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Kelly's firing suggests labor battle on horizon

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At home in Prince Edward Island, Canada, he's known as Lyle Richardson. But around these parts, he's known as Spector, FOXSports.com's Prince of Pucks. Check in with Spector's NHL Blog on Yardbarker.com for NHL rumors and analysis.

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Updated Sep 3, 2009 3:19 PM ET
     
 
The NHL Players Association's firing earlier this week of executive director Paul Kelly stunned the hockey world and left most observers pondering the rationale behind the move. Kelly had been hired in 2007 to replace the ousted Ted Saskin as the PA director and received praise for his low-key, conciliatory approach, especially in his dealings with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
PA critics believed Kelly's style was just what was needed to perhaps prevent another work stoppage when the current collective bargaining agreement expired. The PA has been tight-lipped over the reasons behind Kelly's dismissal but most pundits and bloggers offered scathing criticism of the move, suggesting he was forced out by a group of hard-liners within the Association who felt he was getting too close with Bettman. Kelly's firing is seen as further proof of the NHLPA's disarray since the lockout ended in 2005, lending credence to claims their agenda has been controlled by a small group of players while the majority have little or no input or interest in Association business. Rumors abounded former NHL player and PA ombudsman Eric Lindros was behind the move and there were reports some players and agents were very upset over the decision to remove Kelly. Boston Bruins player rep Andrew Ference denied the rumors, telling the Boston Herald a lot of the information coming out in the press about Kelly's firing was "completely false". Whatever the true reasons behind the ouster the concern now is over who takes over for Kelly — counsel Ian Penny was made interim director while the PA seeks a replacement — and what approach they'll take in future labor negotiations with the NHL. The concern now among the PA's critics is the hard-liners are back in control and could attempt to hire someone along the lines of former NHLPA director Bob Goodenow, whose tough stance against the league had previously won the players significant gains in a 1992 strike and the 1994-95 lockout but ultimately was unable to prevent the implementation of a salary cap in 2005. The critics believe bringing in another hard-line leader could result in yet another work stoppage either via lockout or players' strike. Ference claims the last thing the players want is another lockout. "Far be this about wanting a guy now who just wants a fight," Ference told the Boston Herald. "That doesn't make sense. Why would players want that?" Still, there's the opinion the players gave up too much in the last lockout, as Maple Leafs defenseman Garnet Exelby recently suggested to the Toronto Sun. Exelby claimed the players had an issue with the current escrow setup, which because of the recession resulted in up to 20 percent of the players' salaries withheld at times last season, comparing that with the NBA's escrow cap of between 8-9 percent. Escrow is obviously a significant issue for the PA but it might not be the only issue. Yahoo! Sports' Greg Wyshynski spoke with several player agents over this summer and they suggest another labor war could be coming. "Long-term contracts, international play, player input into League decisions like expansion and relocation, and the players' slice of the pie in general," wrote Wyshynski, adding those agents believed — prior to Kelly's firing — the PA was ill-prepared for another fight with the league. Whoever the NHLPA hires as their executive director — provided that person isn't fired in 12-18 months — will have the unenviable task of unifying a fractured players association, motivating its seemingly apathetic membership and negotiating a workable collective bargaining agreement with the league. Kelly's firing has also led to claims the team owners can't wait to get back into another labor battle with the PA in hopes of squeezing it for more concessions, but they too have good reasons to avoid another lockout. Revenues may be up but the salary cap hasn't helped struggling franchises like the Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers. The league still lacks a significant television contract in the United States, which greatly affects its visibility and it's believed some big-market owners are grumbling over having to share revenue with struggling markets. None of the issues on both sides of the table can be suitably addressed by rattling sabers in preparation for another long labor war. Not for a sports league which only in the past two years has begun to gain back some of the market it lost from its last CBA war over four years ago. Whether or not the NHLPA's future executive director or the NHL's brain trust understands this has yet to be determined, which won't allay the genuine fear of NHL fans and pundits of another lockout on the horizon.
Tagged: Maple Leafs, Garnet Exelby, Jets, Andrew Ference, Bruins, Eric Lindros

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