Kelly's strong voice backs a large agenda

NHLPA director ready for changes

It's too early to say what kind of union the NHL Players' Association will become under new executive director Paul Kelly.

It's not too early to say it will be different than the previous incarnations -- hard-line and obstructionist under Bob Goodenow, dysfunctional and overly cozy with the NHL under Ted Saskin.

In less than two months in charge, Kelly already has expressed a willingness to expand the schedule to 84 games, pushed hard for the league to get back on ESPN and argued for a voice in player discipline, all while trying to clean up the wreckage left by Saskin's promotion to replace Goodenow and that administration.

A former U.S. prosecuting attorney and Massachusetts native who has the accent to prove it -- Canada comes out "Canader" -- Kelly is in the unique position of having prosecuted one of his predecessors, corrupt NHLPA boss Alan Eagleson. Later in his career, he defended Marty McSorley.

After talking to the Hurricanes on Wednesday, the 22nd NHL team he visited, Kelly sat down with The News & Observer for a wide-ranging 20-minute interview. These are notable excerpts; a full transcript can be found at blogs.newsobserver.com/canes.

* On the union's role in suspensions and other supplementary discipline:

"As an association, we ought to have a more meaningful role. By that, I mean we should be consulted by the league during the process before they publicly announce a decision on discipline. I think it would be smart for the league to contact us and let us know what they're thinking. It gives us an opportunity to have input -- maybe we'll tell them we think that's fine, maybe we'll tell them we think that's too much, maybe we'll tell them we think that's too little.

"We're going to be particularly looking at consistency across the board. We're concerned about inconsistent results imposed on players because they're star players or otherwise.

"I don't want to run away from this. We've got to focus on the respect issues. We've got to try and reduce or eliminate these hits from behind, hits to the head in particular. The days that we will always be rushing to the defense of the aggressor and paying no attention to the victim, to the extent that ever existed, which I think is the perception, I will tell you we will very aggressively talk to both sides and be a voice for both sides."

* On the necessity of a television deal with ESPN:

"If you're a meaningful sport at the college or professional level, you're there now, or on NBC or whatever. I think, frankly, not being on one of those major networks, not having the SportsCenter hits, not having the nightly hockey show in the United States, we've lost a lot. I certainly understand why [NHL commissioner Gary Bettman] felt he had been boxed in and he had no choice but to go to Versus, I understand that history and I'm not second-guessing it.

"But now things have changed. The time has come. ESPN needs us. Their programming is frankly -- I don't know how many card games and bronco riding events you can watch, college basketball games up the yin-yang. I think it's frankly time for this sport to be back on ESPN. We need them. They need us. Smart people should be able to get together and solve these problems."

* On the NHLPA's relationship with the NHL:

"I think it has to be cordial, communicative, constructive -- we have to work toward building trust between the association and ownership. Again, 27 years as a lawyer and 10 of those years as a federal prosecutor, so I'm kind of a believer in "trust but verify," you know? I am reaching across the aisle to the owners. We are expressing a very genuine desire to work together. We will work together."

* On the union's advocacy of visor use:

"There will be an increasing rise in visor usage in the coming years. It's at 51 percent now. I wouldn't be surprised to see it rise significantly in the next couple years to 70-75 percent. At that point, over time, as new young players and Europeans come into the league, and I mean three, four years, you'll be close to 100 percent visor use. It will happen as a matter of course, whether you grandfather it in or not. It will happen."

* On the potential for reopening labor negotiations in 2009:

"Perhaps during the summer meetings with the guys we'll start to have that dialogue. We don't have to make a decision on it until sometime next year. At this point, it's premature, but we'll be studying all aspects of the CBA [collective bargaining agreement].

"There are some portions of it, frankly, at this early stage, that are going to require some modification. But I don't think it's going to require wholesale shelving of the thing."