‘Time for a new voice’: Why Martin Walsh is a ‘different’ type of NHLPA leader

TORONTO – When Bobby Orr made a cheer-up trip to a Boston children’s hospital in 1975, who would’ve imagined the hockey icon was also giving an indelible memory to the future leader of the NHL players’ union?

“I was a kid. I had cancer,” Marty Walsh begins, thinking back to his chemo-shaved head and his years-long childhood battle with Burkitt’s lymphoma. “And Bobby Orr came to the hospital. 

“He had crutches, and he had just had knee surgery. I got a chance to meet Bobby Orr and get an autograph from Bobby Orr. It was just amazing.”

Despite his storybook anecdote, the 55-year-old Walsh is by no means a traditional hockey man. 

He is a politician who served seven years as mayor of Boston and the past two as U.S. President Joe Biden’s Secretary of Labor — a rather esteemed post he vacated to tackle this fresh challenge as the NHLPA’s executive director.

Even more than the political world, though, Walsh wants you to know he comes from the labour realm.

His father, John, a blue-collar Irish-American immigrant, was fiercely pro-labour. So, too, his uncle Pat, leader of Union Local 223 — a post that young, Orr-struck Marty would later ascend to himself.

“I grew up in that family that was always advocating on behalf of workers, and I was just fortunate enough to get that fire in my belly to continue to do the same thing,” Walsh said Thursday, during his first meeting with NHL scribes instead of CNN ones. 

After handing his resignation to Biden and assuming his PA post on Feb. 16, Walsh took in Wednesday night’s dramatic Panthers-Leafs overtime tilt at Scotiabank Arena, then introduced himself to reporters inside a downtown Toronto hotel.

His tie beams Democrat blue, his accent unmistakably Dorchester, Mass. 

(Once you meet Martin J. Walsh, you get why most call him “Marty.”)

Fielding 45 minutes’ worth of press conference and scrum questions with ease, Walsh doesn’t make any grand promises or fluff up his answers with lawyer-speak.

Walsh looks you in the eye. He asks your name. He doesn’t squirm around difficult topics but will keep his cards close to the vest.

He doesn’t end conversations and bolt the moment the cameras vanish.

First impression? The man is polished yet genuine. Seems like a straight shooter, and he’s comfortable in the spotlight.

Smooth and mostly serious. His jokes are light and safe, the type you'd hear on a campaign trail.

“I’m a different type of leader,” Walsh offers. “I think I bring a different perspective than probably every one of my predecessors.”

That group includes Donald Fehr, who negotiated the current collective bargaining agreement, had served the players since 2010, and was unsuccessful steering the owners away from temporary lockout.

“Some are lawyers, and they did different aspects of the law. I come from the labour world, labour community. I’ve been a labour leader. I'm a union member still. I’m a proud union member,” Walsh says. 

“My path has been a little different. I have lawyers around me to help me with the legal stuff we need, but I think when representing people, it's about representation for us — not the law for us. I’m not criticizing my predecessor, but I'm just saying, I think that brings a little different uniqueness to me.”

That’s what the players’ search committee found most attractive about Walsh.

Forget hockey-specific issues like controversial offsides and hits to the head.

By selecting Walsh, the players are prioritizing an organized, unified voice and workers’ rights.

“The main reason was his union experience. He’s led unions. That’s the bulk of the job here,” says Alexander Kerfoot, player rep for the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

“There are enough people who have been around the game of hockey for long enough that they can help him acclimate. He’s got ties and loves the game. Wanted the job. So, I think his passion for it, his passion for unions, and his experience is what people are most excited for.”

“In any of these jobs, it’s time for a new voice. And I think that this was the right time.”

Due to Walsh’s role in the White House, his recruitment was kept confidential for months. Until his in-person meeting with available players at Florida’s all-star weekend, his conversations were mostly conducted via Zoom.

Now that he’s off and running, however, Walsh states that his top priority is building relationships with the players and their families. He wants to understand their issues and needs before presenting those arguments to either commissioner Gary Bettman or the public.

The average union, Walsh says, sees about 30 per cent engagement from employees. He wants to exceed that mark with NHLers — the majority of whom are 20-something athletes with a singular focus on winning their next shift and don’t always concern themselves with the larger picture.

“It’s about conversation. It’s about giving the players a reason to stay connected to us,” says Walsh, preaching an open-door policy.

“It's about engaging the players more. We shouldn't have the players be coming to the table just around CBA time. We should be getting engaged all the time.”

That onus falls on Walsh himself, who claims to take more of a collaborative than combative approach to negotiations.

This should be welcome news to hockey fans — and players — forced to suffer through four labour stoppages from 1992 to 2012.

“They deserve a leader who knows who they are, knows their families,” Walsh says.

“Not that I see them once a year and talk at them. It’s about building a relationship where the players feel comfortable with being able to call me.”

Walsh’s hiring is timely. The next CBA isn’t due until 2026.

There is plenty of time to rally support for the next time the NHLPA chief drills down to serious discussions with Bettman, a lawyer and a hopeful collaborator.

“We’re in this together,” Walsh says. “But I represent the players.”

Fox’s Fast 5

• Walsh on the long-delayed World Cup of Hockey and whether the tournament will include Russia: “Let's get the competition on paper. Get it moving. And then we’ll deal with the obstacles at the time. We’ll see what happens in 2025. It's two years away. We don't know what the situation in the world is going to be.”

Kerfoot says best-on-best international competition is certainly a topic of conversation among NHLers.

“You’ve heard some of the best players in the game come out and speak about it,” Kerfoot says. 

“We want to grow the game of hockey. We want to show that as an experience. It has to be done in the right way. But everyone in hockey, whether you're a fan, a player, whoever you are, you want to see that.”

• With regards to select NHLers refusing to wear Pride sweaters, while the “super majority” is showing support to the LGBTQ+ community, Walsh believes there is more work to do on the topic. 

“I'm personally a supporter of the LGBTQ community. I always will be,” Walsh says. “The LGBTQ community shouldn't feel that the NHL hockey players are turning their back on that community.”

During his mayorship, Walsh notes how he went to bat for marriage equality for the state of Massachusetts in 2004 and the gay community’s inclusion in Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2015. 

“If a player doesn’t want to wear a jersey in warmup, they shouldn't be forced to,” he says. “But again, I think a lot of it is conversation as well as education.”

• Jeremy Jacobs — owner of the Bruins and a longtime wielder of power among NHL governors — contributed to Walsh’s mayoral campaign.

The new PA chief says he knows the Jacobs family “pretty well” and has a positive relationship with the billionaire’s family, just as he’s on good terms with Patriots owner Bob Kraft, the Fenway Sports Group (owners of the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, and Pittsburgh Penguins), and all major-league owners in his home city.  

“But, you know, in my entire career as a legislator or as a mayor, supporting my campaign is one thing. And using that as a way to leverage me is never going to happen,” Walsh asserts.

“It never has happened. It won’t happen.”

• Walsh believes it’s too early to dig into CBA-related issues such as Olympic participation and the possibility of a luxury tax at this stage. The players have zero interest in changing escrow (no surprise) but are open to raising the salary cap by more than $1 million (less of a surprise).

• On the PA’s role in overlooking Kyle Beach’s call for help: “I need to make sure something like that never happens again.”