NHLPA Knew On Friday That NHL Owners Were Contacting Players

On Tuesday, the news broke that NHL owners were given a 48 hour window to talk to players about the CBA proposal.

"Players were contacting club personnel to inquire about our proposal," said deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "We gave them a limited window in which to respond to those inquiries."

The NHLPA was aware Friday - not Tuesday - that players were being contacted by owners.

That day, Mathieu Schneider issued an email to players entitled “Club Officials Contacting Players & Agents”. This is what he wrote:

In the last few hours we have heard about calls today from various club officials to players and agents to discuss the NHL proposal and bargaining.  This is interesting, since our understanding has been that the League had banned club officials from talking to players since the beginning of the lockout.  

If you get a call, or if there is anything you would like to discuss, please contact me. And, as always, please feel free to contact Don about anything, anytime.

Mathieu Schneider

The fact that the NHLPA was aware that something was going on Friday doesn't suggest it was concealing anything. The Union probably just wanted to get its ducks in a row. As well, it doesn't mean that they knew ahead of time it was going to happen.

Finally, Schneider's statement that players can contact Fehr "about anything, anytime" continues to speak to the inclusive and transparent approach Fehr takes to leadership. He's really changed the culture of the NHLPA.