think they rallied and reorganized? Farfrom it. The politics underneath and subsequent drama mean quite a bitto what amounts to several car wrecks before a looming CBA where twosides must hash out differences under that bargaining agreement. Add init might be very likely that a recession is still affecting things,make the future even more murky.
Thus, theripples of what is a floundering NHLPA will have effects to their ownstrength and positioning when it is high noon. Just as a NHL who had afiasco in Phoenix as a rogue came in and tried to move them and showedflaws in their own armor which has a few more dents like a non-espnagreement, US clubs in trouble, last few expansion teams in the red,and a few fiascoes like Boots and other embarrassments.
To act like these aren't important or have effect on what might transpire is almost being willingly obtuse.
Furthermore,the politics beneath the mechanics might be more than even it seems tothe naked eye. There might be a battle going on of new players and oldwith a few agents thrown in pivoting and entrenched on either side.
Ifthere is one person smack dab in the middle of things of all the goingson, it is a player who is not even paying union dues this year as hesits in the AHL hoping a team signs him at the ripe age of 47 yearsold. Chris Chelios made it his business to topple Ted Saskin back in 2007. He accused player agent Don Meehan of undermining the NHLPA back then as well. Chelios, in fact, has a large part to play in the propping up Paul Kelly as NHLPA head when he had an executive search firm headed by his old buddy, former Flyer's Captain, Dave Poulin.
Then outwent Kelly, taken out by the very rules that Chelios and othersratified, but by a new class of players. Those who helped topple Kellywere of the new school of players who took exception at Kelly's attemptto find out what players were saying about him in meetings and an internal audit of players spending.
Then, suddenly, post-coup, Chelios and others were front and center. Ian Penny,who was someone who had blood on his hands getting Kelly removed, wasnow in charge as players began to try to investigate on what exactlytranspired.
Chelioswas part of a committee of vets that were mandated to look into it.Instead, they, led by Chelios and per sources and even Steve Larmer,his former teammate declared that they, "exceeded their mandate". Steve then did what many others have been doing like lemmings going over a cliff: resigning.
Exceedingthe mandate seems almost an understatement as Chelios, per Ian Penny'sletter of resignation, describing the AHL defenseman as almost acloddish overwrought Phillip Marlowe on steroids. Chelios was purposelystrong-arming his way on a mission, using someone from the NHLPA's offices to feedhim information, to make the current structure implode on its ownvolition.
Chelios rode in with some leeway to investigate, seemed tocarry a Bazooka of a gun and an axe to grind, and never seemed to investigateanything at all. Just clean house.
His actionsattempted to hamstring the current actions of the NHLPA brass, tryingto make them not talk to one another. Nowhere through all this didthis committee seem to actually do what it was created to do in thefirst place: investigate.
Instead, Mike Ouellet will be acting Executive Director, and the old guard now leads again.Sources cite that Ouellet was the person feeding Chelios piecemeal ofevery NHLPA email, phone call and meeting information, as Chelios wascowboying his way to clean house.
Somesay this 'cleaning of house' needed to happen. Yet this is the thirdsweeping post-CBA. The old guard is now back in charge. To say that somehow things are solved or cleaned-up are farfrom accurate. If anything it seerms even more unsettled. Players and agents seem split on the goings-on,and solidarity seems hard to find.
Some feel that Chelios needsto get out of the way, besides retire at the overripe age of 47, so that newer players can putforth their own identity and create some balance. The fact that severalagents sit on different sides of all this might be the most dangerousthing of all, as they speak in many a players ear devisively.
It simply cannot be over with all these cooks seem to have a stick....errr...spoon in the stew. In fact, do not be surprised to what happens next in this sordid tale of bloody mayhem in the land of hockey and a union in deep trouble.