Bob Goodenow, the leader of the NHLPA from 1992 to 2005, has passed away at the age of 72, according to an announcement from the players’ union. In their statement, the NHLPA wrote:
Bob was an exceptionally influential leader whose unwavering commitment to the players helped shape the modern era of the NHLPA. He joined the NHLPA in 1990 as Deputy Executive Director and transitioned to Executive Director in 1992, stabilizing the Association during a tumultuous time. Bob quickly put his stamp on the organization by elevating the level of representation provided by the NHLPA’s staff, tirelessly working to educate the players, strengthening the membership and building trust in the office’s work on behalf of the players.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman issued his own statement, offering his condolences and speaking on Goodenow’s legacy within the game:
The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Bob Goodenow, a hockey man to his core who was a captain of the team at Harvard and played professionally in the IHL before serving as a player agent and as Executive Director of the NHL Players’ Association for 14 years.
Bob was a skilled attorney and tenacious advocate for the players he represented as an agent and as the head of the Players’ Association. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Wendy, their three children, Joe, Katharine and Kerry, and his many friends and admirers throughout hockey.
Goodenow succeeded Alan Eagleson as the head of the NHLPA in 1992 after Eagleson resigned his position. Goodenow instantly made his leadership felt, leading the players on a ten-day strike that resulted in league president John Ziegler being removed from his position by the league’s owners. The NHLPA credits Goodenow with negotiating “landmark gains in salary, free agency, pension, and health benefits,” and for leading the players to ultimately take “control of their name, image and likeness rights.”
He is also credited by the union with helping to establish pioneering programs such as player salary disclosure, the second medical opinion program for players, and the union’s agent certification program. Goodenow is also remembered for greatly modernizing the NHLPA’s operations by, per the union, growing “the NHLPA’s professional staff from only three people to more than 50 employees by the end of his tenure.”
The final stretch of Goodenow’s tenure was marked by the league’s infamous 2004-05 labor dispute, wherein bitter disagreements between the NHL and NHLPA ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season. Goodenow led the NHLPA through that battle, and then ended his tenure with the organization shortly after the new collective bargaining agreement was ratified.
Goodenow had a presence in the game outside of his leadership of the NHLPA – he was a three-year player at Harvard and both captained his team and was named to the All-ECAC second-team in his final year with the program. Goodenow also played two seasons of professional hockey with the Flint Generals of the IHL.
All of us at PHR send our condolences to Goodenow’s family and friends, as well as the NHLPA.
Alan Eagleson was probably the worst person ever employed by the NHL.
That the union only had 3 professional staff is intense and bizarre. RIP to the man who thought that wasn’t enough to run a serious operation.
Goodenow gets credit for making sure there was a salary cap floor, something Bettman and the owners didn’t want in that first cap era CBA.
His ruining of the 2004-05 season was so egregious that it effectively led to the salary cap era.
Simply because the owners realized that hockey can’t afford someone in his position behave the way Bob Goodenow did.
And that will be his legacy. Thank you Bob.
Ironic that every night on SC they’d show him and his buddy sitting together at a game, then when the negotiations got going they couldn’t get in a room together. That a sport lost a full season is inexcusable.