CHLPA What Is Going On? #top .wrapper .container .whitebox h1 { color: #000; } #top .wrapper .container .whitebox p { color: #000; } The junior hockey news
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CHLPA What Is Going On? September 14, 2012 7:44 AM
Who is leading the CHLPA? The proposed "union" for Major Junior hockey players in Canada has been very quiet lately with one exception; they have been quick to twist comments made by London Knights Govenor Trevor Whiffen.
Whiffen, when commenting on the potential NHL lock out, posted on his twitter account, “instead of encouraging your son to play in the NHL, try lawyer or accountant instead. They’re the only ones who never miss a pay day.”
Nothing wrong with that comment when considering the NHL and NHLPA are at a standstill in negotiations. The CHLPA took those comments and twisted them in their own Twitter post by saying; “This is the advise that Trevor Whiffen, the Governor of the London Knights has for his players,” tweeted the CHLPA. “He wrote this on twitter. Imagine having his guy part of your organization?”
Who is leading the CHLPA? Who is making this kind of public comment? Is it their Executive Director Georges Laraque? If so, someone needs to help him with reading comprehension. If not, someone needs to get control of who ever is posting on their Twitter account.
Most of the twittersphere supported Knights governor Trevor Whiffen. Some of the responses:
“@theCHLPA: Too bad you misquoted @trevorwhiffen. He did not suggest CHL players should throw in the towel. He said NHL. BIG dufference!”@pdawg57
“@theCHLPA: your not really helping your rep with comments like that I don’t think that was the intent of the comment” @MedicBurnSide
“@theCHLPA: that couldn’t be further from the truth.” @Frankiology_M
“@the CHLPA: way to twist the comment #spinclassgraduate” @Awsum_Man
The CHLPA has been very quiet lately. After filling the news for roughly two weeks, they seem to have faded into obscurity.
Union Membership Cards were promised weeks ago, none have been sent out. Players are still largely in the dark about who is behind the movement, and most teams and leagues have no clue as to what the CHLPA is planning.
More than a few holes have been punched into the CHLPA numbers, and the proposed plan to fund the "union". There has been no news on if and when the CHLPA will seek labor certification. Such an important proposal should have been more carefully designed and prepared. A year and a half or more in the making? It does not appear to be the case.
The CHLPA did officially launch their "website" http://chlpa.com/ Reach your own conclusions on the professionalism the design exudes.
The CHLPA did name their legal team on the website though:
ONTARIO
Gibson and Barnes
www.gibsonandbarnes.ca
119 Spadina Avenue, Suite 801
Toronto, ON, M5V 2L1
Fax: 416.597.3299
BRITISH COLUMBIA, ALBERTA, SASKATCHEWAN & MANITOBA
Victory Square Law Office LLP
www.vslo.ca
#500-128 West Pender Street
Vancouver, B.C., V6B 1R8
Fax: 604.684.8427
UNITED STATES
Willig Williams & Davidson
www.wwdlaw.com
1845 Walnut Street, 24 FL
Philadelphia, PA. 19103
An interesting list of firms considering they list a company in the United States where labor certification is very complicated and expensive to achieve.
The CHLPA then commented on Facebook that "scores of players" have signed on with them. 112 likes out of 1500 players is approaching 10%. Comenting on the Whiffen Tweet, the CHLPA posted this on Facebook:
"The lighter side of the CHLPA"
We would like to shed some humour on a very important topic.
Hope you enjoy Title : "Dissecting the Tweet".
The CHLPA believes Trevor Whiffen to be a good man, and a major contributer to the sport of hockey. However…
The CHLPA sticks by their statement about Trevor’s Tweet . The CHLPA completely recognizing and appreciates the joke and humour attached to Trevor Whiffen’s tweet.
However… We also view the tweet as being the, "True Trevor Whiffen". The exact type of Business man that the CHLPA and it’s members are up against. The "Show me the money, or get out!" type o’ guy. A lawyer, and also the Governor of the London Knights, among other titles, Trevor took to twitter and publicly criticized the CHLPA during its infancy. Which some might consider this to be an unfair labour practice, considering his position he holds on the London Knights. (Guessing he’s not a labour lawyer).
But let’s not talk about that today Let’s stay focused on the Tweet. Take a look at the Tweet and you can decide for yourself.
Trevor Whiffen@trevorwhiffen
"Instead of encouraging your son to play in the NHL, try lawyer or accountant instead. They’re the only ones who never miss a pay day".
Let’s dissect this portion of the Tweet, shall we? Trevor Tweeted this while having a discussion about the NHL. This fact the CHLPA doesn’t dispute. What the CHLPA does dispute however, is To whom Trevor claims the tweet/joke was directed towards. Now Obviously his Tweet was directed towards parents. This much we know Hence the -"Instead of encouraging your son" portion of the tweet…It would be a little bit silly to assume that Trevor was directing these comments , at the parents of multi-millionaire, adult, NHL players. That simply just wouldn’t make any sense at all, Would it? The only logical direction of that joke would be towards the parents of CHL players . Probably more inparticular, The London Knights since he is part of that particular organization.
Now let’s dissect the "-try lawyer or accountant instead" phase of the tweet. It’s this portion here that we believe Trevor is telling the players to,-throw in the towel. -hang up their skates, -forget the dream and the passion for hockey, -All those years of dedication and love for the sport, -forget it. -All those coaches reminding you to " live the dream". Give it up!-. Trevor suggests that parents should kill that hockey dream and go right for accounting .
Let’s move onto -"They’re the only ones who never miss a pay day" . You see, The CHLPA believes that this particular part of the Tweet, expresses so much about the man behind the humour. -The Business Man. The players in the CHL show up for work each and every day, and we give our all, There is no doubt that we have never missed a single pay day . That would be a little bit difficult when you’re making $50 a week. None the less, We show up to work. day in and day out, never complaining, Because we love it, We breath it, We live it . 98% of the us would love to continue with the dreams and passion, beyond the age of 20, to continue the strive for the NHL. Without having to give up our education packages, (which we might very well need by the way) .to become an accountant, or to pass the Bar, You see, The CHLPA seen alot more in that particular tweet than maybe the average reader.
Bias? Maybe. However, It focuses on some very key issues , and it’s ironic that this one little tweet is the precise topic The CHLPA has focused on. – Education. Becoming that lawyer, or accountant. Without having to give up the NHL drive at such an early age, because of unreasonable restrictions on money we’ve earned.
Trevor was quick to move at trying to recover from the roasting he took, focusing on "damage control", while the London Free Press wasted no time giving Trevor a chance to explain, his words and intentions behind his tweet. The CHLPA has a voice as well. And we are many. We are growing stronger each day, and what we are asking for is only right and moral. We would like to thank Mr. Whiffen today, for giving the perfect example of what the CHLPA is up against. and what we are working towards. We believe that Trevor as a person is a good man, and knows it’s the right thing to do for the players.
But as a Business man? That might be a different story. We hope that Trevor, as well as all Team owners, one by one realize that it’s just the right thing to do."
TJHN asks the readers to decide for themselves if the person writing for the CHLPA has a clue as to what they are up against in their attempt to organize this union. If the people posting these types of statements online are the "leadership" proposed for the players, then the players certainly need to take a close look at what type of people they want to follow.
I may not be a professional writer, but even I could come up with something better than what is being put out by the CHLPA. The question everyone is asking is simple; "Who is behind the CHLPA?" When will that question be answered CHLPA?
By Joseph Kolodziej
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