Before Marty Walsh took over the National Hockey League Players’ Association in February 2023, he witnessed soccer history.
It was September 2022 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Having served as Boston’s mayor from 2014 to 2021, Walsh was now the secretary of labor under President Joe Biden. Representatives from the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams signed their collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer, with identical pay structures for appearances and tournament victories, as well as revenue sharing and equitable distribution of World Cup prize money.
“I was literally on the field. I was very emotional, representing President Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris as that happened,” he said.
A few months later, now Walsh will be the one negotiating a labor deal for athletes after being named the new executive director of the NHLPA, succeeding Donald Fehr. Fehr had led the NHLPA since 2010 and negotiated on the players’ behalf through two collective bargaining agreements with NHL owners.
Walsh takes over the NHLPA at a time of temporary labor peace, a few unexpected controversies, and a chance to lead the players into even greater levels of celebrity and prosperity.
“I…
