CBC-Sports

Ference candid about shedding role as player rep

October 6, 2009 09:14 PM | Posted by   Elliotte Friedman  

Andrew Ference is going to concentrate on being a Boston Bruins defenceman, not an NHLPA executive board member.

Ference stepped down as Boston's player rep on Tuesday, with Mark Stuart expected to replace him.

Stuart acted as Ference's "second" the past two seasons.

Teams must choose their new representatives by October 31.

But if a player runs unopposed, no formal vote is necessary.

The defenceman is squarely in the middle of the NHLPA’s leadership battle, part of the committee that reviewed Paul Kelly's performance.

After that group's presentation, player reps voted 22-5 with three abstentions to fire Kelly.

Ference faced some criticism for the 3 a.m. decision, including accusations that he was the ringleader.

There were reports that he quit because of a challenge from Mark Recchi, but Ference denied that.

"I've done this for the past two years," he said. "I have a four-year old and a six-month old and I've spent countless hours doing union work.

"It started with the difficulties between Eric Lindros and Paul Kelly and it hasn't stopped. It's not fun."

Ference also laughed off a comment that stepping down would only reinforce the impression other players wanted him out.

"I could literally care less what people think, especially sports reporters who have been so off the mark," he said. "There have been so many false reports, so many half-truths about what's happened.

"Their opinion doesn't hold any weight, especially where it concerns me."

There were rumours flying that Ference and Recchi had some kind of heated debate before the season, with the latter harshly challenging the decision-making process.

"It wasn't ideal because I had spoken to every player to explain what happened and Mark did not arrive until the day before training camp," Ference said. "But a team is like a family.

"What does it hurt to be up front? Why should you be afraid to discuss your opinions and problems?

"We had a dialogue. We talked."

It has also been rumoured that one player came to Ference's defence at another meeting and said, "Maybe we should support the guy who did all this work while we were golfing."

Ference didn't know if that were true.

This has got to be a concern for Boston management, with the team a legit Stanley Cup contender.

This kind of a rift can do serious damage.

Ference said it will not be an issue: "The guys are OK."

But the NHLPA isn't.

Ference admits it could be doing a much better job of getting its message out there, but is angry at what he calls "people with an agenda" tearing it apart.

As for Kelly's dismissal, Ference was asked if he would do anything different, provided the opportunity to go back and change things.

His reply? "Not at all."

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