NHLPA Appoints Former Boston Mayor As Executive Director

Former Boston mayor Marty Walsh was appointed as the NHL Players’ Association’s executive director Thursday. He will succeed Don Fehr.

The 54th mayor of Boston was voted in unanimously following a recommendation from a player-led search committee, according to a press release. Walsh recently served as Secretary of Labor for the U.S. Department of Labor in the Joe Biden administration. He served as mayor of Boston from 2014-2021, and he served 16 years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since he was elected in 1997.

“I am honored to have been selected as the executive director of the NHLPA,” Walsh said, per press release. “In accepting this offer I am committing to do all that I can to advocate on players’ behalf. My years of experience in the labor movement and in public life has taught me that the job is never about me. It’s about us. It’s about the people we serve. So I look forward to working with players and the NHLPA staff to make the NHLPA the best and most effective team we can be to advance and protect the interests of our players and their families.”

“We are excited to name Marty Walsh as the next executive director of the NHLPA,” said Kyle Okposo, who was on the NHLPA search committee member, per press release. “Marty is a proven leader with a strong union background. His energy and ability to connect with players were immediately evident to the search committee. These were the very qualities we were focused on throughout our search for the next Executive Director. We look forward to the NHLPA’s future under Marty’s leadership.”

Walsh joined Charlie Baker as a fellow Massachusetts politician who took a leadership role in the sports world. The former governor was named the next president of the NCAA and is expected to take on his role in the spring. Similarly, Walsh is expected to begin his new job in mid-March.

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