In a year that saw the NHL expand to 12 teams, NHL player representatives opted to come together and form a union. The nine representatives – Ed Johnston, Pierre Pilote, Norm Ullman, Bobby Rousseau, J.C. Tremblay, Rod Gilbert, Harry Howell, Bob Nevin, and Bob Pulford – approved a constitution and elected Pulford as its first president. The next step was to find an executive director.
The Alan Eagleson Era
In 1967, the newly-formed National Hockey League Players’ Association turned to Canadian lawyer and hockey agent Alan Eagleson to head up the union. He held the position until 1991.
Eagleson made headlines during his reign, though not all positive. His seemingly close relationship with teams’ management and owners led many to question his loyalty to the players he was supposed to be fighting for.
Eagleson represented Pulford as an agent for many years, but claimed that was no longer the case once Pulford joined the management ranks. However, in an October 1991 CBC report the network stated it had obtained documents that showed otherwise.
According to the report, Eagleson had sent a letter to Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz in which he let it be known that he had “suggested to Bob Pulford that he draft a 10-year contract for Bobby [Orr]...” Further on in the same letter, CBC says, Eagleson asked about extending Pulford’s contract, as well.
Questions about his conduct while heading the NHLPA would prove to be valid. Eagleson was charged and eventually convicted on counts of fraud and embezzlement.
One piece of good news, however, to come out of his tenure would be his key role in the creation of the 1972 Canada-Soviet Union Summit Series.
A Change of Direction Under Bob Goodenow
Bob Goodenow’s reign began in 1992. His reputation as a hard-liner than his predecessor would stick with him during his tenure. In his 13 years as executive director, Goodenow led his union through a combined three work stoppages, each more damaging than the previous one.
NHL players first went on strike on April 1, 1992; ten days later they returned after the league and union came to an agreement on a two-year contract. All scheduled games during the brief dispute were ultimately re-scheduled.
The 1994 lockout saw half a season wiped out as the two sides tried to reach deal. They reportedly came close on several occasions, but the biggest obstacle was ownership’s desire for a salary cap. That stumbling block that would resurface a decade later.
In 2004, Gary Bettman and the owners he represented stood firm on their longing for the cap. Goodenow did the same to prevent the restrictions on player salaries. With both sides unwilling to budge, the NHL became the first professional sports league to cancel an entire season due to a labour strife.
Goodenow resigned from his post after the CBA was ratified in July 2005.
Ted Saskin Leads the NHLPA After the Lockout
Ted Saskin was closer to the other side of the player/league fence than Goodenow, a stance that didn’t sit well with many players. As a result, several players worked to oust Saskin and in the end, his stay as Executive Director would be brief. In March 2007, he was suspended without pay when it was alleged that he had been reading players’ NHLPA emails.
Two months later, after an outside investigation into the reports, Saskin was fired.
Short-lived Tenure of Paul Kelly
With Saskin removed, the search was on for a new executive director. The NHLPA’s Executive Board assigned a selection committee – comprised of Mike Cammalleri, Chris Chelios, Shawn Horcoff, Eric Lindros, and Robyn Regher – to seek out the new leadership. They would eventually land on Boston lawyer Paul Kelly.
Though new to the union’s leadership, Kelly already had a connection to the NHLPA upon his hiring: He was the assistant district attorney in the case against Eagleson.
Like Saskin, his time at the helm wouldn’t last very long. On August 31, 2009, it was announced that the association’s executive board – made up of the 30 NHL team representatives – had voted to relieve Kelly of his duties after lengthy meetings in Chicago.
According to TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger, there had been speculation of his ousting heading into the meetings as it’s believed players had enough of him at the helm and felt “Kelly didn't do a good enough job getting to know the players.
“It was also suggested Kelly's relationship with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly was perceived by some as being too close.”
Source:
“The Rise and Fall of Alan Eagleson.” CBC Digital Archives.
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