Larmer resignation targets Players' Association

[Timmy]

Now if you had to pick which group is more comprised of stand-up guys, which would it be?

Well, with regards to Belfour, I suppose that would depend on what time of night we're talking about, here...

 

[God Bless Canada]

There are two contingents in play here: the guys who were/are in Goodenow's pocket and those who were/are not. I am sure Goodenow thought Saskin/Linden were in his pocket, only to discover otherwise at the end.

Steve Larmer falls into the former category, clearly. Anybody who gets a job as director of player communications but cannot write a one page letter that is not full of spelling and syntax errors definitely got the job through pity and owes his boss (Goodenow) a debt of gratitude. Incidentally, Larmer himself has confirmed that his abortion of a letter was written over a two week period. Two weeks!! I would think that, over the course of two weeks, he might have been able to find the time to pick up a dictionary and figure out how to spell. Then, when his letter is released and his wordsmanship is out there for all to see, he asserts that he wrote it over two weeks, ostensibly to prove that he thought carefully about what he wrote.

One more thing. I must say that I am sick and tired of people always saying "oh, Larmer/player X is a standup guy/great guy/whatever". Apparently hockey is full of nothing but standup guys. This, from a sport whose players pride themselves on gaining whatever edge they can muster, and who thrive on thier ability to cheat.

My definition of a "great guy" is not someone who publishes a letter comparing people to known and convicted felons and then runs away and refuses to give interviews or provide particulars of his allegations through the same public forum into which he released his original accusations.

Some stand up guy ...

Larmer's a former Hockey Digest (short-lived THN sub-publication) Man of the Year, having won that distinction in 1991. Everyone he played with praised him for his on-ice ferocity, intensity, consistency and elite two-way play. I don't take issue with his character.

I didn't even realize he was in that position in the union. He's be known as an introvert for years, a man of few words, and is considered one of the worst quotes in the last 25 years. Someone who loathed media interviews and didn't talk a lot isn't a guy I'd expect to see in communications/player relations. A respected player? Yes. But he's not going to challenge Shanahan, Roenick, McKenzie, Hull or Suter as NHL media darlings from the past 25 years.

I think the final paragraph at the end of the TSN story says it all. The same number of players upset at Saskin's hiring is roughly the same number who voted against the CBA. Correlation, anybody? Ingrates. If not for Saskin, Linden et al, there wouldn't be NHL hockey right now.

 

[Steveorama]

Not to mention that during the Linden/Saskin (as Goodenow's right-hand man) era, players have enjoyed a huge percentage of league revenues as salaries, more than any professional sport in any era, I would wager.
Suddenly the people who were able to squeeze every last cent out of ownership, almost (but not quite) to the point of putting them out of business, are not the people you want representing your union? Really?!
The 27 whiners are the union members who are crying about getting their noses bloodied when push came to shove. They are looking for scapegoats for the actions of their own greed, in my opinion.

 

[Cawz]

Well, with regards to Belfour, I suppose that would depend on what time of night we're talking about, here...

The blurry part of the night.

 

[thinkwild]

The 27 whiners are the union members who are crying about getting their noses bloodied when push came to shove. They are looking for scapegoats for the actions of their own greed, in my opinion.

I can understand how fans would see it that way, views are formed by the prism of your own perspectives.

Others might think that those you are dismissively calling the “whinersâ€, will in the end be seen as the noble ones fighting a difficult cause. Points of order, process, and procedure are unemotional issues.

Its harder in this case, because both sides are good guys. Both sides seem to be able to point to a valid argument why their view is valid. And both sides have a point. They did sidestep the process improperly. But it was apparently the majority.

But I think it might turn out to be in the players best interest to consider carefully the situation they are trying to solve easily and maybe solve it properly.


The conference call vote that was finally 31-6 also seems in a bit of dispute. The process where that number was arrived at seems one of the bones of contention. But it must be a face for the whole issue.

 

[AM]

exactly....

There are two contingents in play here: the guys who were/are in Goodenow's pocket and those who were/are not. I am sure Goodenow thought Saskin/Linden were in his pocket, only to discover otherwise at the end.

Steve Larmer falls into the former category, clearly. Anybody who gets a job as director of player communications but cannot write a one page letter that is not full of spelling and syntax errors definitely got the job through pity and owes his boss (Goodenow) a debt of gratitude. Incidentally, Larmer himself has confirmed that his abortion of a letter was written over a two week period. Two weeks!! I would think that, over the course of two weeks, he might have been able to find the time to pick up a dictionary and figure out how to spell. Then, when his letter is released and his wordsmanship is out there for all to see, he asserts that he wrote it over two weeks, ostensibly to prove that he thought carefully about what he wrote.

One more thing. I must say that I am sick and tired of people always saying "oh, Larmer/player X is a standup guy/great guy/whatever". Apparently hockey is full of nothing but standup guys. This, from a sport whose players pride themselves on gaining whatever edge they can muster, and who thrive on thier ability to cheat.

My definition of a "great guy" is not someone who publishes a letter comparing people to known and convicted felons and then runs away and refuses to give interviews or provide particulars of his allegations through the same public forum into which he released his original accusations.

Some stand up guy ...

The stand up guys didnt get their way....

so there must be fire cause theres smoke coming out of their ears.

 

[GSC2k2*]

The stand up guys didnt get their way....

so there must be fire cause theres smoke coming out of their ears.

I am not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing with my point {scratches head} ...

 

[GSC2k2*]

The one area in which the dissidents do have a point is in the negotiation of Saskin's compensation package. It seems crystal clear that Saskin misrepresented his proposed salary within the realm of PA heads. That does not impact on the validity of the decisions taken with respect to the CBA, but he needs to take a smaller package at the end of the day.

 

[AM]

Sorry

I am not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing with my point {scratches head} ...

just my mental picture of Larmer sitting down for two weeks to write that letter.

 

[Malefic74]

Why else do you think GM is in so much trouble now, and possibly on the verge of bankruptcy? I know I'm not alone in this thinking.

Because GM completely misjudged the market and instead of correcting themselves they dug a deeper hole. Gas prices continue to rise and GM continues to make and market giant gas guzzling SUVs and trucks.

Palyers unions exist to protect players rights. This season in the NFL the Seahawks had a receiver go down with an injury early in the season. They cut him outright. THe player and the NFLPA filed a greivance and he was rightly returned to the team and placed on IR. Not all owners are quite that ruthless, but some are in all 4 sports. The unions do serve a purpose.

Having said that this little rebellion seem to serve very little purpose. Do these guys really believe that if a vote was held today with every single one of there votes recorded in the Hockey News that Saskin would get booted? No chance. They are tilting at windmills.