Exec Board Endorses Electing Don Fehr New NHLPA Executive Director

NHLPA EXECUTIVE BOARD ENDORSES SEARCH COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION TO NAME DON FEHR NHLPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

TORONTO (September 11, 2010): The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) announced today that its Executive Board has voted to accept the recommendation of the Search Committee (Ryan Getzlaf, Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rafalski, Brian Rolston and Mathieu Schneider) that Don Fehr be named the new NHLPA Executive Director.

The recommendation to appoint Fehr as Executive Director will next be submitted to the full NHLPA membership for consideration, along with various amendments to the NHLPA Constitution that were approved by the Executive Board earlier this summer.  The Executive Director and Constitution membership votes are expected to conclude following individual team meetings that will take place during training camp and the first part of the regular season, and Fehr’s appointment will not become official until that time.  In the interim, Fehr will continue to assist the NHLPA as a consultant.

"The Search Committee is pleased that the Executive Board has endorsed our recommendation to select Don Fehr as our new Executive Director and we look forward to our fellow members voting on this important matter," said Mathieu Schneider.

"I am gratified by the Executive Board's vote, and I look forward to meeting all the Players at team meetings which begin later this month," said Fehr.

Fehr, 62, joined the Major League Baseball Players Association as its General Counsel in 1977, and served as the MLBPA Executive Director for 26 years until he stepped down in December, 2009.