Speltz blasts ruling on Lewis
Calls decision by CHL 'total conflict of interest'
Jeff Bunch
Staff writer
August 30, 2006
Hockey standout Trevor Lewis is signed, sealed – and now delivered – to the Owen Sound Attack of Ontario, and Spokane Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz is livid.
Lewis, the 17th overall pick in the National Hockey League draft, has been the subject of intense discussions among the board of governors of the Canadian Hockey League over the past few weeks. The CHL is made up of representatives of Canada's three major junior leagues: the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
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WHL commissioner Ron Robison said Tuesday that the matter was resolved Monday via in-person meetings of the CHL Board of Governors in Ottawa. Lewis will play for the Attack and the OHL will be reprimanded.
"The player will be permitted to play in Owen Sound while we work out an attempt to introduce a national regulation on player movement between leagues," Robison said. "There is no question that the Ontario Hockey League and our league have different interpretations."
Lewis, 19, was the most valuable player of the United States Hockey League last season as its leading scorer.
The Attack signed the Salt Lake City product to a major junior contract at the NHL Combine (May 30-June 3) but didn't announce the signing until July 21. He was listed as a protected player by the Chiefs sometime before the NHL draft on June 24. Both teams claimed the exclusive right to sign him.
David Branch, OHL commissioner, is current president of the CHL. He approved Lewis' signing with Owen Sound as OHL commissioner and did not recuse himself from a resolution of the matter after it became a dispute. All of the foregoing is unacceptable to Speltz.
"Obviously, I'm thoroughly disappointed and offended by the decision," Speltz said Tuesday.
"I'm not surprised, totally, just by the communication I've received. But it's been a total conflict of interest to me and in my opinion (Branch) has misrepresented the CHL and, for sure, misrepresented the WHL and the Spokane Chiefs."
Robison said he's not happy with the way the situation played out either, but said a greater good had to prevail.
"At the end of the day, we have to look at the player's interest first," he said. "It's the responsibility of the CHL to develop regulations. In the absence of a CHL agreement, the OHL chose to proceed in this way."
Speltz said the Chiefs' only remedy under the circumstances is to take action against Lewis, a position the franchise opposes.
"The player and his agent aren't at fault here," said Speltz. "This wasn't a front-door process from the start. Quite frankly, for me, this is a very basic issue that is about the CHL territories."
Utah falls within the territory of the WHL, per CHL regulations, so the WHL took the position that Lewis couldn't be signed by an OHL team. A waivers system has been in place for teams wanting to claim WHL players, but Owen Sound did not avail itself to that process in this case.
"To me, that right there shows that they knew it was not on the up-and-up," said Speltz.
The Attack made informal inquiries about Lewis' status and followed practices the OHL uses with the QMJHL and deemed Lewis to be a "bona fide" free agent. WHL officials say no such status exists in junior hockey.
Owen Sound GM Michael Futa was not available for comment. Branch has not returned phone calls on the matter.
"For me, most of the teams understood and respected the territories," said Speltz. "Dave Branch's position that the OHL never respected our territory just isn't true. This is about a team that found a loophole, went with a loophole, and instead of being told no, was told yes. Since then, it's just been about trying to sweep it under the carpet and make it go away."
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Robison said that possible compensation for the WHL or the Chiefs was still undecided.
Speltz said that isn't the issue – it's about the viability of the CHL.
"For me, this weakens the CHL and shows we have weak leadership," said Speltz. "I'm so disappointed that we have a president of the CHL that won't return a (media) phone call – let alone have the common courtesy to call the general manager or the owner of the affected team. All he is doing is pretending it didn't happen and wishing it would go away.
"It's not about what's happened as much as it is about how he's handled it. … I know how much respect he's lost here – all of it."
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/sports/story.asp?ID=147155
Speltz quote at the end pretty much sums it up perfect. Drop Branch from his chair, ASAP.
He should be Spokane's if he was on the protected list before Owen Sound signed him
j/k
