Trouble in the Henhouse: Ian Penny Resigns
The infighting associated with the NHLPA is working into a frenzy and Ian Penny has proven to be the first to go down in the firefight. The interim executive director, named so after the firing of Paul Kelly, resigned on Friday.
The NHLPA released a statement covering the matter:
“Interim executive director Ian Penny informed the NHLPA staff and the NHLPA executive board earlier today that it is his position he has been constructively dismissed as interim executive director of the NHLPA and can no longer work in the present circumstances. Effective today, Ian Penny is no longer employed by the NHLPA. There have been inaccurate media reports circulating today that the NHLPA has suspended operations. The NHLPA staff continues to work very hard on behalf of the players in all areas of the association’s business and will continue to do so going forward.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that all is not well within the NHLPA. Penny’s release comes less than a week after he delivered a set of scathing remarks via email to the 30-member executive board. In part, Penny noted that there were some “troubling issues” involving Chris Chelios and actions taken by him.
“Shortly after Paul Kelly’s termination, Chelios and several other board members received a written communication from Kelly encouraging him to investigate me and other staff,” Penny wrote. “Since that time, Chelios has continued to communicate with Kelly. These contacts create the appearance that the review is being co-ordinated with Kelly and that the review will target certain staff, while steering clear of Kelly’s conduct and the conduct of his allies.”
Following the Penny email, a four-player review committee was formed. It included, as I reported here, Chelios, Rob Blake, Nicklas Lidstrom and Mark Recchi. The committee revealed its intentions to review all of the angles of the Kelly firing as well as all internal workings of the NHLPA. Some argue that the committee was given too much power, while others argued that it was about time action was taken.
The committee did indicate that a third party would be conducting the investigation, adding that certain duties, such as those of the NHLPA ombudsman, would be restricted for the time being.
The rumblings in the NHLPA certainly don’t sound good from the outside, as it seems the entire organization is in disarray. There is a lack of leadership and a lack of trust, which is creating a poisonous environment in which nobody can operate fully and faithfully in the best interest of the players.
At this point and time, the NHLPA may need to restructure itself entirely before it can get back on solid ground to serve player interests. Until then, it looks like chaos is the order of the day for the NHLPA.
Posted by Jordan Richardson.
Tags: chris chelios, ian penny, NHLPA, player's union