Marty Walsh, US secretary of labor, speaks during the American Rescue Plan Workforce Development Summit in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. US inflation roared again to a fresh four-decade high last month, likely strengthening the Federal Reserve's resolve to aggressively raise interest rates that risks upending the economic expansion. Photographer: Jemal Countess/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesJemal Countess/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Report: U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh to Be Named NHLPA Executive Director

Rob GoldbergFeb 7, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is expected to be named the next NHL Players' Association executive director, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

Walsh is a sitting member of the presidential cabinet, but he will leave his post in the days after Tuesday's State of the Union address from President Joe Biden.

The former mayor of Boston has already addressed the 32-member NHLPA executive board via Zoom and is expected to be unanimously approved, per Seravalli. He needs only 18 votes from the team representatives to secure the new position.

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Walsh doesn't have a legal background, but he was a Laborers' Union president in Boston before entering politics. He was also a Boston Bruins season-ticket holder after growing up in Dorchester, a section of Boston.

The 55-year-old was considered a top candidate for the position earlier this month, per Emily Kaplan of ESPN, with Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis also given consideration.

The NHLPA began its search for a new executive director in April 2022 while seeking a successor for Donald Fehr. He took the job in 2010 and went through two rounds of collective bargaining negotiations in 2013 and 2020.

The current CBA is set to expire in 2026.

Players Ian Cole, Justin Faulk, Sam Gagner, Zach Hyman, Kyle Okposo, Nate Schmidt and Kevin Shattenkirk were part of the NHLPA's search committee, with Okposo reportedly leading the search and meeting regularly with candidates.