NHLPA hires Rodier

[Ward Cornell]

Mod note: Moved a bunch of posts from Atlanta thread as it has little to do **directly** with their lawsuit, and is more general.

How do you lament people bashing US markets in favour of relocation and in the same breath support a guy like Basillie? He's the absolute embodiment of what you're condemning. He walked in, decided the way the NHL is currently set up wasn't good enough for him, and attempted to force change at the expense of one of these teams you're defending. He's 'passionate'? Well so what, all the fans who want to see a team moved to Winnipeg and QC are just as passionate about hockeys as he is. The only thing that happens to set him apart is a larger paycheck.

It seriously boggles my mind that people still deify the guy. People in Hamilton who have wanted a team should be running him out of town for what he did, he killed any hope whatsoever of a team playing in Copps.

and today on TheFan590 it was announced that Jim Balsillie's lead lawyer Richard Rodier has just been hired by ......(drum roll please)...............
.
.
.
.
. The National Hockey League Players Association! (edited to correct it from the NHL to the NHLPA!!)

Click to read more...

 

[Major4Boarding]

Actually it was the PA

http://www.nhlpa.com/News/Media-Releases/Details.aspx?R=9393B029-6B20-45EC-A6D0-E60E37E59491

 

[Ward Cornell]

Actually it was the PA

http://www.nhlpa.com/News/Media-Releases/Details.aspx?R=9393B029-6B20-45EC-A6D0-E60E37E59491

ahhh...thank-you!!
I still find this news tidbit interesting!
At least you have go....."Hmmmmmm"

 

[Killion]

Neat-O news... any relation to the topic of the Spirit suing their lawyers?

Germaine & contemporaneous to the discussion ABD. Rodiers' hiring signals a militant stance to the PA as it approaches a new CBA with the league. It can & will point at markets like Atlanta & owners like SG as drags & deadweight should the league try & lower the caps, a neccessity in probably 10+ markets in order to stem the flow of red ink. They can & should be able to hoist the league on its own petard as an absentee' Master Franchisor in its dereliction of duty & responsibility to markets like Atlanta. Hot diggitty. Who will buy the Thrashers (or anywhere else for that matter) when you could be facing a shutdown?. The temperatures just gone up quite a bit.

 

[AllByDesign]

Germaine & contemporaneous to the discussion ABD. Rodiers' hiring signals a militant stance to the PA as it approaches a new CBA with the league. It can & will point at markets like Atlanta & owners like SG as drags & deadweight should the league try & lower the caps, a neccessity in probably 10+ markets in order to stem the flow of red ink. They can & should be able to hoist the league on its own petard as an absentee' Master Franchisor in its dereliction of duty & responsibility to markets like Atlanta. Hot diggitty. Who will buy the Thrashers (or anywhere else for that matter) when you could be facing a shutdown?. The temperatures just gone up quite a bit.

Hiring Fehr on its on face signals a militant stance. The move to hire a lawyer that has great contempt for the league in its process isn't as revealing as much as it would be considered par for the course.

I can agree that using the Thrashers as a platform to make a stance on a bargaining issue, but it has little to do with the OP.

If the NHLPA wants to make an issue of the insanity in Atlanta, they won't get any arguments from the league on that.

 

[Dado]

Who will buy the Thrashers (or anywhere else for that matter) when you could be facing a shutdown?. The temperatures just gone up quite a bit.

The thing with Fehr is, he showed a remarkable ability to split the owners bloc. And ended up with the last two re-ups NOT going to a work stoppage. In fact the last one was finished months ahead of time, and barely registered a peep on the news-o-meter.

I think this is awesome. The NHLPA has been incompetent. Bettman finally has a real opponent, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if that results in *less* confrontation, because now he knows he's gonna have to compromise.

 

[Killion]

I think this is awesome. The NHLPA has been incompetent. Bettman finally has a real opponent, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if that results in *less* confrontation, because now he knows he's gonna have to compromise.

Ya, its a very good hire for the PA, however, Im not at all optimistic that Bettman will compromise'; the cynic & pessimist in me is certain of a stoppage; the situation in Atlanta further crippled if not killed as a result.

 

[C77]

The thing with Fehr is, he showed a remarkable ability to split the owners bloc. And ended up with the last two re-ups NOT going to a work stoppage. In fact the last one was finished months ahead of time, and barely registered a peep on the news-o-meter.

I think this is awesome. The NHLPA has been incompetent. Bettman finally has a real opponent, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if that results in *less* confrontation, because now he knows he's gonna have to compromise.

I wouldn't count on this. From what I've seen the mindset of hard line labor bargaining is "What am I/we strong enough to take?" not "Let's compromise here."

My worry is that one side says "I'm not compromising because I know the other side won't compromise and we'll lose if we compromise."

 

[TaketheCannoli]

Germaine & contemporaneous to the discussion ABD. Rodiers' hiring signals a militant stance to the PA as it approaches a new CBA with the league. It can & will point at markets like Atlanta & owners like SG as drags & deadweight should the league try & lower the caps, a neccessity in probably 10+ markets in order to stem the flow of red ink. They can & should be able to hoist the league on its own petard as an absentee' Master Franchisor in its dereliction of duty & responsibility to markets like Atlanta. Hot diggitty. Who will buy the Thrashers (or anywhere else for that matter) when you could be facing a shutdown?. The temperatures just gone up quite a bit.

I really expected more from Fehr. I would have thought the PA would retain counsel comparable to that retained by the league. In the Coyotes matter, the league is represented by one of the premier litigation firms worldwide, Skadden, Arps. I don't know who they retain for labor law, but it's likely a similar heavyweight.

Rodier is not in that class. He's from a smallish firm who's practice was small to medium business corporate law. This is an amateurish move.

 

[Einstein Theory]

I really expected more from Fehr. I would have thought the PA would retain counsel comparable to that retained by the league. In the Coyotes matter, the league is represented by one of the premier litigation firms worldwide, Skadden, Arps. I don't know who they retain for labor law, but it's likely a similar heavyweight.

Rodier is not in that class. He's from a smallish firm who's practice was small to medium business corporate law. This is an amateurish move.

Maybe I'm the only one taking the Rodier move this way, but my take is this:

Its a message to the NHL: "We don't want to deal with Bettman".

That's my take. Load the deck with anti-Bettman personel. Force the NHL to reconsider Bettman before CBA talks.

But what do I know?

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Maybe I'm the only one taking the Rodier move this way, but my take is this:

Its a message to the NHL: "We don't want to deal with Bettman".

That's my take. Load the deck with anti-Bettman personel. Force the NHL to reconsider Bettman before CBA talks.

But what do I know?

I pray that is not the case, because the BoG is not going to take kindly to this reality (if it is true).

 

[TaketheCannoli]

Maybe I'm the only one taking the Rodier move this way, but my take is this:

Its a message to the NHL: "We don't want to deal with Bettman".

That's my take. Load the deck with anti-Bettman personel. Force the NHL to reconsider Bettman before CBA talks.

But what do I know?

Rodier wouldn't have that effect on the NHL. The league has a history of retaining the most prestigious law firms in the word.

He's reasonably lightweight. If anything, it may be a move to try to win the support of fans that were sympathetic to Balsille. They certainly didn't hire him for his legal prowess.

 

[Einstein Theory]

Rodier wouldn't have that effect on the NHL. The league has a history of retsining the most prestigious law firms in the word.

He's reasonably lightweight. If anything, it may be a move to try to win the support of fans that were sympathetic to Balsille. They certainly didn't hire him for his legal prowess.

The guys already been in the trenches fighting Bettman and the league. If nothing else, he has that experience. He's seen their tricks and dirty-work. That's the kind of guy I would want on my team.

However, that being said; hiring Rodier is certainly more of a "message" than it is a "consulting move". I'm not certain if the message is "get rid of Bettman". It could be, "we are watching out for collusion".

Either way, the CBA is not going to be a cake-walk for the NHL. Fehr appears to be ready to get dirty.

 

[MaskedSonja]

The guys already been in the trenches fighting Bettman and the league. If nothing else, he has that experience. He's seen their tricks and dirty-work. That's the kind of guy I would want on my team.

However, that being said; hiring Rodier is certainly more of a "message" than it is a "consulting move". I'm not certain if the message is "get rid of Bettman". It could be, "we are watching out for collusion".

Either way, the CBA is not going to be a cake-walk for the NHL. Fehr appears to be ready to get dirty.

I think one of the questions both sides have to ask: are either/both sides prepared to lose another season-because a season lost WOULD be the final straw for a lot of fans, casual and long term-because that would be the end on a number of levels-you can't have 2 lost seasons IMO. I

 

[TaketheCannoli]

The guys already been in the trenches fighting Bettman and the league. If nothing else, he has that experience. He's seen their tricks and dirty-work. That's the kind of guy I would want on my team.

However, that being said; hiring Rodier is certainly more of a "message" than it is a "consulting move". I'm not certain if the message is "get rid of Bettman". It could be, "we are watching out for collusion".

Either way, the CBA is not going to be a cake-walk for the NHL. Fehr appears to be ready to get dirty.

You seem to forget how easily Rodier was taken out.

I can only assume by your post, you are not fond of Bettman and the NHL BoG
Assuming that's true, wouldn't you prefer that the players retain representation capable of taking them on?

 

[MaskedSonja]

You seem to forget how easily Rodier was taken out.

I can only assume by your post, you are not fond of Bettman and the NHL BoG
Assuming that's true, wouldn't you prefer that the players retain representation capable of taking them on?

I am quite sure that the NHLPA will get capable representation-I think Rodier will just be a small part of that team. This to me-learning recently who he was-an optics move in part, for Fehr to simply say through the media, he's not going to play nice with Bettman, and will use whatever means necessary to get under the NHL and the owners skin. It's a legal tactic IMO-Rodier is a small part of the bigger picture.

 

[Whileee]

You seem to forget how easily Rodier was taken out.

I can only assume by your post, you are not fond of Bettman and the NHL BoG
Assuming that's true, wouldn't you prefer that the players retain representation capable of taking them on?

But he did leave a rather nasty and expensive wake in Glendale.

NHL has had to own and operate the Coyotes for two years.

The NHL had to pay last year's operating losses, and Glendale has to do that this year (overall total might exceed $50 million).

Consequently, the sale price of the Coyotes is inflated, leading to an "inverse bidding" process whereby the guy with the least advantageous deal for the City of Glendale wins the team.

Glendale ends up having to provide $197 million over the next 5 years just to keep the team.

If that's an easy "win" for the NHL, I'd hate to see a tie.

 

[TaketheCannoli]

I am quite sure that the NHLPA will get capable representation-I think Rodier will just be a small part of that team. This to me-learning recently who he was-an optics move in part, for Fehr to simply say through the media, he's not going to play nice with Bettman, and will use whatever means necessary to get under the NHL and the owners skin. It's a legal tactic IMO-Rodier is a small part of the bigger picture.

Perhaps this is so. I think hiring Fehr is more indicative of this. Like you, I don't think a lock-out or a strike would be good for either side. Frankly, it's hard for me to sympathize with the billionaire owners or the millionaire players. I just want the season to go forward.

 

[TaketheCannoli]

But he did leave a rather nasty and expensive wake in Glendale.

NHL has had to own and operate the Coyotes for two years.

The NHL had to pay last year's operating losses, and Glendale has to do that this year (overall total might exceed $50 million).

Consequently, the sale price of the Coyotes is inflated, leading to an "inverse bidding" process whereby the guy with the least advantageous deal for the City of Glendale wins the team.

Glendale ends up having to provide $197 million over the next 5 years just to keep the team.

If that's an easy "win" for the NHL, I'd hate to see a tie.

The Balsille/Rodier part was very easy. Rodier didn't last much beyond a month, then Skadden took him out. He was like a guy with a BB gun fighting another guy who had a battle tank. It's the Glendale part that's been hard.

 

[Killion]

Rodier wouldn't have that effect on the NHL. The league has a history of retaining the most prestigious law firms in the word.....He's reasonably lightweight. If anything, it may be a move to try to win the support of fans that were sympathetic to Balsille. They certainly didn't hire him for his legal prowess.

He's basically a junkyard dog. Barks alot. Looks scary. But dont bite. Possess' some knowledge & experience that would be edifying & useful, however, I cant imagine a scenario whereby he'd be at the head table negotiating directly with the league & or its council. It does as you concurred earlier send a message, and it aint no PrettyValentine.

 

[pucka lucka]

Rodier was hired to do what he did.

 

[LadyStanley]

As posted in a couple of sale/relocation/whatever threads.... Probably more appropriate to have it's own thread than clutter up multiple others.

http://www.nhlpa.com/News/Media-Releases/Details.aspx?R=9393B029-6B20-45EC-A6D0-E60E37E59491

From the NHLPA press release of four new hires:

In addition, the NHLPA has retained Richard Rodier as a lawyer and economic consultant.
...
Rodier is a graduate of the Wharton School of Commerce and Finance (1978) and the University of Toronto Law School (1984). He has extensive experience analyzing the business of professional hockey. Rodier will assist the NHLPA in review and analysis of certain legal, economic and business issues affecting the sport.

Rodier is the voice that was whispering in the ear of Balsillie to ruffle feathers in Nashville (with STH drive before team ownership/relocation), pursue purchase of Penguins, and suggest bankruptcy as a way of circumventing the NHL to relocate to Hamilton.

 

[Einstein Theory]

I'll move my earlier musing to this thread:

Maybe I'm the only one taking the Rodier move this way, but my take is this:

Its a message to the NHL: "We don't want to deal with Bettman".

That's my take. Load the deck with anti-Bettman personel. Force the NHL to reconsider Bettman before CBA talks.

But what do I know?

 

[Dado]

Rodier was hired to do what he did.

If the BoG can own a team, so can the NHLPA.

 

[MaskedSonja]

He's basically a junkyard dog. Barks alot. Looks scary. But dont bite. Possess' some knowledge & experience that would be edifying & useful, however, I cant imagine a scenario whereby he'd be at the head table negotiating directly with the league & or its council. It does as you concurred earlier send a message, and it aint no PrettyValentine.

I'm guessing Rodier doesn't kiss on the first date?