Quote:
Goodenow quits as NHLPA executive director
CTV.ca News Staff
Bob Goodenow resigned as the executive director of the NHL Players' Association on Thursday.
"I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve the players over the past 15 years and to have had the support of a tremendous staff at the NHLPA. I wish the players every success under the new CBA," Goodenow said in a release.
The decision came after discussions with Goodenow, 52, and the Executive committee about the future of the NHLPA.
"With the conclusion of the negotiations and the ratification of the new agreement, the parties concur that this is an appropriate action for the future," Goodenow says in a statement.
His replacement has already been named, and will be Senior Director of Business Affairs and Licensing Ted Saskin.
In a statement released Thursday, Saskin said he will continue to serve the players, as he has done with Goodenow for almost 15 years.
"I plan to continue to serve them by building on the strong base that Bob created at the NHLPA," the statement reads.
The president of the NHLPA, Trevor Linden, praised the leadership of Goodenow.
"He has been a tireless advocate for the players and he dramatically improved the players' situation in every respect. Bob built the NHLPA into a first class organization and we are all very grateful to him," Linden said in a release.
Goodenow is leaving after reaching a deal with the National Hockey League that placed a $39-million US salary cap on teams, which he had earlier refused to even consider.
He succeeded Alan Eagelson as executive director in 1992, and still had three years left on his contract. It's reported that Goodenow earned $2.5 million US a year.
So Quit before he got turfed? 