Poile engaging in unfair labor practices ?

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/Sports/2005/03/19/966054-sun.html

is interference and intimidation of a locked-out employee covered under sections 7 & 8 of the NLRB Act ?

it's my opinion that it is. players signing contracts and playing during the lockout is a concerted activity of the union and authorized by the NHLPA. it's pretty clear to me that poile is violating section 8(a)i of the act.

I imagine this story is going to gain alot of teeth if the league goes the impasse route, followed by the nhlpa filing with the nlrb.

 

It's not as bad as you think. There was no threat made just extreme displeasure. What Poile said can be interpreted any number of ways. Having said that, I think Eaton is an a$$ and so are the Red Wings org. for signing him. I realize it's not really their problem, but it is poor form IMO.

 

yeah, he couldn't wait 2 more days to sign with Milwaukee ... what a classless clown ... he'll be out of Nashville in a couple of years with the likes of Suter, Klein, Weber, and co getting a legitimate shot at the show

 

The Red Wings had nothing to do with this. The Griffins are affiliated with them, not owned by them.

 

I realize that they do not own the team, but they do pay the salaries of the players they send down there. Would I want the team that I stock with prospects to sign a guy from a competing organization? I'm sure they were probably consulted about the move in some form or another. If you wouldn't do it under normal circumstances, then I don't agree with doing it now.

 

Again, they have nothing to do with the team outside of paying some of their prospects to play there. The Griffins don't ask, and don't need, the Wings permission to do anything.

 

I think you are grasping at straws. So Poile cannot voice displeasure at something his player do? He went behind the Predators back to make a deal with Grand Rapids and Poile commented on it. Now if he said he was going to be traded as a result, you might have something. But this is too vague to draw anything from it.

 

Fair enough. There are some AHL team affiliates that have a more hands on approach. Wings are off the hook in this case for sure. Still....

 

Because of Mark Eaton? Give me a break.

The only thing that was outrageous in that article is finding out that he makes $1 million playing hockey.

 

apparently, cry baby Poile isn't aware that the NHLPA currently doesn't have a contract with the NHL, thus allowing union members to play where ever they wish. so he goes to the griffins? tough luck. in a lockout like this, why be loyal to any club when they're trying to bust your union?

but, i can understand why poile is upset given that his team does have a minor league club and eaton will be now competing against them. but that doesn't give him the right to threaten eaton as he did.

 

Nashville has hockey? Since when? I thought they were moving to Winnipeg?

 

Who? what? when? where? how? eh?

 

The sad thing is that you don't know enough to know how rock solid he really is.

Then again, your idea of a number one d-man is Colaiacovo...sooo... :lol

That said, Eaton wasn't always as good as he turned out to be, and chances are the Flyers were never going to give him the time to get there. He owes his career to the Preds, and it was a shady thing to do to a team that did so much for you. I'll defend his playing ability, but I think he's a little puke for this whole move..especially because the Ads made it clear they would have used him. All he had to do was ask.

 

I don't know anything about the NLRB section of the act, but from my perspective this only proves that there is no interference or engaging in unfair practices. Neither, Poile, the Predators, or the Redwings prevented Eaton from signing. How can that be intimidating? Also Eaton has not lost anything as a result, he has no damages to be compensated for. How can someone move forward with any legal claim if they can not prove they have been adversely affected? One would think if the owners were colluding or trying to use unfair practices they would have agreed not to sign competing teams players.
http://hfboards.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=2628626#
dunno

 

I am not quite clear about one thing here: why is it only when the season was cancelled NHLers that do not have a two-way contract could be signed by an AHL team?

Other than that, I do not see an attempt to interfere or intimidate, since it was done after the fact. Not with Eaton's decision anyway, it can only be seen as an attempt to affect somebody else's decision. At the same time I do not see why is it that Eaton should have signed with Milwakee, and not Grand Rapids.

 

Joe Corvo signed with Chicago and not the Manchester Monarchs and I havn't seen anyone in Manchester or LA too upset about it. Then again with Jason Holland in Manchester they might have filled their crappy defenseman quota.

 

I guess people should read the whole story, not just what they hear from Winnipeg...3 weeks after it happens.

Really, it's a bunch of "he said, he said," with Poile, Eaton's agent and the Griffin's GM.
http://tennessean.com/sports/predators/archives/05/03/66223882.shtml?Element_ID=66223882

 

All that says is that I know the difference bewteen a top prospect and guy who owes his NHL career to expansion. It would have been trouble making $1 million a year in the AHL.

 

Way too hung up on how much players make still. So what if he owes his career to expansion? In theory, 9 teams x 23 players = 207 players that owe their career to expansion, including a bunch of Leafs. So what? If you knew anything about Eaton you'd know he was the best defenseman last year on a playoff team. All for roughly the league's current entry level cap. Not too shabby in my books.

Not that Eaton's salary has anything whatsoever to do with the situation. He signs with AHL team, which is his right, and Nashville GM goes nuts, which is his right. But did he go too far and threaten Eaton's future with Nashville? Discuss.

 

You mean you know the difference between an average prospect and a guy that was used in a shutdown role night after night against top lines..and absolutely ran with the job. Mark Eaton may owe the CHANCE he got to expansion, but he's not keeping his job for any such reason. He's a very, very good defensive d-man.

 

No, Eaton could have played with current and future team mates and helped bring the Predators' defensive prospects along and didn't do it. This shows he doesn't really have a big interest in Nashville's future so the team shouldn't really care about his future with them either.

 

Or it shows Nashville or Milwaukee dragged their feet when it came time to sign him, so he took a Grand Rapids offer. If he played in Sweden or Russia or Brazil he wouldn't really be helping the team's prospects either, but I suppose you'll tell me that all 400 players in Europe don't care about their NHL teams, and should be playing in the AHL for their affiliate only.

 

Like I said...I'll stand up for Eaton till the cows come home when it comes to his playing ability. I draw the line at what he did, though. I thought it was pretty classless,and the organization made it clear that there was no 'feet dragging,' they simply didn't know he was interested. He has a new baby and a wife, and the fact that he didn't inquire about a position lead them to believe he was just taking it easy. WITHOUT talking to the Preds, Eaton and his agent made a deal with the Griffins. It's not against the rules..but it was a tacky thing to do and shows that maybe Eaton isn't loyal to the team that made him as he could be.

 

Only a small number of players are eligible to play in the AHL, they can't be stacked with veterans and there are only about 200 positions in the whole league available for players with more than 260 games of pro experience. Of those veteran positions the AHL was not going to allow teams to get stocked with stars.

As far as feet dragging goes, Poile's reaction makes it sound like he would have liked to have Eaton around.

 

Eaton was told by his agent the Predators approved of him playing for the Griffins. He trusted his agent, that was his only fault in this deal. He should have checked with Poile himself.