This may seem like the craziest thing you’ve ever heard of.  Especially if you’re operating from the context of “hockey players make logical and great business decisions.”  Even I required a day or so to digest this entire deal.  However, all you have to do is look back to the 2004-2005 lockout season to remember when the NHLPA turned down one offer, didn’t get paid for a season, only to return to work after accepting a worse deal.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Kelly was fired because he wasn’t close enough to the players and too close to the NHL brass.  However, former union VP Vinny Damphousse feels that the real reason is because the union is suffering from paranoia.  If you’re confused, that’s ok.  It means you’re a logical human being.  These two reasons couldn’t be further apart from each other.  Dreger’s insights and specualtions are some of the best in the industry.  Damphousse had a leadership role in the union.  This isn’t coming from the National Inquirer.  So what’s really going on here?

Not the players, or even the majority of them, but the players’ executive board (comprised of 30 players) say that they came across some information, based on their “checks and balances.”  This piece of information, Ladies and Gentlemen, was probably the 2011 CBA renegotiation date.  They took one look at Paul Kelly, and thought a smiling prosecutor is not who they had in mind to battle Bettman.

This decision was made in the craziest of ways.  Firstly, only the 30 players really knew what was going on.  The rest of the players had no clue what was going on, except for what was being reported.  ”It was a surprise because I don’t really know exactly what’s going on,” Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn told CBCSports.ca. “I haven’t been contacted by [Leafs player representative Matt Stajan].”

Pierre LeBrun feels the exact same way.  He mentions how some of those 30 players went into that meeting not realizing that firing Kelly was going to be the end result!  Are you kidding me?

Let’s say that Paul Kelly cut a deal with Gary Bettman that would not be in the players’ best interest come 2011.  Let’s just say, so that we’re comign from the worst-case-scenario.  If that’s what happened, why is it even necessary to meet and decide in a hotel at 3am of any night?  It’s not like they had the successor in the next room, and they were going to swear him in at any moment.  They don’t know who’s going to replace Kelly, long-term, yet.

It seems like 30 players know exatly what’s going on, and the other 775 don’t. Some smell conspiracy, some don’t.

What I do know, is that the government should be extending to the NHLPA the same sort of protection they extend to seniors.  You know, the rule where seniors can’t really make proper decisions for themselves anymore, so any financial transaction is not really official until approved by their offspring.

Either that, or the agents should be running the NHLPA.  I mean, the sports agent didn’t enter the scene in the 60s because they knew hockey better than the players.  They knew business better!  They’re there to level the playing field because owners were crushing players in deals.

I know there have been some shady sports agents in the past, but they also have a track record of looking after their own future.  Players don’t exactly have that going for them.  Taking care of the players in this regard, would be an indirect way of taking care of their(agents) own future.

Interests are aligned..