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Agents, NHLPA meet

Friday, August 31, 2007

The topic supposedly wasn't discussed during the four-hour meeting between the NHLPA and player agents Wednesday, but the issue of replacement players was a hot topic with the media after the session.

 "There has been no formal policy," NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow told the Canadian Press after the meeting. "I think there's a lot of sentiment among the agents and players on the issue but no formal policy.

"We know that could be a possibility down the road if they (NHL owners) choose to go that route. It's in the future and not being dealt with at the present time."

The co-managing directors of the IMG's  hockey group were among those who were asked about the prospects of representing replacement players.

J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson represent some of the top names in the game, including junior star Sidney Crosby.

J.P. Barry said it isn't going to happen when asked if he would be the agent for a replacement player.

"I won't represent a replacement player," Barry told the CP. "I said this before, I said it about four months ago and it hasn't changed."

He said that will still be the case even if it was one of his big name clients.

"He won't be my client any longer," said Barry.

His partner, Brisson, wasn't as committed when asked about what would happen if Crosby decided to play in the NHL as a replacement player next season.

"I can't answer that," Brisson said.

Don Meehan, one of the top agents in the business, said he doesn't even want to think about replacement players.

"I don't even want to go there in September," Meehan told the CP. "I don't even want to think where we'll all be at that point and time if we don't have hockey."

Meehan said one thing he is sure about is that there will be a lot of differing opinions when and if this comes down to replacement players.

"What became clear today is that there are players who are going to have opposing views throughout this process," he said. "I think there are agents within the room who are going to have their own views and I think the organizing committee for the PA will have differing views.

"That's positive. I can't think everybody is going to think the same way in relation to this whole process. To think that anybody would would be naive, and I think that extends to the other people on the other side of the fence as well."

As players did Tuesday, many agents voiced support for Goodenow on Wednesday. And as NHLPA president Trevor Linden did on Tuesday, Goodenow suggested both sides may need to take a little time off before getting back to the negotiating table.

"We know negotiations will resume at the right time," Goodenow told the CP. "We've got some meetings to take place and some work to do and it's just natural that people step back and at the appropriate time negotiations will reconvene.

"There isn't a set date. It's not seven days, it's not 10 days it's whenever it happens. I can't tell you that there's a schedule to be set or followed."