Carolina Hurricanes Player's Rep, Erik Cole Gives NHLPA Update
by Bob Wage on Dec 14, 2009 3:00 PM EST
44 comments
For those of you interested in NHLPA news, the Carolina Hurricanes recently voted Erik Cole to act on their behalf regarding union matters for this coming season. Tim Gleason, who was the previous player's rep, stepped down after two years of service.
Things have not been running very smoothly within the NHLPA, to say the least. Since the lockout, they have fired three Executive Directors and are still in the process of searching for another new leader at the present time.
Bob Goodenow was released shortly after the lockout was resolved. His successor, Ted Saskin was fired in the summer of 2007. Then Paul Kelly, the most recent chief, was let go a few months ago in a move that greatly surprised many in the hockey world. A couple of other high level employees were upset and quit after Kelly was fired.
It seems like there is no one steering the ship over at headquarters these days and there are questions about the future leadership and direction of the organization. Cole was gracious enough to take some time and answer a few of these questions for me. (I interviewed him for this about a week ago, before he went on injured reserve.)
Canes Country: How did you get to be player’s rep for Carolina? What is the procedure?
Cole: Well, first someone has to volunteer or they nominate you. Then we hold a vote. Tim Gleason had been our rep for a couple of years, and he was looking for help in the responsibilities. In talking with some other veteran players around the league, I decided to volunteer my services and we had a vote and I was voted in.
CC: In the search for a new President, or Executive Director, are there any front runners?
Cole: There are certainly not any front runners at this time. Right now we are in the process of putting together a search committee of players and advisers which will begin the process and then report back to the executive board, at which point recommendations will be made. Then we will move forward with bringing that information back to our teammates and then there will be discussion about the pros and cons of every candidate and then we will move forward from there.
CC: Is there a time table on that? Any deadlines that need to be met?
Cole: The number one thing we have to do now is to clear up a few things, as far as our constitution, where we feel there might be some areas where we could improve it. We have to make decisions on both the Ian Penny and Paul Kelly settlements, and moving forward with finding a new executive director, at the same time we have a review going on with four veteran players who are trying to determine who in the office is doing the best work for the players, and who isn’t. Finding where some of the shortfalls are coming from and more decisions could be made about that.
CC: During this search process who is making the decisions or running things?
Cole: There is kind of a committee of guys who are running things, not just one guy. Not like an interim director or anything like that right now. It’s the same situation we had when Ted Saskin was relieved of his duties. Same setup so that everything in the day to day operations are running smoothly.
CC: How often do they keep in contact with you?
Cole: The divisional player reps are in contact with the team player reps almost on a daily basis. We get phone calls, emails, and text messages almost daily from Joe Ricci. There is certainly as much information as you want or need, on an ongoing basis.
CC: From your perspective, do you see any possible obstacles in future negotiations for the new CBA?
Cole: I won’t handle CBA negotiations so I think that once we get a new Executive Director, he will have to sort that out and that would be a question you would have to ask him.
CC: How has the relationship been so far with the other player reps? Does there seem to be general agreement on things that have come up?
Cole: Yes, a couple of weeks ago we had a conference call and several issues had to be voted on and I don’t think there was any one issue that did not result in a 30-0 vote. I think that’s good, the votes coming out like that and it shows good unity so far. Everyone seems to be onboard and on the same page.
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Did he mention anything about the baseball guy’s role (Don Fehr?) in the future direction of the NHLPA, since he’s going to be a consultant or advisor? I am curious to hear any of the players reactions about that …
Cole had no comment about him at this time. I thought he was pretty guarded with his answers, but I suppose he needs to be at this point.
GM of CanesCountry.com
Thanks!
I figured as much, but Fehr is arguably the most polarizing person in (sports) labor circles. There’s a reason why the MLBPA is probably in the strongest negotiating position of any of the major team sports. There’s been tons of speculation as to what kind of role he’ll play in the next few months and beyond, but I would think with the parallels between the players in MLB and the NHL would allow him to perhaps give the players a much stronger hand at the next round of CBA negotiations.
I really hope Fehr is shown the door as soon as a new director is hired. Fehr could be dangerous for the league. Hockey does not make the same money baseball does, and no good would come to the sport if a baseball guy convinces hockey players they can be earning as much as baseball players.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Done totally? No. Done outside of the top 10-12 markets? Yes. Philly, NYC, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, possibly Dallas, and a few successful southern markets will continue to attract fans. Hockey will still be hockey to them. Other cities like Columbus, Atlanta, Phoenix, and even Long Island … that’s where the effect of a stoppage would be truly felt. Bettman won’t back off his stance to contract teams so inevitably, if demand doesn’t meet supply, contraction I think is inevitable, especially if ratings don’t keep going up, tickets aren’t sold, and salaries keep increasing back to pre-lockout days.
Plus the KHL and other international leagues can reap the benefits of an extended labor stoppage and as we saw during the last lockout, players do have options outside the NHL.
Good luck, Eric. Even with a CBA in place, as Bob spelled out, there are some challenging times ahead.
Did you ask him how it felt to know that he will soon be traded? ;-)
I guess Gleason broke this curse though.
With an NFL strike possibly on the horizon, I hope the NHLPA will negotiate with good intentions so the NHL can capitalize on a potential football work stoppage.
I think that’s mostly wishful thinking on behalf of the NHL. I would be shocked if the NFL came to any kind of work stoppage.
Still not a crook!
They may be right.
Gleason for the "C" :
Just what do we need to do to make this happen?
by hockeymomof2 on Dec 14, 2009 5:40 PM EST up reply actions
NHLPA and the Recession
It’s a particularly bad idea for the NHLPA or the owners to take too hard-nosed a position with these upcoming negotiations. A strike will hurt everybody. As usual, the owners have stronger leverage; but it seems like the CBA has worked quite well all things considered.
Having a strike during a recession is an extremely short-sighted idea. It’s how an emerging professional sport can become a backwater in a hurry.
The only “problem” with the CBA (or the Cap) is that it makes it impossible for us to trade Aaron Ward…..
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Dec 14, 2009 7:43 PM EST up reply actions
Waiving Aaron Ward with his one year contract is sufficient if we can’t trade A. Ward for some used skates and two or three broken hockey sticks.
Sad thing is they have to know that nobody is going to take him….
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Dec 14, 2009 9:26 PM EST up reply actions
Nobody will take him at full salary. But maybe, just maybe, someone might take him at half price. And monkeys might fly out my window.
by drifterscape on Dec 14, 2009 9:31 PM EST up reply actions
Forgive me if I sound callous.....
But a players “union” or “association” is little more to me than a “Millionaires’ Boys Club”.
Granted they may only play for 5 to 10 years at 500K to 2.5M a year.
To me, 2.5M in a year is called “winning the lottery”, and going back to school to get my PhD.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
As much as I can sympathize with that… Really, they can only do their job until their 30s, maybe 40s, and have to, for the most part, live off that the rest of their lives unless they can get into coaching/punditry/etc. somehow.
Also, they’re basically being paid to give up their lives. During the season, they work 7 days a week, from the moment they wake up until they go to bed, with only a few breaks here and there. In the off-season, modern NHL players pretty much have to train as much as we do a “normal” job to stay in shape.
Not saying it’s necessarily enough to justify it, but it’s closer than it seems at first glance.
by Raccoon Fink on Dec 15, 2009 11:51 AM EST up reply actions
And as a technology worker
who’s on call every third week 24/7, hasn’t had a paid vacation (contractor) in 3 years, etc, I can’t feel for them.
They’ll make at “just” 1M a year, over 50 years of what I will make in 4 years. If they want to waste it on bling, fast cars, faster women, hey a fool and his money are soon partying.
So after they retire at in their late 30s, they go back to school and enjoy themselves. I know people that want to save 2 or 3 million and retire at 45-50. When I’m on call and traveling, I also give up my life for the time I’m there.
Sorry, just can’t feel for them to much.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
If you don’t like the salaries then don’t watch games, don’t go to games, don’t buy things, and don’t post on message boards.
The guys are paid what they are worth, and possible under in hockey. The market, and by market I mean the fan base that ponies up the dough, sets the contract prices.
And while you may not be trying to sound callous, you definitely sound jealous.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Read again bucko where I just responded to the player "unions"
and “associations” as “Millionaire Boy’s club”. I was responding to Raccoon Fink.
If they make it, they make it. But calling them a union, etc, when they are essentially a collection of independent contractors is funny.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
You called the players part of a millionaire boys club and then said their salaries are winning the lottery. You didn’t insult the union, you insulted the players and sounded jealous doing it.
“To me, 2.5M in a year is called "winning the lottery” "
How else can you interpret this?
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Simple.....
Raccoon Fink stated how they give up their lives, etc. We all do that for a paycheck in different degrees. They make quite a bit of money to do all that traveling and such but many do that as well.
That they give up their lives is not at issue just that they play the sport well is. The rest is part of the extra stuff nobody likes but we all have to do to keep our jobs. It is not why they make the money. If they don’t like the travel, they can retire and give up the money.
Also, people retire on way less than $1M. If they retire in their mid 30s, they can go back to school and get a degree or advance the one they have, like people who get out of the military. Ah yes, the military, I guess I should have used them instead of myself to make a point about travel, putting lives and families on hold and retiring with far less in ready cash and start all over.
What it really means is that they are paid to play the game. The interruption in their personal lives is not a reason to feel sorry for them nor for their pay. If they don’t like it, they can leave at anytime. I think we all know what would happen to someone if they told their Colonel or Commander, “Gee sir, I don’t like it here, I want to retire today!”.
Many others have it worse. And next time, I’ll use someone other than myself as an example.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
Right, but there are plenty of people who do give it up and never get to the AHL/NHL level. The scarcity of talent plus being willing to give up their lives is where the prices come from. If they weren’t making it worth their while to play 80-something games a season and give everything up, there’d be no NHL in the first place, there’d only be the local “for fun” leagues.
by Raccoon Fink on Dec 15, 2009 1:10 PM EST up reply actions
Not really,
there’d be the teams from the turn of the 19th/20th Centuries.
The players were paid a lot less and yet there never was a shortage of people trying to be players.
Again, the issue is not their salary in general, the issue is them calling themselves a “union”.
And yes, for guys like us, $2.5M is winning the lottery.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
Then why would you refer to them as a “Millionaires’ Boys Club” and claim their salary is “winning the lottery”.
I understand your point about them having to give up their life not being any different then what every working person does. I could also give you leeway if you were to make an argument that because of the compensation level players shouldn’t be allowed to unionize. But you used those two phrases. Those two phrases can only be interpreted in a very limited manner.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Okay
Are they millionaires? Yes.
Would it be for me like winning the lottery for $2.5M? Yes. It is when most union workers drop out of the union and move to Florida.
You took this conversation someplace and jumped on me. You tried to pick a fight.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
No, not trying to pick a fight. But when you use those terms that’s how it registers.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Then why did you continue
to keep coming at me even after I said that wasn’t the case?
Why did you feel the need to tell me that I “sounded jealous”?
When you do that, there’s few ways it can be taken.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
I think you got piled on because you essentially said 2 things in your first post: “they don’t deserve to have a real ‘union’,” and “they won the lottery and make lots of money.”
I don’t really have a problem with the first, I don’t know enough about unions to have an opinion on it. You got lots of responses to the second. You may have only meant to say the first, but anyways, that’s what we were responding to.
No hard feelings, just that was what was implied in your original comment, and I don’t feel that characterization is so cut-and-dry…
by Raccoon Fink on Dec 15, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Sure, and like I said, it’s not necessarily enough to justify it, only that it’s not exactly “winning the lottery.”
It takes a very specific kind of person to be driven enough to grind through turning the thing you love to do into 14 hours a day of drudgery and maintenance before finally every couple of days being able to do your “real” job, adding in the huge stress to perform and millions of people watching. Not to mention, the money is not just for the work, but for giving up basically their entire personal life for 15 years while under the microscope.
You have to have more than just skill to make it to this level, and that’s what increases the cost…
by Raccoon Fink on Dec 15, 2009 1:08 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not debating that part.....
just that the whole idea of a “union” or “association”.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
Or you making an argument that because of salary level that hockey players should not be allowed to unionize? Further, that because of compensation level, that players cannot be considered “labor” for the purposes of collective bargaining? That is an interesting line of thought (an even better one might be whether a player wearing an “A” or “C” is part of management or labor, but I digress). If that’s what you’re going for, then you need to be more direct about it.
5 seconds left.
Do you believe in miracles?
YES!!
Unions have rules
each members job is locked in. They don’t compete with other members for their own job.
Like I said, it’s not the money, but they’re not a union.
Happerry Chrisolkwanaka
To me, 2.5M in a year is called "winning the lottery",
If they want to waste it on bling, fast cars, faster women
I agree on all this but I’d hope my wife would understand the extra women.
A TRUE CANIAC......YES I AM........
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