RIO RANCHO, NM – This past week the National Hockey League Players Association overwhelmingly voted to accept Donald Fehr as their new executive director. The vote came following an earlier endorsement from the NHLPA’s board. Fehr, 62, most recently held the same position with the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1983 to 2009. The NHLPA now has a formidable executive director in whom they place their trust and careers when dealing with the National Hockey League front office and the member franchises.
Photo courtesy of http://www.zimbio.com
Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the NHL, commented on the Fehr appointment, “We are pleased that the leadership position at the Players’ Association has been filled, and we look forward to working with Don in his new role.”
Fehr comes to the NHLPA with a reputation as a fierce negotiator, something the players will need as the sport approaches the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement in September 2012.
In commenting on his elevation to the executive director position, Fehr said his reputation has been over-simplified to that of “knee jerk reactions.” He said those misconceptions overlook the work and effort made in every negotiation. Indeed, he said in a conference call that both sides (owners and players) must negotiate in good faith and he intended to represent the players in good faith when meeting with franchise owners.
The CBA, revenue sharing and economics of the game will be among the issues to be tackled over the next 18 months. And all of these will be impacted by the global economy and repercussions on local franchises.
The economy has certainly wreaked havoc on many clubs and none have had more press than the Phoenix Coyotes. On December 14th, the Glendale City Council approved a lease deal that would keep the Coyotes in Glendale for 30 years. The lease agreement included a $197 million deal for Matthew Hulsizer who is buying the club.
Hulsizer is expected to pay $170 million for the Coyotes franchise.
Media reports have suggested the lease deal has Glendale giving Hulsizer $100 million for parking rights and $97 million over a six-year period as a fee for operating the arena.
The NHL purchased the Coyotes franchise from U.S. Bankruptcy Court in 2009 with the intent of finding a buyer who would keep the club in the US.
The deal moves money around and also reaches into the pockets of Coyotes fans. Where parking had been free for fans, the city of Glendale will now charge for parking at the arena.
The Coyotes have lost a reported $30 million a year for several years and their gate this season has been terrible. Only the season opener against the Red Wings was a sellout and one game was reported at under 7,000 fans in the building.
Will the Hulsizer deal with Glendale provide some impetus for fans in the desert to trek to the Jobing.com arena? Hulsizer himself was quoted saying he believed he would lose money on the franchise for several more years.
Despite the turmoil off the ice, the Coyotes have played strong hockey this season and are among the top contenders in the Western Conference of the NHL. Within the conference race the club sits in the 10th position, but is only 5 points out of the third spot. Their 37 standings points are built on 31 games and they have 3-4 games in hand on teams in front of them in the race.
For Phoenix Coyotes fans, the day was saved by an aggressive Glendale City Council. The NHLPA may have been saved by an even more aggressive move in the hiring of Donald Fehr. The next few years will tell if the moves were for the good.
Contact Lou.Lafrado@prohockeynews.com
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