WASHINGTON — U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration to run the National Hockey League Players’ Association, according to two people familiar with his plans.
The hockey players’ union has been searching for a new executive director to take over for Don Fehr, who had been in charge for more than a decade. An association spokesperson had no official update on the situation when reached Tuesday.
A serious fan of the Boston Bruins, Walsh showed an encyclopedic knowledge of the sport in videos posted online during his tenure from 2014 to 2021 as mayor of Boston.
As labor secretary, Walsh helped broker a temporary work agreement between major freight railroads and their unions, preventing the risk of a strike that could have disrupted the U.S. economy ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Congress later imposed a contract on the unions after workers failed to ratify the agreement.
An administration official said Tuesday that Walsh was expected to leave his post after President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, as did a second person familiar with Walsh’s plans, who stressed that the plan was not yet final. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss departure plans.
Walsh’s departure would make him the first of Biden’s Cabinet secretaries to leave. White House chief of staff Ron Klain has his last day at the White House on Wednesday. And last week, Biden announced the upcoming departure of Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council.
Incoming chief of staff Jeff Zients has spent the last several months working to prepare the administration for potential staff turnover as Biden hit the two-year mark in office. After two years of unusual stability in the staffing ranks, White House officials have telegraphed that additional changes are likely in the coming months as burned-out staff seek new opportunities and are replaced by those with fresh energy – and as Biden prepares for the expected launch of his reelection campaign in the coming months.
Biden noted in a January speech to mayors that Walsh was making sure that government construction projects paid a prevailing wage and that apprenticeship programs were giving blue-collar workers needed skills.
Walsh, 55, moved into politics after rising through the ranks of a construction union. At the age of 21, he joined Laborers’ Local 223 and eventually became its president. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1997 and stayed in the legislature until being elected mayor. He was also formerly head of the Boston Building Trades union.
The NHLPA began its pursuit of a successor for Fehr in late April, naming a seven-player search committee and hiring a firm to assist. Fehr, best known for his lengthy career running the Major League Baseball Players Association, started working for hockey’s union in December 2011 and was quickly named executive director, overseeing collective bargaining negotiations in 2013 and 2020.
After emerging as the top candidate from a group that included former Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis and longtime NHLPA special assistant to the executive director, Mathieu Schneider, Walsh takes over at a time of growing NHL revenues with three years remaining until the next round of CBA talks. The league is projecting nearly $6 billion this season.
SABRES: Buffalo agreed to terms with forward Dylan Cozens on a seven-year extension worth $49.7 million.
Cozens will count $7.1 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 season.
Cozens, who turns 22 Thursday, is the latest core player the Sabres have extended over the past six months. Buffalo signed All-Star forward Tage Thompson for $50 million over seven seasons in August and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to a $30 million, seven-year deal in October.
TUESDAY’S GAMES
PENGUINS 2, AVALANCHE 1: Kris Letang scored 3:36 into overtime to cap a frantic rally as Pittsburgh stunned visiting Colorado.
The Avalanche controlled long stretches of regulation before Bryan Rust tied it with 3:38 remaining in the third period. The Penguins killed a penalty in overtime before Letang won it with a shot from the left circle.
Casey DeSmith made 41 saves for Pittsburgh, single-handedly keeping his team in it for the first two periods as Colorado dominated.
Nathan MacKinnon scored his 14th goal of the season for the Avalanche.
ISLANDERS 4, KRAKEN 0: Bo Horvat scored in his home debut with New York, leading his new team to a victory over Seattle.
Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves in his fifth shutout this season and No. 15 for his career. Samuel Bolduc, Simon Holmstrom and Zach Parise also scored in New York’s fourth straight win, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau added two assists.
The Islanders acquired Horvat in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver on Jan. 30. The All-Star center then agreed to a $68 million, eight-year contract on Sunday.
SHARKS 4, LIGHTNING 3: Timo Meier scored his second goal of the game and 30th this season 2:19 into overtime, and San Jose rallied from a two-goal deficit to win at Tampa, Florida.
Meier scored the winner from in close off a pass from All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson.
San Jose also got goals from Karlsson and Jonah Gadjovich. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 34 shots.
Karlsson’s two assists gave him 52 this season to go with 17 goals.
Brayden Point had two goals and Ross Colton also scored for the Lightning, who lost 7-1 at Florida on Monday night. Brian Elliott made 18 saves.
OILERS 5, RED WINGS 2: Warren Foegele scored twice in the second period and Edmonton won at Detroit.
Ryan McLeod and Foegele had goals 36 seconds apart early in the second and Foegele scored again midway through the period to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins restored their two-goal lead late in the third period and Evander Kane added an empty net goal.
Edmonton’s Jack Campbell stopped 30 shots, including some key ones in the third to keep a one-goal lead.
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