tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=136221TORONTO (CP) - Ted Saskin's decision to reopen the vote on his appointment as executive director of the NHL Players' Association seems to have appeased at least the Toronto chapter of the dissident faction challenging the way in which he was first named union boss.
The dissidents had complained that the vote by team player representatives and the NHLPA executive committee to appoint Saskin was done over the phone rather than by a secret ballot as the NHLPA bylaws spell out.
Maple Leafs player rep Bryan McCabe, who publicly complained about the way the first executive board vote was taken Aug. 31, seemed content Tuesday in the aftermath of Saskin's decision to hold a second vote via secret ballot.
''It'll be a dead issue I'm sure in a few days,'' McCabe said after Day 2 of Toronto's training camp.
He even conceded the overwhelming sentiment among players that Saskin is the right guy to remain the new executive director.
''Ninety per cent of the guys do (feel that way), I guess, so we'll see,'' McCabe said. ''We're having a secret vote and it'll be a dead issue in a couple of days.''
McCabe was among the six naysayers in the 31-6 phone vote on Aug. 31.
''I've now had an opportunity to speak to my teammates,'' McCabe said. ''We sat down last night, had a long conversation, and we'll make an educated vote on where our team stands and that's how it should be done.''
Whether or not the second vote heads off a legal challenge from disgruntled executive committee member Trent Klatt remains to be seen. Klatt, who retired Monday with a year left on his NHL contract with the Los Angeles Kings, did not partake in Monday night's executive board conference call in which Saskin decided to reopen the vote on his job even though he had overwhelming support from the player reps not to do so.
''My feeling is that it is unnecessary,'' Canadiens player rep Craig Rivet said in Montreal. ''It was undisputed. We had a conference call the other day with all 30 players reps and our executive committee. I don't think there was any discussion that Ted Saskin wasn't the right man for the job.
''We had another conference call last night that lasted a couple of hours and Ted stepped up and said that he felt he didn't want any grey areas. He didn't want anyone second-guessing him. We will do another vote and that's what Ted's doing. Personally, I don't agree that he has to do that. It's obviously good that he has because there are people that are doubting him right now, but at the same time, I think Ted's the perfect guy for the job.''
NHLPA president Trevor Linden, who also came under fire from the rogue group, said he accepted Saskin's decision.
''It was his decision,'' Linden said after the Canucks scrimmage in Vancouver. ''We want to make sure everyone is comfortable with what happened. We want to make sure we don't have anybody that is unhappy or questioning the process.''
Linden said he isn't frustrated the situation has developed to this point.
''It's difficult any time you deal with a large group,'' he said.
''You're going to have certain guys that would have rather done things differently. When we went into this we knew there were going to be a lot of guys happy and some that weren't happy. It's one of those things.''
Ballots were shipped out across the continent Tuesday. The voting could be done anywhere from Friday to next week.
One of those objecting publicly to the way Saskin was first named executive director was veteran Maple Leafs tough guy Tie Domi, who supported the dissidents. Now even he seems somewhat appeased.
''It's half-satisfactory,'' said Domi, who would have preferred all 700 players have a vote and that a search committee be put together to find a successor to Bob Goodenow. ''But I think for the most part, it was never about Ted Saskin, it was always about the process. As a veteran guy, we owe it to the guys that stood up before for us. That's the main point everybody was trying to make. We just wanted this done properly.''
Added Domi: ''I spoke to Rob Blake, Chris Pronger, Chris Chelios and Brendan Shanahan last night, I think we all had the same issues about the process. Our whole point was that things weren't done right.''
Domi, who listened in with McCabe on the conference call Monday night, also doesn't doubt how the new vote will turn out.
''I'm sure Ted will be the guy,'' Domi said. ''I have no doubt he'll be the guy. But I don't know why it had to take a few guys being upset (to do it right).''
But Rivet expressed what several other players such as Jarome Iginla, Joe Sakic and Shane Doan said Monday, that they had no problem with Saskin taking charge in the first place and that this should not have been an issue worth re-visiting.
''He's done an unbelievable job negotiating this deal for us,'' Rivet said of Saskin. ''He's a smart man. Our executive committee stood up and elected this guy along with the other 30 player reps and we're ready to move forward. We're ready to be partners with the league and grow this game and work together.
''Once we can put this thing behind us it will be a great thing.''
Canadian Press writers Bill Beacon, in Montreal, and Jim Morris, in Vancouver, contributed to this story
